A-Rod's "Blueprint," and the Sox's tackiness

I've written several pieces for The Faster Times on the playoffs you might want to check out.

First, the Sox really tempted fate - and lost - when they had 1986 playoff hero Dave Henderson throw out the first pitch against the Angels. Didn't Boston remember how badly that ended for the Yankees in 2004, when the Bombers dragged out Bucky Dent for Game 7? Anyhow, here are my thoughts on that.

Then there's A-Rod's new October attitude. Is it fueled by his new theme song, a Jay-Z tune?

I also lobbied for keeping Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen - for good.

And I noted that Matt Holliday isn't the only goat in St. Louis.

Finally, I mocked Chip Caray's line drive base hit call.

Shocker! Angels sweep Jonathan Papelbon and Red Sox!

I spent my afternoon watching the Angels-Red Sox game. What fun that was. While I was officially neutral on the Red Sox-Angels series (it would be like trying to decide to root for arsenic or cyanide!), I have to say, now that it's over, and I can't karmically jinx things, I really, really enjoyed seeing the Red Sox lose.

I also appreciated seeing Bobby Abreu being an Anaheim hero.And I especially cherished seeing Jonathan Papelbon (aka Cinco Dopo) give up three runs in the ninth, when he was literally one strike away from getting the win. So much for his 0.00 postseason ERA. So much for him being better than Mariano Rivera. His lousy outing reminded me of when Omir Santos and the Mets, in one of their few 2009 season highlights, destroyed Papelbon. Or when Baltimore beat up on him, in a game where they trailed by nine runs. Sox fans are already tired of Papelbon's mouth; wonder if they're going to be sick of him as a closer, as well.

Seeing Billy (Country Time) Wagner give up two runs was also fun as well. Wheeee!

I was very shocked Boston lost, but perhaps they have gotten a little too complacent, thanks to all their comeback wins in recent years. The Red Sox have done a 180 from their "OMG, something's going to go wrong!" attitude, to this "don't worry, we'll get 'em later" lethargy. And they didn't seem to take their opponent seriously, until it was too late. It didn't appear to occur to Boston that, much like the Sox were once sick of losing to the Yankees, that the Angels were sick of losing to the Red Sox. As friend of the Squawkers Bob Ekstrom put it last week, "When you punch an opponent in the mouth enough times, he’s eventually going to punch you back."

What also struck me is how quiet Fenway Park was throughout the game, even when the Sox were winning. It was not a raucous crowd at all. Where was the home field advantage?

Papelbon will get the blame for this loss, but he isn't the only one to blame for the sweep. The Sox's hitting was anemic - Jacoby Ellsbury had the most hits for the series, at three. David Ortiz hit .083!

Friend of the Squawkers Larry Milian asked me about this series on the radio the other day, and I told him what I've said before - ever since the 2006 Tigers killed the Yankees, I stopped trying to wish for one team as being a better matchup in the postseason. But now, that I can speak about the Angels, I will close with this prediction. Just like the Angels got the Red Sox monkey off their backs this year, the Yankees are going to finally get that Anaheim rally monkey off their own backs this year!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Shut up, haters! A-Rod silences his critics with two swings of the bat

What a game! I didn't get much sleep last night - too much adrenaline! - after the Yankees great, great victory over the Twins. And get this - I totally called Alex Rodriguez's homer last night, although it ended up being a game-tying, not a game-winning, one.

Here's what happened. Shortly after A-Rod had that game-tying hit in the sixth inning, I posted this on my Facebook status update at around 9 p.m. or so: "I'm calling it now - this game is going to end with a walkoff homer by A-Rod! Remember, I did call that A-Rod would hit the walkoff homer in the 15-inning Yankees-Red Sox game!"

By the time the ninth inning rolled around, Rodriguez was not in a position to hit a walkoff, of course (he was only the second batter of the inning, with the score 3-1 Twins.) Johnny, a Red Sox fan/Squawker reader, wrote "Not tonight, Lisa" in Facebook about my prediction. I responded: "As Yogi sez, it ain't over til it's over. Besides, the Yankees own Joe Nathan! A-Rod will do something good this inning."

