Afternoon Baseball

I did my best to try and ignore the Yanks-Red Sox series. Why, despite my earlier love for the rivalry?
Well, the division title was not at stake, as it hasn't been for months. It's always overly hyped, especially at the 19 or so games they play annually, as if each game will make or break a player's psyche, career and reputation in the community.

But what the hell, it's Sunday night baseball, with the affable Jon Miller and the gloriously off-base Joe Morgan. So let's take on this task.
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Pre-game: NFL highlights still going on. What a busy as hell weekend. Tiger Woods dominating as even he has rarely done; Notre Dame proving it must have really hated Ty Willingham because it would rather be 0-3 than have him; the Giants already quitting on the 2007 season, among a million other NFL subplots; and of course, O.J.
My God, the cojones this man has. He admits he went into the room, with guys he met at a wedding party (loyal friends, I'm sure), as part of sting operation. A sting operation? Who does he think he is, Chris Hansen?
Well, Jon Miller just told us this is Clemens' 200th start at Fenway. I don't know why, but it's not a good sign. I'm seeing headlines like "200th Fenway start should be his last." Joe Morgan told us Clemens is a competitor. So am I, Joe. But I'm not pitching tonight.

1st inning: Talking with my friend Mike, who's noting a huge amount of strikeouts for hitters, but not many for the league leaders. As in, not many guys with 200. I think most of that is the lack of innings pitched. When few guys throw 200 innings, they have to be lights-out every start.
Derek Jeter gets another hit, continuing his stretch of hitting the Red Sox and not hitting anyone else. But nothing comes of it.
Looking at catchers similar to Jorge Posada's career track, and I picked on Carlton Fisk's age 35 year. But I forgot to mention his age 37 season (37 HR, 107 RBI, 17 steals). Damn good.
Now, Johnny Damon loses a ball in the lights. Understandable, but less so because Damon played for a few years in that ballpark.
By the way, Roger Clemens shows his age most when he lets guys steal on him. Old men don't have pickoff moves or fast deliveries. Still, he's a competitor. A competitor who just walked David Ortiz, which is not a bad move considering he's the only truly lethal bat in the lineup.
This inning is not as bad as it could have been, thanks to Dougie M.'s amazing dive to snare the ball and tap the bag. That's not an old man. Notice Clemens wasn't even in the picture frame -- he's not covering that bag.

Epilogue: Well, I did a terrible job of liveblogging past this point because I was talking on the phone and watching instead of typing and watching.

Things that came up, though, some Yankee-related:
1. Fastest-moving Yanks-Red Sox game in a while. Roger Clemens is still a great pitcher, but one who needs more rest than usual. Tonight, against an equally failing, though gifted, ace in Curt Schilling, it's easy to see how he's the game's greatest post-WWII pitcher. And don't bitter Boston fans fool you: Clemens has dominated the Sox in his two starts this year, and the 1999 ALCS disaster against Pedro was a lifetime ago.
Schilling has the Phil Hughes problem in reverse: He doesn't have an out pitch when guys are on base, but he tries to strike everyone out. Except his pitches are getting worse, his velocity is less-debated but terrible, and he's old and in dubious physical condition. He's a smart pitcher, though, and just ran out of luck in the eighth.

2. Derek Jeter since Aug. 12 coming into tonight: .239/.317/.319 5 XBH in 113 at-bats.
Jeter against the Red Sox since Aug. 12: .480/.500/.880 4 XBH in 25 at-bats.

3. Lou Pinella -- Hall of Fame manager? I'd say yes, considering he took a Cincinnati team that did nothing else to a World Series sweep over a good Oakland team defending its title, is the only Mariners manager to lead that team to the playoffs, and has made an imploding Cubs team the most dangerous team in the National League (although that Michael Barrett trade didn't hurt).

4. If Mike Mussina or Roger Clemens don't start an ALDS game, do you want either on the roster? Can Joe Torre drop one of them, though? No, and no. However, Roger looks like he'll be starting somewhere, and it's a tough call to bump Hughes for the Moose. Both are six-inning pitchers, but Moose might not even be that, and he finishes his starts poorly, whereas Hughes finishes strong.

5. Hypothetical: Mariano Rivera continues to struggle, for him, the rest of the year. Maybe even blows a save in the off-season. Then, he and his agent, Fernando Cuza, ask for a three-year contract.
Do you consider saying, it's been great, Mo, but we've got a guy named Joba Chamberlain who's all ready to be a closer, a potentially six-out closer you are no longer? You can't, but should you?

6. The Tigers are worth worrying about, but the Yankees need to worry about their problems with potential playoff opponents. Though Mike insists, and not incorrectly, that the Yankees match up with the Angels better than ever, there's that awful track record.
The Indians, despite their pathetic play versus the Yankees, are a damn good, exciting team. Their ace, C.C. Sabathia, has dominated Johan Santana to the point that there's whispers of A-Rod-like big-spot disappointment. And the Yanks? They haven't faced Sabathia since September of 2004. Ruben Sierra was in that lineup. That's not a good sign. Neither is the potential of facing Sabathia and Carmona four times in five games.
Pick your poison. But first, hold off the Tigers.

7. How bad-ass does Jodie Foster look in that otherwise silly-looking movie where she goes around killing people? Sure, there may (or may not) be a morality lesson there, but really, we just want to see an Oscar-winning chick shooting people.

Anyways, a somewhat failed effort, but some good baseball tonight.

Labels: Baseball, Liveblogging, Yankees