Yankees-Astros Wild Card: Why we're calling this "The Gravy Game"

I was interviewed for my pal Paul Francis Sullivan's Sully Baseball podcast for a preview of today's New York-Houston Wild Card game. Sully, the Astros fan interviewed before me, and myself are all calling this matchup The Gravy Game. Meaning that since we never expected our teams to make it to the playoffs this year, just having one postseason game is gravy to u!

Way back in March, I couldn't foresee the Yankees making it into the postseason. Heck, I said then I didn't think they would win more than 80 games, and I figured they wouldn't finish any higher than fourth place. I've never been so happy to have been wrong! (I did correctly predict, though, that the Mets would have a better record than the Yankees. And that A-Rod would have an epic year, although even this A-Rod apologist couldn't have predicted 30+ homers!)

Most baseball prognosticators didn't even think either the Yankees or the Astros (or the Rangers or Mets, for that matter) would make it into the postseason. Check out the teams 80+ experts predicted for ESPN; the vast majority of the teams picked didn't even make it into the postseason!

Don't get me wrong. I want the Yankees to win it all. I can't tell you how many times I have run this year (I am training for a half-marathon that I'm running this weekend) when I have visualized the Yankees winning the World Series, and Alex Rodriguez winning the World Series MVP. I want a Subway Series, too. It would be good -- make that great -- for the Squawkers! I have big plans for world domination. They start with a win tonight!

All that being said, I have to remember that just being in the postseason this year, with this team, is a pretty good accomplishment. A-Rod talked some yesterday about how the Yankees are the "major underdogs" this year. He told Newsday:

"I think with everything we've done this year, we've surprised a lot of people, and that's hard to do when you wear pinstripes," he said. "But I think going into this year, if you rewind seven months and told us we'd have an opportunity to play at home and defend our home court in a wild-card game, I think we all would have signed up for that."

And Rodriguez told the Daily News this about CC Sabathia checking himself into rehab:

“It’s a very courageous thing to do,” A-Rod said. “We play for CC now. CC has gone to the mat for us many, many times. … So now we go to the mat for him. 

“CC is a friend and a great teammate; like a brother to me. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have a championship ring from ’09. What he did was very courageous. It takes a very tough guy to do what he did.”

I wish CC well. He is my second-favorite current Yankee, after A-Rod. And it says a lot about the esteem Sabathia is held in that he has received such positive feedback about his decision to enter alcohol rehab at the beginning of the postseason. (That being said, I have to wonder if there is something that happened this weekend that precipitated this!)

In addition to talking about CC, and also how the Yankees won in 2000 when they slumped at the end (something Joel Sherman also covers in his column for the New York Post today), Sully and I   discussed how amazing it would be if Alex was the big hero tonight. Dare to dream!

On the podcast, I also blamed the lack of greenies for causing the older Yankees to drag towards the end of the year. Yes, I went there!

Anyhow, I'm calling for a Yankees win tonight. And I really want the house to be rocking. Bring back the home field advantage, Yankee fans!

Shocker! I am actually feeling a little confident about the 2015 Yankees' chances!

I know I can be a bit of an Eeyore when it comes to how I think the Yankees will do. (Although Squawker Jon was the one who recently got called that by one of our readers!)

After all, in my preseason predictions, I figured the Yanks would finish in fourth place in the AL East, not win more than 80 games, and have a worse record than the Mets. And even though the Yankees have exceeded everyone's expectations, and are in first place, albeit in a pretty weak division, I still keep on waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Masahiro Tanaka's arm to finally get that Tommy John surgery. For other teams in the division to get hot.

But after Sunday, I am about as positive on this team as I have been all year. Two things impressed me. The first, of course, is that the Yankees got a series win against Seattle, winning a game that King Felix started, with CC Sabathia pitching like the CC of old. CC even roared and pumped his fist after striking out Robinson Cano! Also, Mark (Gluten-Free) Teixeira continued his phenomenal year with the game-winning homer.

The second was that Carlos Beltran did a fundraiser for his baseball academy Sunday night with an "80s Strike Back" theme, and many members of the team showed up, wearing goofy 1980s-style outfits. Although I don't remember some of these styles, and I lived through the 80s!

However, I did so many fashion and hair monstrosities back then, it's not even funny! I do think somebody should have worn a skinny leather tie with parachute pants -- that was a popular guys' style when I was in high school.

My favorite looks from the photo above are from Michael Pineda (the man in the yellow hat), CC Sabathia rocking the overalls, Garrett Jones as Bruce Springsteen and Chris Young with the Run-DMC look. The worst is A-Rod -- he should have gone for a Miami Vice look instead of the generic blazer and shirt!

Anyhow, one of the reasons for the team's success in 2009 seemed to be that they really liked each other. They had the walkoff pies and the kangaroo court and all sorts of silliness. I get the feeling that this 2015 team really likes each other as well. These sorts of bonding events are great for team chemistry.

So I don't know if this team has what it takes to win it all. But Sunday is the best I have felt about their chances all season!