And I was right! Of course, it was off  Nathan. The Yankees haven't owned a pitcher like that since the heyday of Arthur Rhodes. One example this year: if you may remember, Squawker Jon and I were at the Stadium on May 15, A-Rod's first night at the new Stadium (that was the Brett Gardner inside-the-park game, and the first great game at the new ballpark.) As Squawker Jon recounted then: "I told Lisa that I would think the Yankees were going to win if top closer Joe Nathan were not on the mound. But Lisa correctly predicted that the Yankees could get to Nathan."

And, as Red Sox fan Bob Ekstrom wrote in his guest Squawk the other day, "what can brighten the Bronx outlook more than thoughts of Joe Nathan trying to hold a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth at Yankee Stadium?" (Incidentally, Bob also correctly predicted in that piece that the Angels would be much tougher for the Red Sox than expected.) 

So, when A-Rod came up to bat, Joe, another Sox fan/Squawker reader, wrote to me, "A-Rod's gonna tie it." And whaddaya know - A-Rod did tie it!

Of course, given Nathan's body langauge during that at-bat, it wasn't exactly a shock. He was practically hyperventilating out there (as was I, after A-Rod's homer!)

And I also got tears in my eyes over the home run. I was so finally that A-Rod gave all his haters a nice steaming cup of shut the heck up!

Longtime Squawker readers know what I've been defending A-Rod against the "he's not a true Yankee" brigade since the Subway Squawkers blog started. Has A-Rod been perfect? Of course not. He ticked me off with the opting out, and the way he seemed in his own world in the 2008 season. His Details photo shoot was really dumb, too. And of course he's been terrible in October since the 2004 ALCS. But the abuse and blame this guy has gotten has been completely out of proportion with reality.

Really, I am so sick of this portion of the fanbase thinking that they were so righteous in booing A-Rod. I am tired of the "why can't he hit when it counts" haters, as Jim Green of the Yankee Scrolls blog called them (as if A-Rod's eight Yankee walkoff hits didn't count.) I am so sick of these so-called fans who don't seem to realize that, jf it weren't for A-Rod's MVP seasons in 2005 and 2007, the Yanks would never have even made the playoffs those years. Not to mention the way this year's team slogged without A-Rod in the lineup. Oh, and it's a good thing the Yankees didn't listen to a New York tabloid columnist who wrote this spring that the Yankees should just cut A-Rod!

But guess what? The bandwagon is full. If you call yourself a Yankee fan, and you really couldn't deign to root for Alex before last night, fuggedaboudit. If you really think A-Rod became a so-called real Yankee last night, please, step off already and go crawl under a rock or something. And take that, haters!

I'm going to write more today on the rest of the game, including Mark Teixeira's epic walkoff, but I just had to get that A-Rod stuff off my chest! In the meantime, leave us a comment!

Wheee! The A.J. Burnett-Jorge Posada-Jose Molina triangle talk continues!

The controversy continues. The big story out of Yankeeland yesterday - and today - was the whole to-do over Joe Girardi having Jose Molina catch A.J. Burnett instead of Jorge Posada. I wrote on this earlier this week, but I have a few more thoughts on the issue.

* Posada is a heck of a hitter - he had 22 homers and 81 RBI in just 111 games this year, which are terrific numbers for anybody, let alone a 39-year-old catcher. But he's a bit of a hothead, as is Burnett, which is why they clash. So I think what Molina provides, besides calling a good game, and being great defensively, is a calming influence on Burnett. It's just a better personality fit. Doesn't mean Posada isn't the greatest Yankee catcher since Thurman Munson.

