Well saud LM. Couldn’t agree with you more.

While I agree it would be nice to win the East, I need—mostly for my own sake—to put out there that I think hoping to play one team or another is only going to disappoint. The two times the Yankees have gotten the team I “wanted” in the playoffs (‘02 and ‘06) they went 2-6 and couldn’t win a game after the first one in the series.

And hey, they’re due to beat the Angels in an LDS, right?

I think hoping to play one team or another is only going to disappoint.

This I agree with more than anything.  We’ll play who we play and hope they play to their potential. If they play well, they can beat any team out there.

As for the division, I didn’t realize it was 4 games in the loss column right now. The hypothetical sweep is the only chance they have at winning the division, but I disagree that it’d still be a “long shot” if they did.  I mean, to get it to 1.5 in the loss column after 14.5 back care of taking 6 in a row from the Red Sox? I can’t help but think that getting knocked on their ass liked that would have some effect on how they play the rest of the way.  But you’re right, this series with Toronto is HUGE. They need a sweep like they’ve never needed one before. And if Boston can help us out by possibly losing 1 more to TBD, well, then things really get interesting.

With the (very real) prospect of being swept in Toronto, I’m more concerned with hanging on to the WC lead than catching Boston. The Yankees have cut the deficit to 4 games about 3 times in the last month, and each time went out and lost something like 3 of the next 4. If they can simply maintain their current position over the next week I’d be happy.

and while Ian Kennedy has pitched pretty well it’s been against the D-Rays and Royals, so this will be his first real test.

<u>Runs per game</u>
Tampa Bay: 4.84
Kansas City: 4.52
Toronto: 4.52

IF we make the playoffs I want to see The Angels because I think their success has been an aberation rather than about them having The Yankees number.  Also, I prefer to play teams I hate (like The Anaheim Angels) than teams I would otherwise be rooting for (like Cleveland).  I really want no part of a subway series this year against a Mutt team that might not lose 1 game against NL teams.

Adding to what I said in #2, the Yankees really need to take 2 of 3 in Toronto to make sure they stay on top in the WC. I’m not at all convinced the playoffs are a lock at this point.

Can someone remind me again why Mussina is pitching in this series?  I realize Clemens is hurt, but given the off days, that would seem to negate the need to throw Mussina out there.  I’m assuming this was done so that Torre could line up his best guys for Boston, but throwing away a game against Toronto is hardly the way to catch Boston.  Moreover, the Yanks have not clinched the WC by any means.  On the other hand, the way the Yanks’ offense is playing, they have a good chance to score enough runs to win two of three, especially if Hughes pitches decently this evening.  And if the Yanks manage a lead after six, Joba can come in for two innings.

Realistically 2 of 3 up in Toronto would be good.  Unrealistically, I want the sweep, and then a sweep of the Sox.  Of course.  But yeah, it’s entirely possible the Jays will win this series, because they can pitch.

I can’t see the Yanks winning the game Mussina pitches.  At best, he’ll go five innings and give up four runs.  That makes tonight’s game extremely important.  The Yanks need six good innings from Hughes.  I hope someone told him not to groove a 91 mph fastball over the middle if he’s behind in the count 2-0 or 3-1.  Let him throw a nasty curve or change and let the guy take first if need be.

We have LM warning of a possible Blue Jay sweep and others saying the Yankees need to sweep. I think Larry’s point is very valid. Marcum and McGowan have had the Yanks number so far this year. I think runs will be hard to come by particularly if they do a better job of pitching around A-rod. It is a very important series and I do think our best hope is to win one or two with the bats. The one tonight is a major test and it’s time King Phil steps up to the challenge.

Maybe I’m just on optimist by nature, but boy!  You guys, I’m surprised this season isn’t already a success for you, since the Yankees won more than 60 games.  I got picked on for saying the Yankees *could* sweep KC, and they did it w/o too much trouble.  So I’m predicting the Yankees will win tonight, and Thursday. 

I’m making no predictions either way about tomorrow, but I see no reason why Moose can’t throw six innings of 1 run ball.  Not even saying he is going to pitch well; but all he needs are enough of the line drives to be at’em balls.  But I readily concede he is just as likely to give up 8 runs in two innings.