One sour note about Sunday -- was sad to see Rob Refsnyder sent down to the minors. The incriminating picks Stephen Drew must have on Brian Cashman must be really something!

On the hot mess that is Masahiro Tanaka, and why pitchers can't throw at A-Rod anymore

Ladies and gentlemen: the Tanaka face!

Have you ever been in one of those tumultuous relationships in which your boyfriend or girlfriend is a hot mess? You know, where you have real passion for the other person, and you think you click with them when you go out together, but they constantly let you down? Yet just when you are ready to give up on the relationship, your boyfriend or girlfriend comes sniffing around again, doing something immensely appealing and keeping you hanging on some more, until they let you down again and the cycle continues?

That's kind of what Masahiro Tanaka is like.

Ever since he tore his elbow, he has simply awful starts, then shows flashes of brilliance. Unfortunately, he is in the "awful starts" part of his repertoire now.

In his previous start, Tanaka had tanked in every way — allowing 10 hits, seven runs and three home runs over five innings in a 12-4 loss to the Tigers. The three home runs allowed, one to Victor Martinez and two to J.D. Martinez, marked a career high. Tanaka also tied a career high in runs (7) and earned runs (5) and he has never allowed more hits in a start.


Yesterday, Tanaka was staked to a 6-0 lead, and promptly gave it back over six innings. He gave up six runs, seven hits, and only had three strikeouts. He tied the 3-homer record that he established in his last start, and gave up more earned runs (6) than he ever has before. And when he melted down in the sixth, most notably when Jose Altuve hit a homer off him to tie the game, we got to see the Tanaka Face for the first time!

As Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post puts it:

Of course, the thousand-pound rhinoceros (or, in Alex Rodriguez’s preferred parlance, the pink elephant) in the room is, and will for the foreseeable future be, whatever hidden rat traps lurk within Tanaka’s elbow.

But what if it is not his elbow?

The whole situation reminds me of a joke about the Grateful Dead: A hippie runs out of drugs before a Dead show. After he listens to the concert sober, he says, "Wow, this music really stinks." (Of course, I love the Dead, and listen to them sober, but I still think this is a funny joke!)

What if it is just that Tanaka really stinks, and it is not his elbow causing this? But if it is his elbow, when is he going to get Tommy John surgery?

The Yankees did come back and win the game yesterday, 9-6. But if they are going to make the postseason, they need Tanaka to be a good boyfriend an ace again!

* * *

I missed watching the first half of the game live, although I did later on see the clip (see below) of Astros starter Brett Oberholtzer throwing inside to Alex Rodriguez after Houston hometown hero Chris Young's homer, the pitcher promptly getting ejected for doing so, and then Oberholtzer appearing to blame his glove for the bad pitching, hurling the glove in the dugout. The Houston starter was sent to the minors after the game.

The Yankee broadcasters called Oberholtzer "bush league," said the pitch was not the mark of a true competitor and said he should "take it like a man."

A few things I noticed about this:

Remember how Boston Red Sox pitcher Ryan Dempster threw four times in a row at A-Rod and the umps let him get away with it? Those times are over. Thought it was telling about Rodriguez' current reputation in the game that one inside pitch to him is enough to get the pitcher ejected.


It's clear that CC Sabathia is A-Rod's BFF. When A-Rod hit #3000, one of the players he hugged was CC. Then Sabathia spent big coin on "Ace of Spades" champagne for a postgame toast.  Now the pitcher was the first out of the dugout, ready to rumble after Alex got hit. Big change from the early days of A-Rod on the team! I wish I had CC in my posse! Heck, I wish I had a posse!

Shocker! One of the Squawkers correctly guesses a John Sterling home run call!

I didn't get to watch any of the Yankee games this weekend, but I do have some opinions on a few Yankee-related things. More on that in a sec.

Instead, I ran in two road races, went out to dinner with friends, checked out the Morrison Hotel art gallery, visited the new location of the Whitney Museum of American Art in the Meatpacking District, and walked the entire High Line, including the new section. For once in my life, I actually had a life this weekend!

By the way, the Whitney is a must-see. Not only is there some remarkable art worth checking out, but the views from the building's terraces are just breathtaking. It is absolutely stunning. I will be back here. Soon!

And the new High Line section, which goes up to 34th Street towards the Hudson River, is also amazing. I used to work in that neighborhood when I was at the Daily News, and it is rapidly changing. (It was pretty much a dump when I was there!) I will also be back there. Soon!

Oh, and I saw the Staten Island leash lady with my own eyes! I was walking on Midland Avenue when I saw a man walking his dog -- and his girlfriend. And yes, she was wearing a dog collar. This was at 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning! To which Squawker Jon asked 1) did I throw her a bone, and 2) if this were really the leash couple, or shameless copycats!

Anyhow, now that I have completed the "Lisa's weekend" portion of this Squawk, I can talk about two amazing things.

