OK, I spent most of the game making a list of reasons why the season is over. They include:
- First of all, and I can't stress this enough, Kevin (Millar, non-hitting first baseman) and Dan (O"Shaughnessy, a/k/a Curly Haired Boyfriend) have declared the season over. Obviously, what they say goes...even though I wonder how many times those two declared last season over?
- We're down to Kevin Reese starting in a nationally-televised game? How badly did you plan if you get that far down the depth chart?
- Once again: somehow, the Yanks' brass didn't think that at some point this season, they would want a superior defensive centerfielder somewhere on the roster. Where is that guy? It's not Bubba Crosby, apparently it's not Reese, and judging from tonight's performance, it's probably not Tony Womack.
- Lefty batters are hitting Randy Johnson. I remember the day when those guys begged out of the lineup when he was pitching, and now everyone digs in. I don't think I've seen Johnson back anyone (lefty or righty) off the plate this season. He doesn't own the inside of the plate, so is there any mystery that batters are staying back and hitting it over the fences?
- Bad defense! Bad defense! I can't bear to look at it!
- The good fastball gets past Giambi.
- Now that he's been tossed, I'm thinking that an eruption of Mt. St. Sheffield might be imminent. Sheff's never been a graceful guy to have on a bad team. Either he's going to gauge out one of A-Rod's eyes, or he's going to demand a contract extension...I don't know. Just something bad is going to happen.
- Tom Gordon hasn't been as bad as he was in last year's playoffs, but he hasn't been as good as the 2004 regular season. Quantrill's a forgotten man, as is Stanton. Things hinge on Tanyon Sturtze. While I don't hate Sturtze like I did when he was acquired...this is not good.
- I feel like Yul Brynner in the Ten Commandments. I want the names of Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright and Tony Womack to be removed from the history books, struck from all monuments, and I want merely mentioning their names to be a crime punishable by scourging.
- The Mets are not a low-budget, "scrappy team." They went out and grabbed the two best (and, IIRC, most highly-priced) free agents out there. They have a nine-figure payroll. However, the negative feelings against this Yankee team have reached such a high point that anyone that opposes them is heroic, and scrappy, and fundamentally good.
- Rivera's only had 26 appearances so far. Maybe this whole losing thing is a plan by the Yankees to try to save Mariano's arm...
- Wow, Braden Looper sucks. How on earth did the Yanks lose the 2003 series, again?
- Doesn't it feel kind of silly to celebrate this hard for the fact that the Yanks avoided a sweep? I mean, it beats the living daylight out of the alternatives, but it does feel kinda odd.
5 comments:
Looking at the stats, RJ's doing just fine against lefties (.599 OPS, .228 BA), so I guess my observation goes on the "purely subjective" line.
Looper wasn't the closer for the Fish in '03, Urbina was. Besides, that series was lost because of four things:
1) David Wells' back
2) the lack of a squeeze bunt in the 11th inning of Game 4
3) Aaron Boone
4) Torre's distrust and resulting lack of use of Chris Hammond
Talk about prescient!! There's lava flowing from Sheffield's ears as we speak.
BTW, why did the Yankees think their stadium was a good one for Pavano?
Cliff:
Looper wasn't the closer in 2003, but he did hold the Yanks down in Game 4 (the infamous Braden Looper game) which completely turned the series.
Aside from that game, he sucked, tho.
Agreed as to the reasons for the loss, although I'd add:
5) Having Jeff Weaver on the roster, with absolutely no intent of using him in any non-blowout game situation.
6) Carrying three lefty relievers against a team with only two decent lefty batters. I mean, Antonio Osuna sucked (and was in Torres' Doghouse) but at least he was righthanded.
Chris:
I doubt they actually considered the ballpark when they signed Pavano. Heck, I don't think they considered the fact that he only had one really good season in his career before they gave him an eight figure contract.
I think the real reason the Yankees signed Pavano was because the Red Sox were also courting him. At some point, maybe the Sox'll admit that the only reason they made such a big deal about Pavano was to drive up the Yanks' price...
Oops. Rather than the "infamous Braden Looper game," that should be the "infamous Jeff Weaver game." Shows to go me for posting late at night.
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