I’m getting tired of all this Angels fear. We’re going to have to be beat them at some time and it might as well be the first round than the second. Both the Indians and the Angels can take any team in a short series.

Larry, with all due respect, your post seems kind of eccentric to me.  Yes we COULD sweep and we COULD get swept.  I’m not sure how that illuminates things.

Agree that the Angels v. Indians thing is something of a red herring.  Can’t be psyched out by the bad history against the Angels, nor can Cleve be taken for granted.

Also seems to be too much hand-wringing melodrama about the inside straight we’ll need to get in order to win the division (j: “But you’re right, this series with Toronto is HUGE. They need a sweep like they’ve never needed one before.”) 

I’m in the glass half full camp with Mike K.

A bummer, yes, that the Bosox get to avoid Santana.  On the other hand, it means the Tigers get him twice.

I think predicting WHAT is going to happen is foolhardy enough without trying to predict HOW it is going to happen.  What I mean is, I can’t really take seriously an intensive analysis of daily pitching matchups as a means of trying to predict how the season is going to end.

Instead, I look at it this way.  If the Yankees sweep the Sox, they will be something like one game behind in the loss column.  At that point, I would say it is pretty much a tossup.  The Sox would have the edge with that one fewer loss, but the Yankees would be playing better, and playing without the pressure of possibly blowing a 14+ game lead.

I don’t think the chances of a Yankees sweep is especially good, but it’s not out of the question, either.

I am almost ready to think about going for the division, even if I’ve been win the game at hand type. 

But the Jays series is much bigger I think because of the Tigers and the Wild Card positioning.  Maintaining or growing the WC lead for the next three will be nerve racking stuff.

From UTK at BP:

“If his week wasn’t bad enough, Troy Glaus left Monday’s game with a leg injury. He left in the second inning after hobbling to second, clearly in pain with another flareup of his plantar fasciitis. Glaus has been able to return relatively quickly from previous episodes, but given the Jays’ place in the standings and Glaus’ off-field issues, it’s possible that the team will shut him down. No decision is expected to be made quickly, and Glaus will continue his treatment.”

Do you really want to face the Indians? The Yankees are 2-14 against lefties on the road and they are going to face C.C Sabathia twice in that series on the road.

Not that I care much who the Yanks face in the first round, but I rather play the Angels than the Tribe.

Given the tenuous pitching matchups we face the next three days and Detroit coming off two miracle finishes in its last 5 games(I hope they’re not this years team of destiny) and now facing Texas, the division is not even remotely in my thoughts.

With Glaus gone, Toronto’s lineup is weaker than a newborn kitten.

“I think runs will be hard to come by particularly if they do a better job of pitching around A-rod.” 

Torre needs to (but won’t) bump Posada up to 5th instead of the slumping Matsui.  I don’t usually give a fig about lineup construction but this is a glaring issue that is crying out to bite the Yankees on the ass.

“I think runs will be hard to come by particularly if they do a better job of pitching around A-rod.”
Everyone in the Yankees lineup is solid, pitching around A-Rod just gives another person for Posado, Matsui, or Cano to drive home. I know Matsui is slumping, but he can get out of it.

The fear of the Angels is understandable, given history. Especially given that the 2002 Yankees were the second-best team of the Joe Torre Era, second only to the 1998 squad. This was a team that won 103 games, and had four great pitchers as the playoff rotation in Clemens, Mussina, Wells, and Pettitte. The lineup was fearsome, with no significant weak spots: Nick Johnson, Soriano, Jeter, Ventura, White, Bernie before his decline, Mondesi, Posada, and Giambi.

They were poised to take it all, and quickly—and the Angels just murdered them. The pitching fell apart, the lineup couldn’t dig them out of the hole the pitchers dug, and the Angels were simply a buzzsaw in October 2002.

No wonder the Halos have become boogeymen. They destroyed a team that had every reason to win it all.

Frog,

Or, alteratively, Matsui could snap out of his slump.  Or you could swap Cano and Matsui, leaving Posada where he is.

If we’re going to complain about lineup construction… how about where Damon is hitting, with his .347 OBP? 

By the way, I’m officially concerned about Giambi.  Is he not really healthy?  Or is he sucking because he’s playing part-time?