Jose Pirela hit his first career homer this weekend. Every time a new Yankee hits their first homer, Squawker Jon and I try to figure out what the call will be. Last night, I heard what Sterling's call was, so I made Jon guess. And after a few tries, he actually got it! It is: "Jose Pirela! The Most Happy Fella!" Jon figured given Jon's (and Suzyn)'s love of show tunes, it would be a natural! However, he is a little disgusted with himself that he could actually channel Sterling's mind here. Hang your head in shame, Jon!

Oh, and how about CC Sabathia showing such passion? Check out the clip below before somebody pulls it. You can hear a slew of curses unleashed, including the F-bomb! I was tremendously entertained by this.

Have the Yankees hit rock bottom? Or could it get even worse?

I jinxed CC Sabathia. Let me explain.

So I was out and about Saturday morning and early afternoon, doing a three-mile fun run at Clove Lakes Park, going to the farmers' market, buying groceries at Trader Joe's, doing other errands, and chatting with different people I know in the small town that is Staten Island.

Lots of people I saw today complimented me after seeing the Staten Island Advance article about me in print. But you know who hasn't seen the article as printed in the paper? Yours truly! I was in Texas when the piece ran. Heck, I don't even know what placement I got in the paper! Hmmm, would that be gauche to ask? (Sorry, folks, but as a former newspaper girl, I want to know where I ranked in the paper!)

Anyhow, enough about me. Let me explain how this relates to Sabathia. I finally got home at the beginning of the third inning, when the Yankees were scoreless. And just when I put the game on while I put away my groceries, everything completely fell apart, with CC Sabathia having one of the worst starts of his career, and his worst ever game as a Yankee. ESPN says that Sabathia "is now 0-6 with a 9.42 ERA in his last six Yankee Stadium starts, dating to the beginning of the 2014 season." Yikes! Considering I literally put on the game just before Sabathia's meltdown, I felt partially responsible. Sorry, CC!

Sabathia giving up six runs to the Texas Rangers was bad enough. The Yankees bullpen gave up four more runs in the third, and another five in the game, for a 15-4 loss This, after Michael Pineda gave up seven runs in the third the night before in Friday's 10-9 loss. Good grief.

Longtime Squawkers reader Uncle Mike pointed out something interesting. Position player Garrett Jones, who pitched the ninth for the Yanks, wears #33. So did Nick Swisher, who once pitched for the Yankees in a mop-up game -- and struck out Gabe Kapler! ESPN noted that Jones was in good spirits after the game, the way Swisher was in that 2009 game. Remember what a snit fit Jorge Posada had after Swisher was smiling and laughing to reporters, whining that there was nothing to be happy about? Good grief.

Anyhow, there isn't much for the Yankees to be happy about these days. As MLB.com notes, the Yankees have lost nine of their last 10 games, and their starting pitchers are "1-8 with a 6.61 ERA (37 earned runs in 50 1/3 innings)."  This looks like rock bottom to me. Unless it gets even worse, that is.

"We got embarrassed," Brett Gardner said after the game. "I feel bad for our fans," he said. "We've obviously looked pretty bad the last week or so." No kidding.

Prospect Jacob Lindgren is getting called up for tomorrow. It makes you wonder: can the Yankees end the Stephen Drew Experience for good and call up Rob Refsnyder? Even Jack Curry suggested on the YES broadcast today that the Yanks might want to bring up Refsnyder, and compared it to 2005, when the Yanks called up Robinson Cano. Hopefully, something will happen soon.

Anyhow, something's gotta give. Otherwise, it's going to be a long year.

Subway Series Game 2: Dark Knight rises, CC not even so-so

The Mets walloped the Yankees, 8-2, on Saturday, but Squawker Lisa has somehow only gotten around to writing about Game 1, which reminds me of the Yankeeography retelling of the 2001 World Series, which conveniently ended after Game 5. While we're waiting for Lisa's game 2 wrapup this afternoon, here are some thoughts from the game:

Matt Harvey is great. You want your ace to the a stopper. Granted, it was only a one-game losing streak, but a loss yesterday would have given the Yankees the Subway Series and could have started the Mets on a downward trend. And Lisa would have had to write about the game.

CC Sabathia is no longer great. Sabathia is now 0-4 with a 5.96 ERA. He gave up three home runs to the Mets, who had hit ten homers all season before Saturday.  Two of the homers were hit by Kevin Plawecki and Eric Campbell, who were both in the minors until recent callups as injury replacements.

I do concede that the seven-year contract the Yankees gave Sabathia before the 2009 season has turned out to be one of the better long-term deals for ace pitchers, even if this final season turns out as poorly as it appears it's going to be.

Oh, wait, the Yankees gave CC an extension - $25 million for 2016, with a $25M option for 2017 that will vest as long as Sabathia:

1) does not end 2016 on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury, 2) does not spend more than 45 days in 2016 on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury or 3) does not make more than six relief appearances in 2016 because of a left shoulder injury

Sabathia's 2014 season ended in July when he underwent knee surgery.  Adam Wainwright stumbled coming out of the batter's box yesterday and may have torn his Achilles.  Every pitcher these days seems to be at risk for Tommy John surgery. But fear not, Yankee fans - none of those injuries would prevent Sabathia's $25M option from vesting for 2017.

