I need to complain. Just because. Just indulge me for two paragraphs.

The stolen bases have come crashing down. Although, I think the way they hit Penny yesterday, they probably didn’t need to steal many bases.

The Yankees are still handing out walks like they are cotton candies in a carnival. But that is probably more a function of Joba nibbling and sucky relievers afraid to throw strikes.

Generally, the starters have been crazy good against Boston. I approve.

I think reducing the deficit to 6-8 is a paramount concern. And today is their best chance to do that. Only that can keep my sanity in the face of relentless onslaught against the potential BuckCarver combo deal.

I missed the first half of the game but stopped in a bar with friends at 10ish to see the bloated score and watch Meat-tray try to make it exciting.  Good times.  Any word on what the plans are for that dude?  Is he scheduled to start again?  I guess if they leave Boston up 7.5 (or 9.5) it won’t matter a whole lot.

Well to further that to compare the first 60 games with the next 62 games (the 8th Red Sox game is the 60th game):

Batting:

First 60: 34-26 Runs: 334 HR: 95 BB: 244 SB: 42 CS: 9 .275 / .354 / .478 / .832
Next 62: 43-19 Runs: 353 HR: 90 BB: 255 SB: 34 CS: 12 .285 / .363 / .477 / .840

Pitching:

First 60: IP: 538.2 H: 534 R: 310 ER: 289 BB: 236 SO: 445 HR: 82 ERA: 4.83
Next 62: IP: 557.2 H: 516 R: 261 ER: 234 BB: 199 SO: 493 HR: 60 ERA: 3.78

——

It wasn’t so much the Red Sox that the Yankees sucked against, it is just that the Yankees as a whole improved tremendously after those first 8 games.  The Yankees are a better team now than they were 2+ months ago.  (Which we all knew anyway.)

[1] That was four paragraphs… 

On this date in 1998, the Yankees were a ridiculous 93-32.

I hate when Fox decides that I want to watch the Cubs instead of the Yankees, even though I live nowhere near either team’s city…

“Hate” and “Fox” simply go well together in any sentence.

As a person visiting his parents in out-of-market-land, I’ll take a game on Fox over a game that can’t be watched.

Any word on what the plans are for that dude?  Is he scheduled to start again?

They don’t need a fifth starter again until a week from today against the White Sox.  I imagine Gaudin will get that game.  They’ll probably keep Mitre around for mop-up work.  No reason to DFA anybody when you’re in the kind of position the Yanks are in and so close to rosters expanding anyway.

The prevalent gritty-Pedroia-is-better-than-lazy-Cano argument - racism, ignorance, stupidity, or what?

[5] So, they stunk it up down the stretch at 21-16.  They should have gone for the Cubs all-time best season winning percentage (.763).  That translates to 124-38, which is even more ridiculous than 93-32 (.744).  I’d wager no one will hit 124 wins anytime soon.

No reason to DFA anybody when you’re in the kind of position the Yanks are in and so close to rosters expanding anyway.

Right.  I wasn’t thinking about a DFA, but certainly wondering if he’d get another start or a demotion (if that’s possible). 

I actually think Mitre is not useless.  He’s the kind of pitcher it makes sense to stash in AAA, have at 8th or 9th on your SP depth chart at the beginning of a season, use for emergency purposes so you don’t screw up your plans for a real prospect.

racism, ignorance, stupidity, <strike>or</strike> and what?

FTFY.

Pretty sure that Mitre is out of options.  Looks like his would have been burned all of his with the Cubs in 2003-5.  The Yanks were able to stash him in AAA this year because they signed him to a minor league deal.  I think he’d have to clear waivers for them to stash him at AAA again.

Nice grammar there.  ...his option would have been burned… or ...he would have burned his options…  Take your pick.

Pete Abe:

UPDATE, 2:44 p.m.: Via the Globe’s Extra Bases blog: Tim Wakefield is rejoining the Red Sox rotation and Brady Penny is out. … RHP Michael Bowden was optioned down and RHP Enrique Gonzalez was called up.

Seems like pitching against the Yanks recently has been hazardous to your career for RS pitchers.

[10] But Pedroia NEVER does anything wrong on a baseball field.  Same goes for Youkilis.  They make every play.  They are never out of position.  The don’t swing at bad pitches.  They always hit the ball in the air or to the right side when the situation calls for it.  And most importantly, they always run the bases absolutely flawlessly.  I know this because Rick Sutcliffe told me so.  Repeatedly.

It all comes from them being people of pallor.

I love this quote from Upton: “I can’t help that I make some things look easier than they really are.”

You guys should check Boston dirt dogs today. I Loled pretty hard.

As one of the resident old farts around these here parts, I just want to say that it used to be perfectly commonplace for the MSM to talk about athletes of color playing the game the right way.  Roberto Clemente played the game the right way.  Frank Robinson played the game the right way.  Hell, Jackie Robinson played the game the right way.  And nobody was shy about lauding them for it in print.  Sadly, it seems that these stereotypes have become more and more prevalent and insidious in sports journalism as minorities have achieved more and more success in the broader society.

[21] I’d guess the poorly suppressed racism is rather inversely proportional to percent of white players in the game.  As ML sports rosters become increasingly populated by minority groups, the largely white media (and fan base) become more paranoid.  Clemente and Robinson played at a time when a sportswriter or fan could be classy by recognizing a minority athlete, even while he or she felt comfortable in white dominance of the sport.  The safety of numbers isn’t there anymore, and white folks feel the need to have their race athletically vindicated by its on-field exemplars.  So they quietly assassinate the character of minorities and rely on measures of Grutsiness for their heroes.  I guarantee that it’s almost all subconscious, and they would be horrified to imagine themselves capable of it.  And yet here we are.

Anybody find any decent video of the Jeter play (cutting down Pedera at 3rd) yesterday?

The mlb.com highlight is shockingly brief, with NO replay (which is bizarre, they ALWAYS include a replay of such things).

How much credit does A-Rod get for the turnaround in the series given that he missed the first five games?

re that cano article:

1) I don’t really care what a bunch of anonymous “team sources” say.

2) Basically people say that Cano gets lazy sometimes and gives away PAs. And I’ve never seen any proof that would make me think that isn’t true. I don’t know that he does it more than the average MLBer. But he does seem give away PAs.

How much credit does A-Rod get for the turnaround in the series given that he missed the first five games?

A-Rod’s 2009 Splits Vs. Boston

Overall: .281/.410/.562, 2 HRs, 6 ribbies
When the game is tied: .312/.389/.750

He should get some credit.

[25] How on earth can you tell what’s going on inside his head?