I’ll say, from our perspective, it’s not looking overly comfortable. Matsuzaka’s meltdowns open up a rather unwelcomed hole in the rotation, conveniently in time to hand all the momentum to the Yankees on Friday night. Schilling was great last night, but his fastball hovers around 88. Wake was bad after his little back episode. Meanwhile, Papi’s knee is sore and Manny isn’t back yet, reducing our lineup to “newborn kitten” levels. Granted, Kazmir was excellent last night, relentlessly pounding the strike zone, but even before then Lowell, Youkilis and Varitek started cooling off. That’s a lot of guys who suddenly need to turn things around. I’ve said all along that if the Sox play to their max potential, there’s nothing they can’t do in the offseason, but right now they’re really limping home.

Of course, the kids have been excellent, and maybe they’ll bite the bullet and throw Buchholz into the mix. Lester has given up very little contact, and his usual efficiency issues have improved some. Papelbon is the best closer in baseball right now, I’d assume (not having time to see everyone, but come on). Ellsbury is doing his part to rejuvenate the old guys. But until Manny and Papi start making an impact, there’s too much pressure on everyone else.

Ah well, I can always change my signon to Seattle Pats Fan…

p.s. If Glaus can’t go, you got a huge break. He’s been raking…

I’m still not completely confident that the Yankees will win the WC, so that’s really all I am focused on.

Oh, and Keith is right: the 2002 Yankees were a fantastic team.  They were #1 in scoring and #4 in run prevention.  +200 run differential.  I was certain they would win it all.

So yeah, the Angels earned the fear/hate in 2002.  2005 was really another matter - the 2005 Yankees were nowhere near as good as the 2002 Yanks (but then the 2005 Angels weren’t as good as the 2002 Angels either) - but it just reinforced the fear & loathing.  Add to that the regular season results, and you have a justifiable fear of the Angels in the playoffs.

SSF:

Papelbon’s competition for that title would be JJ Putz and Joe Nathan, I would think.

The Sox just ran into a really good pitcher having a really good night.  They will beat the snot out of the DRays in the rest of the series.

27 is right.  We have serious rotation issues with only two starters that you can feel good about.

Texas 5 Detroit 0 after 3-not counting my chickens

“Add to that the regular season results, and you have a justifiable fear of the Angels in the playoffs.”
9 games this year and something OTHER teams did to us? That’s a bad mindset to get yourself into. Just look at the BoSox.

Ugh.  5th inning, Game 4, 2002 ALDS… what a nightmare.  *shudder*  Why did I look at that?

“9 games this year and something OTHER teams did to us? That’s a bad mindset to get yourself into. Just look at the BoSox.”

I didn’t mean just this year.  The Angels have been a consistently difficult matchup for the Yankees.  The Indians have not.

That doesn’t mean that if the Yanks draw the Angels they will lose and if they draw the Indians they will win.  I know that.  I’m just saying there is some basis for not being terribly excited about playing Anaheim (or whatever the hell they call themselves) in the first round.

“I didn’t mean just this year.  The Angels have been a consistently difficult matchup for the Yankees.  The Indians have not.”
Those would fall under “other teams” It’s not like the Angels can read Torre’s mind or something, there’s no paticular reason that they have beaten us besides that they’ve field good teams and bad luck. You’re fooling yourself if you think that results from say, 3 years ago mean anything this season. I’m being a bit harsh, but you can’t allow these things to fester.

I don’t know about mind-reading, but I think there is a case to be made that Soscia (I know I mangled the spelling) has out-managed Torre.

Thanks Rob. But tonight we get Sonnanstine, who we’ve split two games with, and who the Yanks found out can pitch… on his good nights. I suspect they’ll score some runs tonight, but am worried about the Yankee series. The Yanks have played their best against us starting in June, so the Sox need to wake the fuck up or it’s going to be a depressing weekend. [Until kickoff in Foxboro.]

Of course, we know for certain the playoffs await. But I’ve opined before on why the Sox kinda need the division.

Scioscia = genius? I’m not entirely clear on why people are so high on him. He’s got a nice little formula, but I’d think a trained chimp could give Chone Figgins the steal signal.

Detroit down 6-0 against Texas in the 5th… I’m suppose to be scared of these guys?