So Harvey is 4-0 (as is Bartolo Colon), while Sabathia is 0-4. The Mets are 14-4 (still the best record in baseball) while the Yankees are 10-8.  Take away Harvey's record and Sabathia's record and both teams are 10-4.  The way Sabathia currently looks, he's the reverse stopper - every fifth day, he gives his team a great chance to lose.

Kevin Plawecki hit his first major-league home run.  The Mets announcers mentioned this fact on the telecast. On our side of town, we are allowed to acknowledge home run milestones.

2013 Yankees: There must be a pony in there somewhere

It's gonna be a long season. Yesterday's Yankees' opener ticked me off for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is to see the major league debut of the highly touted outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. I am not envious of very much about the Red Sox, but I am envious that their fans can cheer on Bradley, who seems like a good dude, as well as third baseman Will Middlebrooks. Instead, we Yankee fans can cheer on the ancient Vernon Wells in left field, and Kevin Youkilis, the guy who lost his job due to Middlebrooks' ascension. Oh, joy.

But how is it that Boston could have such good young players, given how high in the draft they have picked over the last decade? Isn't that one of the many excuses Brian Cashman has when it comes to the state of the Yankees?

Anyhow, it seems like most of the Yankee fans there at Opening Day seem to be as "optimistic" about the team this year as I am. Which is to say that they are not. Why else would they flee in droves *before* it rained, when the Yanks were only three runs behind in the seventh?

Loved Joe Girardi's excuse that it was a "school night" for fans leaving early. Really, Joe? The game ended at 4:47 p.m.! What a lame rationalization.

And so much for the Yankees' great pitching saving the day. If CC Sabathia's velocity doesn't increase soon, the Yanks will have a very long -- and losing -- season indeed. To top it all off, the Mets had a terrific Opening Day, making the Yankees look even worse in comparison.

I was completely unsurprised by this turn of events for the Yanks, though. Why should we expect crummy ownership, and a crummy general manager, and a crummy manager to produce a diamond in the rough out of this crummy team. Not to mention that the rest of the AL East has improved, while the Yankees have regressed. Maybe we can clap our hands and believe in fairies, but the reality is that the Bronx Bombers are really going to be the Bronx Bummers this year.

So What to Do About Joba Chamberlain?

There's been a whole to-do this week about the Yankees and weight. First, CC Sabathia said he lost 25 pounds after he dropped his habit of devouring full boxes of Cap'n Crunch cereal (hey, maybe that's what the CC stands for in his name!) Now Joba Chamberlain admits to packing on a few pounds, but claims it's all muscle. Right.

I'm of two minds about Joba. On the one hand, I think the Yankees did him a tremendous disservice with moving him from the bullpen to the starting rotation and back. And I think it was ridiculous for Brian Cashman to characterize anybody who disagreed with the Yankees' strategy as "stupid."

However, there's also some real questions, I think, about Chamberlain's work ethic. And showing up to spring training packing on a few extra pounds doesn't help. If you're working in a cubicle farm, it doesn't matter how much you weigh. But if you're a professional athlete struggling to keep his job, you might want to take a cue from your veteran teammates and show up in shape. Or at least pitch well enough so that your weight isn't an issue.

When I slammed the Yankees last month for the way they handled Joba, I got a lot of responses from Yankee fans who were angry at Chamberlain for his work ethic, for him not being in shape, etc. and who felt that he was the only one to blame for his predicament.

On the other hand, it seems like the Yanks have let him get away with that for a long time; it's interesting that only now Cashman mentions using the minor league options with Joba when he flat-out last year said they wouldn't do it.

Wally Matthews made a point I have wondered about myself when he wrote:

Fans ask me all the time if the Yankees know something about Joba Chamberlain that the rest of us don't, some unflattering bit of information that makes them continue to treat him as if he is fragile, or unstable, or in some way unreliable.

Clearly, they know the Joba Chamberlain who chose to reveal himself on Wednesday: the 25-year-old who already knows so much about pitching he no longer needs to bother with the little things anymore.

Like getting in shape.

I don't expect to hear the inside story, if there is one, anytime soon, though. Heck, I'm still waiting to hear how A.J. Burnett got that black eye!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Why David Price deserved to finish ahead of CC Sabathia in the AL Cy Young race

Even many Yankee fans seem to agree that Felix Hernandez was the best pitcher in the American League this season. The only argument in favor of CC Sabathia would be that he pitched in the pressure of a pennant race, but even there, he fell short.

Sabathia was very inconsistent down the stretch, allowing at least five earned runs in three of his last seven starts, including seven against Tampa on September 23. He was great in most of his other games, allowing no runs in eight innings twice, including a game against Tampa on September 13.

But if you're going to use pennant pressure to help decide the Cy Young, it's not good enough to be feast or famine. You've got to be the kind of pitcher who steps up his game in crunch time. That's what David Price was in 2010.

In September, Price went 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. Two of his wins were against the Yankees and the Red Sox, both on the road. In another game against the Yankees, Price allowed no runs in eight innings in a game the Rays eventually won in the eleventh.