* Jose Molina got a  ton of questions on this issue. Here's what Molina said, according to Sam Borden of LoHud.com:

“I will say and I will keep saying the same – the manager is Joe, he writes down a name and I’ll play. I’m ready. If Jorgie don’t like it, that’s him. You guys have to ask him about that, not me. But Joe is the manager. He puts me in the lineup, I’ll play.”

 * Don't blame Girardi for the controversy. It was Posada, not him, to blabbed to the media about this on Tuesday in the first place. While it's good that Posada wants to play, I didn't care for the whole "I just hope we win the game" thing,although his comments yesterday were fine.

* I did like what Girardi said about it yesterday:

"No, I'm not worried about it. I never saw Joe Torre fret about it. I never saw Bobby Cox fret about it when Javier Lopez didn't catch Greg Maddux.

"You put the club out there that you feel should be out there that evening, and then you hope that your club makes plays and throws the ball well."

Girardi's the manager. Not Posada. If the choice fails, it fails. But give Joe credit for trying something different.

* Not everybody's on board with this. The Bergen Record's Ian Connor, the guy who once wrote that the Yankees would be better off with Cody Ransom instead of A-Rod, criticized Girardi for the decision, calling it an "E-2 on Girardi." He also said:

...Posada was left to develop into a franchise cornerstone, a signature player, and, ultimately, the fourth surviving Beatle in the band of Jeter, Pettitte and Mo.

Ha! Squawker Jon has been calling Posada "Ringo" for years! It's not a compliment, though!

* I've also noticed that none of the pro-playing-Posada writers ever talk about his horrendous October numbers (he has a .233 BA - other than the game-tying hit off Pedro Martinez in the 2006 ALCS and his .500 hitting in the 2006 ALDS, his numbers aren't exactly Mr. Octoberesque.)

It's not just that - they even exaggerate how many rings he has. AOL's Lisa Olson describes Posada as a "catcher with four rings." Um, no. He wasn't even on the team in the 1996 playoffs

* Please don't compare this to Joe Torre batting Alex Rodriguez eighth in the 2006 ALDS. Torre didn't do that for game strategy or anything like that - he did that to humiliate A-Rod, and to make his third baseman the scapegoat of the playoff failures. (And, lest we forget, that was the same series were Torre so bought into Jim Leyland's "Murderers Row and Cano" nonsense that he thought it was a good idea to play Gary Sheffield at first base. Yeah, that was a great move.)

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Snubbed! Subway Squawkers miss out on Nobel Peace Prize

Ouch! I really thought this would be the year that the Nobel committee would finally recognize Squawker Jon and me for our contributions towards baseball peace. After all, the continued existence of Subway Squawkers proves that a Yankee fan and a Met fan can get along, and even attend games together. Heck, I even bought Jon tickets to a Mets game (I only spent 97 cents on them, but still!)

And what about our work at getting along with Red Sox Nation? We have so many Boston fan readers, plus we even featured a Red Sox writer in our blog. Heck, I have Curt Schilling as a Facebook friend. Doesn't that count for something?

Right now, I'm pulling an A.J. Burnett and going, "Why, why, why?" about the whole thing.

Alas, I may have blown our chances at the Nobel Peace Prize when I trash-talked the Mets a time or two (or three!) But it was all in good fun, I promise!

Yankees better win tonight to take away the pain. Or else!

What do you think? Leave us a comment! 

On Joba Chamberlain, and my upcoming radio appearance

Breaking Squawker news: At 4:20 p.m. today, I'm going to be on South Florida's Andy and the Amigo show, talking with Squawker friend Larry Milian about the Yankees. Check me out on 640 WFTL on the dial, or click the listen live button on their website.

I will be talking about last night's playoff game, and about my Faster Times article, about how Joba Chamberlain should go back to the bullpen next year. Hope you can check it out.

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!

Momentum, schmomentum - Don't think the Twins will win because they had a sizzling September

I knew it. As soon as I saw the Twins beat the Tigers, in one of the most epic one-game playoff matchups ever, I was sure people would start talking about that discredited canard, about how the hottest team, not the best team, wins in the playoffs. (Didn't they read my Faster Times piece breaking down the numbers? Sheesh.)