9-0 now. And the answer is no.

“I’ve said all along that if the Sox play to their max potential, there’s nothing they can’t do in the offseason, but right now they’re really limping home. “

Seems like they normally do wonders in the offseason because they don’t play to their max? But then it helps to have John Henry’s Florida connections.

I’m just kidding SSF. You are a thoughtful contributor and pretty fair minded.

texas’ offense has been fantastic for awhile now. scoring 30 runs in a game will boost the confidence a tad i guess. i’ll be happy for them and ron washington if they finish at .500.

when i initially saw the pitching matchups for the royals series i thought their was a genuine chance we’d get our butts kicked. same for the blue jays. but now i could really care less which pitcher we’re facing to be honest.

but I’d think a trained chimp could give Chone Figgins the steal signal.

Coco, the sign language ape, is a hell of a good third base coach.

He’s got a nice little formula, but I’d think a trained chimp could give Chone Figgins the steal signal.

depends, are the Patriots filming him give the signs?

j/k…

The pitching fell apart, the lineup couldn’t dig them out of the hole the pitchers dug, and the Angels were simply a buzzsaw in October 2002.

yeah, but at least now we know why.

Glaus simply had better steroids than Giambi and Bonds.

HIJACK

Guys, check this out if you dare.  I found it thru Fire Joe Morgan.  Amazingly, Pagliarulo (or the person posting in his name) is engaging in an extended message board conversation.  Just amazing stuff.

http://www.baselinereport.com/baselineblog/?p=248#comment-341

Tigers lost the first game of their DH. Magic Number down to 15.

“Coco, the sign language ape, is a hell of a good third base coach”
Uh guys… the real brains of the Angels is obviously the rally monkey.

yup, we’re ready for 31 teams and their fans coming out of the woodwork claiming the Patriots only win by cheating. Just when the Pats’ the-world-is-against-us strategy finally loses all justification, you want to bring it back? OK by me!

The FJM thing is a funny read (as usual).

This is an even better (not funny) read:

http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/929954.php?contentType=4&contentId=903120

An interview with Cashman.  Good stuff.

Jeter back in the lineup and in the field, usual spot.

Just when the Pats’ the-world-is-against-us strategy finally loses all justification, you want to bring it back? OK by me!

actually, i was just messing around b/c until the World Series is over, i honestly don’t care about football at all.  and i’m a Giants’ fan who doesn’t care too much about the Patriots either way.

you just left a perfect opening by first talking about the Pats and then Soscia giving the signs.

Also, Pete Abe indicates that Clemens is probably throwing in the bullpen as we ‘speak’ with Guidry and Kerrigan.

Yup, mos def, if we can’t have fun w/ this issue, we’re not trying very hard.

I didn’t see this article on the new off-day schedule for the ALDS & ALCS mentioned here, so figured I’d mention it (sorry if this is discussed elsewhere and I missed it).
  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/tom_verducci/09/11/long.postseason/index.html

I think this format effectively eliminates any chance that Torre talks himself into starting Mussina.

WTF is MLB thinking?  First they put the games on too late at night and now they are spreading the playoffs out over more time?  Are they trying to emulate the NBA?  I just don’t get it.

If they want the extra prime-time revenue, they should make the DS 7 games and play one DS game and one CS game on a weekend afternoon.  Of course, that makes too much sense. 

BTW, I am not the actual Pags, although I did want to be when I was 8.

So, why did they DFA Kevin Thompson? Was it a charity-type thing?

the yes network is all screwed up.

Sean in Seattle, I salute you!

In today’s Neyer chat, Sean had this to say:

Rob, So maybe the M’s run differential caught up with them in a major way and you were right all along… Anyway, how does their team look going forward? Can they contend for a while?

Thank you, Sean, you are a bigger man than most.

WTF is MLB thinking?

Seriously.  The main thing MLB should do is increase excitement with the on field competition.  Off days just drains the excitement and energy.  It’s one of the reasons that the NBA kind of sucks.

BTW, I am not the actual Pags, although I did want to be when I was 8.

From his comments, that appears to be when his analytical skills peaked.

I meant the actual Pags, by the way (I am pretty sure that’s clear, but why risk offending someone?).

I love Fire Joe.