Price's two games against the Yankees happened to be the two that Sabathia pitched. The two aces both pitched eight scoreless innings in one of them, while Price gave up three earned runs and Sabathia seven in the other.

Hernandez was unbelievable down the stretch, allowing no more than one earned run in nine of his last ten starts, pitching at least seven innings in eight of them. Four of his wins came against pennant contenders Boston, the Yankees and Texas, with three of those games on the road. (One of the games against Texas came after the Rangers had already clinched the division.)

Squawker Lisa, while I agree with your giving Price credit for his strong pitching in a pennant race, I can't go along with your picking Price over King Felix until they change the title of the award to Most Valuable Pitcher.

My thoughts on Yankees-Twins, Game 1

I was pretty grumpy for the first half of last night's game, between CC Sabathia looking shaky, and Jorge Posada's passed ball contributing to a run. (I wondered on Twitter whether Jorge would blame CC for it!) And the fact that the Yanks looked flummoxed against Francisco Liriano for the first five innings ticked  me off.

But then the sixth inning came, Jorge Posada redeemed himself, and Curtis Granderson proved to be something sort of Grandish (I wonder how John Sterling called his big hit -- I hope it was better than the TBS announcers, who muffed it!)

I really thought that after the Yankees scored  four runs in the sixth inning, that Joe Girardi should have had a reliever ready to go, especially since CC may be needed to pitch on short rest in the series. Sabathia looked D-O-E-N  DONE, as Jerome from Manhattan would spell it! As great as Sabathia has been for the team this season (they wouldn't be in the playoffs without him), he labored yesterday, throwing 27 pitches in the sixth, 111 overall. He walked three batters his last inning, including the tying run. Yet he ended up with the win, thanks to Mark Teixeira's homer (another call the TBS broadcasters messed up on.)

I thought CC should have been pulled earlier -- getting the Yankees the win, not CC the win, should have been the priority. Others disagreed with me on Facebook.  Fortunately it all worked out, though.

But how about the messed-up call on Greg Golson's catch last night? The Yanks had to get 28 outs, thanks to that. Joel Sherman wrote this in support of instant replay in his blog today:


... "this is strictly about the blown call. There is a way to get a high percentage of them corrected, so why would we not want to do that. One argument I hear is that it would eliminate the human element. Stop. The human element is that Jorge Posada has trouble catching the ball, not umpires messing up.

After years of cheerleading for Jorge, Sherman's really down on him, isn't he?

Anyhow, had a late night watching  the game, so I'm way off schedule. Coming later today -- more thoughts on Carl (Iron Man) Pavano!

C.C. the Squawker Cat: 1996-2010

Sad news today: I had to put my cat C.C. to sleep this morning at my vet's office. C.C. was almost 15 years old, and had been battling cancer for the past year. She was able to survive that, but then she developed kidney failure, and it became too much for her in recent weeks. So I had to make the decision to end her suffering today. Someday we'll up meet again at Rainbow Bridge, along with my cat Rusty, who passed away last year.

A few weeks ago, my minister blessed C.C. at our church's Blessing of the Animals event. And I swear I saw C.C. nod and understand what my minister was saying about her!

Squawker readers may remember hearing about this remarkable cat. She was the original C.C. and was irate when CC Sabathia came to the Yankees with a similar name, but left the periods out of his name. She also liked to sit in my Yankee Stadium chair, although I was never totally sure what team she rooted for!

C.C. was also my very first cat, literally showing up at my doorstep in 1997, looking for a home. I wasn't looking to take a cat in, but she somehow talked her way in, and she was a big part of this Squawker household ever since.

In 2004, she broke her hip when the Yankees were in the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins. It didn't look good for her at first, but she survived that with flying colors, and as time passed, you couldn't even tell which hip she broke.

Unfortunately, her recent health problems were too much to deal with. That, combined with advanced age, meant that it wasn't fair to keep her around, when she was suffering so.

Anyhow, I keep on looking around my home today, half-expecting to see her snoozing on the Yankee chair, or giving grief to my other cat, Rocky. But she's not here any more, and I will really miss her.

What do you think? Tell us about it.

To learn about pet insurance, visit Petplan's website.

I saw the end of the Dave Trembley era at Yankee Stadium

I was at my first Yankee game of the season this year yesterday. This was thanks to Squawker reader Barbra getting tickets for us from Jennie, another Squawker reader and partial season ticket holder. We had great seats - upper deck, right behind home plate, last row. The overhang protected us from the sun, and we felt a breeze from the AC compressor thingy.

As for the game itself, it was great to see CC Sabathia get his first win in a month. And to see A-Rod hit a homer. And to see the Yankees win. (And yes, it does count, even it was against the Orioles!)

It also was O's manager Dave Trembley's last game - he was fired today. Wonder what the value is in having a ticket stub is for that historic occasion!

We had a great time at the game except for one thing, which I will write about later today.

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Why was Josh Beckett so out of control against the Yankees?