Momentum, schomentum, I say. The Yankees are going to win the series. I'm not going to claim a sweep or decimation or anything like that - as Squawker reader Bob from Kiev pointed out; Orlando Cabrera and Joe Mauer are both Yankee killers. Come to think of it, so is Carl Pavano. But the Yankees are still going to win.

Yankees in four, I say. That's my prediction, and I'm sticking to it!


Yesterday's game was pretty phenomenal, though - it was the best one-game playoff I can remember in ages. Fun to watch, even if I had no rooting interest. But TBS is terrible. What's more annoying - Craig Sager's fashions, or Chip Caray's awful calls? (I wrote a piece breaking down how bad Caray was.)

I will probably be squawking on Twitter and Facebook during tonight'ts game , if you'd like to follow me.

One other note - the Poughkeepsie Journal had a good video breaking down the Yanks-Twins series. Check it out.

What are your own predictions for the series? Tell us about it!

Chin up, Mets fans! You have a lot to be excited about!

Squawker Jon, I'm sorry to see you so blue. You're bummed that your Mets are nowheresville. And to add insult to injury, you're stuck seeing the Phillies and the Yankees in the playoffs.

So, since I feel your pain, I want to remind you of a few things you have to be thankful for:

* Johan Santana may not have sniffed the playoffs in the two years since he became a Met, but former Met prospect Carlos Gomez, who was part of the deal, scored the game-winning run in yesterday's epic Twins-Tigers game. And here, people say that the Mets' farm system is a mess. They're wrong. Gomez knew how to touch third base and everything yesterday!

* Jerry Manuel is coming back! And so is Razor Shines! Whoo-hoo!

* Your team is finally honoring its history with memorabilia. Last week they gave Mariano Rivera the pitching rubber that he got his 500th save from, with a touching note attached from Jeff Wilpon and Omar Minaya.  Not only was that game against the Mets, but that's also the same rubber that Francisco Rodriguez used to walk in Mariano with the bases loaded. See, your team is noticing important milestones in its history!

Any other reasons that Met fans should be thankful? Tell us about them!

For Met fans, the cruelest month begins

At least the Jets got Braylon Edwards. The Jets are all I have to look forward to during what promises to be a miserable month.

The Yankees would be rolling to the World Series even without the shenanigans of the AL Central. I was rooting for the Tigers because I thought they would at least have a shot with Justin Verlander pitching Game 2 and a potential Game 5. Also, we would get to see every camera on Miguel Cabrera to see if he would drink any champagne during the division-winning celebration.

Instead, we get the Twins on no sleep with Brian Duensing going up against CC Sabathia. Good luck with that.

Squawker Lisa has noted that the Yankees have trouble with unknown pitchers that they have never seen. Duensing is fairly unknown, but the Yankees did see him on July 7, when Duensing pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief, giving up four earned runs on two hits and four walks.

Duensing relieved Scott Baker, who lasted only three innings, giving up five earned runs in his only appearance against the Yankees this year.

When Nick Blackburn faced the Yanks, he gave up four earned runs in 7 2/3.

So that means that the only likely Twins starter who did well against the Yankees this year is...

Carl Pavano.

The pitcher Lisa likes to call the Iron Horse had a 2.70 ERA in 13 1/3 innings over two starts against the Bombers while pitching for Cleveland earlier this year.

So much for that series. Yankees in four (scrappy Twins will steal a game).

At least the other ones figure to be closer. I'll go with the Angels to finally get past the Red Sox in the postseason. In the NL, losing de la Rosa hurts the Rockies, so it's the Phillies along with the Cardinals.

So I'll get to watch the Yankees and Phillies enjoy the postseason (at least I think the Cards can knock off Philly in the NLCS) while the Mets figure out the best way to utilize the baseball smarts of Razor Shines.