Squawker Jon came over last night to watch Yankees-Red Sox with me (we had the Mets game in the picture-in-picture, and DVRed it as well). We were both surprised over Josh Beckett. But not for the reason that you might think.

When I was on the Larry Milian Show Thursday, I told him that if the Sox were struggling this weekend, a Yankee would get hit. I mentioned that the ball always seems to get away from the Boston pitchers in situations like that.

But I didn't expect anything like what happened with Josh Beckett. He started out great, but in the sixth inning lost his control. He reminded me more like a wounded animal lashing out than a headhunter in that inning, starting with hitting Robinson Cano. Now you can't really say it's a full out "intentional" plunking when you hit Derek Jeter with the bases loaded, and pitch inside to Francisco Cervelli and Mark Teixeira, also with the bases loaded. It almost seemed like Beckett just wanted out of the game or something.

What surprised Squawker Jon and me was how long Terry Francona kept him in the game. Beckett faced, what, 111 batters in the inning (or, at least it seemed like that!) Why did Terry keep him in so long - did he did into some of Joe Torre's green tea supply or something? It was just strange. Just when you've seen it all with Yankees-Red Sox, something like this happens.

At any rate, the Yankee dugout was positively peeved at Beckett by the time Jeter was hit. CC Sabathia and A-Rod apparently were the most angry. So I'm expecting CC to enact a little retribution today. As is the Boston Herald. John Tomase writes:

If and when Dustin Pedroia or Kevin Youkilis gets drilled by CC Sabathia this afternoon, they’ll have Josh Beckett to thank....

The Yankees were not happy.

And why should they have been? While it would be nearly impossible to make the case that Beckett hit either batter intentionally, it’s not about intent. Cano’s throbbing left knee and the welt on Jeter’s back could care less what Beckett intended.

I don't want anybody to get hurt. But let's just say I am glad that the Mike Mussina Years are over, and that CC is on the mound today. Especially if Cano, the Yankees' best hitter, ends up missing today's game.

Sabathia is an interesting combination - he's both laid-back and fierce. Did you see what he said yesterday about Dallas Braden flapping his gums again about A-Rod?

“He's a clown,” CC Sabathia said of Braden. “Guy says he's from the 209, what the [bleep] is that? That's where I'm from and I don't know what he's talking about. Two-oh-nine. He needs to just calm down - put that in the paper. That's just tired.”

This fan from the 718 (originally from the 201) applauds CC!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

So far, so good: Yankees season a welcome change

This is the first April in eons where the Yankees have actually gotten off to a semi-decent start, winning two series in a row, and against division rivals, yet. The last one I can remember the Yankees not tanking in April was all the way back in 2003! Of course, it's only six games so far this season, but it's nice to not have all the usual gloom and doom that we hear this time of year.

And the fact that the Mets are being, well, Metlike for the first week of the season makes it even more sweet. Because you know Squawker Jon would give me the business if the Yankees were in their usual April doldrums!

Anyhow, I was holding my breath Saturday about a potential CC Sabathia no-hitter. Squawker Jon and I were yakking on the phone about it - he called me in an attempt to jinx CC - and he thought Sabathia had a good chance at it after getting Evan Longoria out. I disagreed, saying that it was always the no-name in the lineup who breaks up these things. Like Carl Everett. Or, as it turned out, Kelly Shoppach.

Although, if Sabathia had not given up a hit, it would have been interesting to see if Joe Girardi had really kept up his plan of not letting him throw any pitches. Personally, I think CC would have thrown him to the ground if he had tried to take him out. And if Sabathia hadn't, Francicso Cervelli might have! (Speaking of which, how much is his star rising? First game he catches this year, and it's nearly a no-hitter? Outstanding!)

Oh, and our long national nightmare is over. Mark Teixeira finally got a hit! I loved how he was all deadpan with reporters, telling them:

"During your career, you always aim for milestones. I wanted to make sure I went 0-for-17, a personal best. And then after that, I wanted to make sure I had a couple of hits." 

Ha! I was on the Larry Milian Show Saturday, on Fort Lauderdale radio station WFTL, and when Larry asked me about Tex, I was all deadpan, too, saying that he needed to retire, as it was clear he would never, ever, get a hit again!

A few other things about this weekend:

* Javier Vazquez didn't exactly shut Yankee naysayers up, with his lousy pitching Friday after the first time around the lineup. Fortunately, I was out for the evening, so I missed seeing the carnage live!

* And is there really going to be peace in the valley between A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada? Two decent starts in a row, and they haven't killed each other yet. Progress!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Cleveland fans have it even worse than Met fans

It is bad enough being a Met fan right now, but imagine rooting for the Indians. I just did a piece for The Faster Times about how Cleveland fans must not only watch CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee square off in Game 1 of the World Series, but must also deal with Manny Acta as their new manager.

You can read the piece here.

I admit to being biased about Acta because he is close to Omar Minaya and others in the Met organization. These days, that is not a reference you want to have.

For all we know, Acta will have a lot more success in his second job, which has happened before, including with both of this year's World Series managers. But Cleveland does seem like an organization in disarray. The top prospect in the Lee trade just underwent surgery on his pitching shoulder. He was on the disabled list at the time of the trade. Can somebody say Victor Zambrano?

A-Rod should have been MVP

Squawker Lisa has weighed in for The Faster Times on "Why A-Rod Should Have Won the ALCS MVP." I agree that he should have at least shared it with CC Sabathia.

Arguing over who should be the LCS MVP. Nice problem to have!

CC Sabathia is so big - he's World Series big - but A-Rod is the series' MVP - so far

So much for all the talk about how the Yankees would suffer with CC Sabathia pitching on only three days rest. Turns out that this Joe Girardi move paid off - big time - for the Yankees, with CC being an AA - Absolute Ace - last night.

And A-Rod continued his postseason superstardom yesterday, hitting a homer, a single, and a double, stealing a base, and hustling the whole game like a kid. He's nicer than I would be, though. If that were me, I'd be all, "Take that, you &*^)!" the way Ted Williams once gestured towards the press box during a big game.

Not to jinx things, though, but I think A-Rod is the MVP of the series so far, even though CC is making a big case for it as well. Here's why - for the past five years, the media and the fans have insisted that the reason the Yankees didn't win it all was because of A-Rod's lack of clutchitude. Never mind that bad pitching and Joe Torre's mismanagement were also a huge part of why the Yankees lost.

So, since the media insisted on making A-Rod A-Goat for all the October failures, it is only fair that he should get the MVP for this series, when he has had one of the greatest postseasons ever.  Nothing against CC, but it's like when the media went after Peyton Manning for years for not winning the big game. He deserved the Super Bowl MVP of that year - even though he wasn't the player with the best numbers - because the story was all about him. But unlike Manning, who had a good, but not epic, Super Bowl, A-Rod has extraordinary numbers here to back it up.

I know CC's having an extraordinary postseason as well, and that he had his own postseason rep to beat, but it's not even in the same ballpark as what A-Rod's had to deal with. But I don't expect A-Rod to win MVP if the Yankees win the series. The chances that the media will ever admit in such a way that they were wrong in their perception that he would never come through in October are pretty small.

In other news, how about those crazy umpire calls? Even Yankee fans have to admit that Robinson Cano was out at third, no matter what was in Tim McClelland's heart. What a terrible call. Then there was Nick Swisher being called safe when he was out, and out when he was safe.

And how about Jorge Posada forgetting how many outs there were?  Good grief.

While yesterday's game ended up being a blowout, there were still some tense moments. When the Angels were threatening in the fifth, I was getting a little worried. Fortunately, though, CC got through it, and the Yankees are now 27 outs away from their first World Series in six years.

In the "now it can be told" department, I was a little worried that the Yankees might roll over after Monday's horrible loss. Too many times in the Yankees' postseasons in recent years, the team had a glass jaw, and never recovered after just one punch. We've seen that all too often. So even the first one the Yanks' scored last night seemed huge. And John Sterling was so excited over Melky Cabrera's two-run single that he broke out "the Melkman delivers" and "the Melky way"!

Everybody else seemed to join the Yankee hit parade, except for Swisher. So, instead of being tied 2-2, the Yanks are up 3-1. Good times!

What did you think about the game? Tell us about it! 

Yankees win: Four down, seven to go!

Were the Yankees lucky or good? A little bit of both last night. CC Sabathia, actually, wasn't just good - he was great. He was so big - it was playoff big! How cool was it to hear the CC chants? Although my cat C.C. was a little perturbed. She did give the starter some grudging credit, but she still thinks he should use periods with his initials!

One of our Squawker readers wondered if CC had lost weight since the beginning of the year. He looks the same to me,  but maybe other people see things differently.

As for luck, they say luck happens when preparation meets opportunity. And that typifies last night's game. As my brother pointed out, Johnny Damon scored from second when the Angels missed that popup because he was motoring as soon as the ball was hit.

On the other hand, I really wasn't crazy about A-Rod's play at home. If he had gotten injured there, it would have been devastating. Somebody with his hip injury shouldn't be taking any chances.

I didn't get to go to the game (the prices on StubHub didn't drop enough to fit my very low price range, and I couldn't find anything on yankees.com), but I was rocking the Snuggie at home while watching the game. I did think about wearing the Snuggie to the Stadium if I got tickets, though! Heck, it looked like Kate Hudson was wearing one last night (or maybe that was a Slanket!)

In other news, I'm watching my Texas Longhorns against the hated Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Shootout. And people think Yankees-Red Sox is intense!

What do you think? Leave us a comment! 

The best and worst of ALDS Game 1 - Yankees-Twins

Well, that was a relief. I'm, of course, very happy that the Yankees won. But I'm also relieved. Losing to the Twins would have been being at the short end of a losing match for the ages. Now the Yanks just have to beat the Twins two more times. (Incidentally, Red Sox fan Paul asked me which game I thought the Yanks would lose, to make my Yankees in 4 prediction come true. The Carl Pavano one, of course!)

As for last night, let's break down this Yankee victory's highlights and lowlights:

* Derek Jeter had a great night - the kind of night that justifies his clutch reputation. He started with a single to lead off the game, also had a two-run homer, and two walks. And I think it's appropriate for this team's history that Derek Jeter is the first player to hit a homer in the new Yankee Stadium.

 * CC Sabathia wasn't the best he's been this year, but he still had an impressive start, albeit one with a very shaky beginning. When was the last time the Yankees 1) had an ace to start an October game, and 2) had an ace that actually won the game?

* Part of CC's initial shakiness last night had to do with Jorge Posada, who is getting on my nerves. After doing that little passive-aggressive hissy fit over not getting to catch for A.J. Burnett, it probably wasn't the best time for Posada to have such a terrible night behind the plate, with two passed balls, and all sorts of sloppiness. (He looked as bad as Jason Varitek does out there these days!) After watching Posada chase after the ball, I said to myself, "I just hope we win that game. That’s all I’ve got to say."

* And our long national nightmare is over - Alex Rodriguez finally got a hit with runners in scoring position, and then got another hit with RISP. Did A-Rod say, "Kiss me, Kate" after the game? (Sorry, I crack myself up sometimes!) Anyhow, let's hope that this starts to get the postseason monkey off his back.

* Hideki Matsui had a quietly brilliant season for the Yankees, and he quietly got a critical homer for the Yanks last night, one that allowed Joe Girardi to get his bullpen some work. Some might think he did a little too much mixing and matching, but I think it was good, given the layoff, to have Phil Hughes, Phil Coke, Joba Chamberlain, and Mariano Rivera get some work in.

* Speaking of Joba, I am strongly leaning towards having him as a bullpen guy. For whatever reason, he is a much more fearsome pitcher coming out of the bullpen.

* Nick Swisher was having fun, and got a key hit and RBI. Mark Teixeira, on the other hand, didn't look so great behind the plate. Squawker Jon and I were trying to think of some Twilight Zoneish plot behind it, where some gremlin haunting A-Rod in October moved into Tex's locker!


What do you think were the highlights and lowlights of last night's game? Leave us a comment!

Billy 'Country Time' Wagner joins the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry

99 bottles of wins on the wall, and one more to go to win the division. And if the Yankees win today and don't happen to fall, they will tie the Red Sox for their season series record. Who would have expected that after the Yanks spotted the Sox an 0-8 lead in the first eight games against each other this year?

While CC Sabathia shutting down the Red Sox (he pitched a no-hitter into the fifth inning, and he only gave up one hit overall) for his 19th win was a big highlight of yesterday's game, my favorite part was seeing former Met Billy Wagner in the mix.

Wagner, who the great Mets blogger Metstradamus calls "Country Time," is somebody I've loved to hate ever since he showed up in Flushing with Mariano Rivera's song "Enter Sandman" as his own theme song. Yes, I know Wagner started using it first. But he should have ditched it then, out of respect for Mo.

Incidentally, Country Time has stopped using the song in Boston now, and has no song at all, allegedly out of respect for Jonathan Papelbon's job as closer. Huh? I've heard eighth inning guys with their own theme song all the time! What's that all about? Heck, Mike Stanton even had a theme song with the Mets - Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue"! And incidentally, how is Wags getting along with that Rhodes Scholar Papelbon, anyway?

At any rate, my favorite Met memory of Billy Wagner was when he blew a 4-0 lead against the Yankees in the Subway Series, then griped about Willie Randolph pitching him in the game. Good times for Country Time!

So yes, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Wagner get knocked around  yesterday, even if it wasn't all his fault.

On the other hand, I didn't enjoy seeing the Yanks flail against Dice-K. He had one of his more effective games against the Bombers. While he did allow a bunch of hits, only Robinson Cano was able to score agains thim.

But all in all, it was a great win for the Yankees, as it always is in The Rivalry. And things got even better for the Subway Squawkers Rivalry.

Squawker Jon and I went out for pizza last night, and were listening to the Mets game on the car radio. David Wright  - also known as the guy who has fewer homers than Melky Cabrera  this year -  made a baserunning gaffe against the Marlins.  Wright slowed down while rounding the bases, and didn't score before Jeff Francoeur was thrown out at second - thus costing the Mets a run. So much for The Great Gazoo!

Squawker Jon wasn't pleased over that gaffe. But it got worse for my blogging partner. The Mets radio announcers talked about what they considered the best baserunning of the year. They said it was when Mark Teixeira motored around the bases after the Luis Castillo drop. The Mets broadcasters pointed out that Tex had no way of knowing that Castillo would do anything but catch the ball, yet he was running as soon as the ball was hit.

Think about that for a second. It's not enough that the Mets' own broadcasters compared David Wright disparagingly to a Yankee. It's that they used the worst Met moment of the year,  and arguably the play that sent the Mets on their downward spiral this season, in order to do so.

Squawker Jon wasn't very pleased at this mention. As for me, I cackled!

What do you think? Leave us a comment!