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No Excuses: Twins-Yanks ALDS Game I Gamer

It's time for the Bombers to put up or shut up, and no excuses. They come into tonight's ALDS with the best record in the game, well rested, and healthy. They've score on the order of 100 more runs than the Twinkies, who come in, one presumes, somewhat spent after last night's extended affair, and without their #2 offensive weapon. They have no "shut-down" starter to strike fear in the Yankee hit squad. The Bombers, indeed, have every advantage, and have already beaten this team 7 straight this season—a flukey number to be sure, but still indicative of their superiority. The Twins do have some dangerous players, beginning with MVP to-be Joe Mauer, so they should not be pushovers. If there's any serious concern it should be the back end of the Minnesota bullpen, which can shorten a game to 7 innings—of course, the Yanks can do that as well. This would not be a good series to enter the final innings trailing, but then we've seen the Yanks get over that hurdle all year. Alex. Joe. CC. Lots of folks on the Yankee bench with something to prove, and they can start RIGHT NOW. LETS GO YANKS! 

Lineups:

Minnesota Twins
Span CF
Cabrera SS
Mauer C
Cuddyer 1B
Kubel RF
Young LF
Harris DH
Tolbert 3B
Punto 2B
Duensing LHP

New York Yankees
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF
Sabathia LHP

230 replies on “No Excuses: Twins-Yanks ALDS Game I Gamer”

Hell of a game pitched by Lee, though he gives up the shutout in the 9th as I type that. Wow.

so they should not be pushovers
I beg to differ, and I don’t mean this as a reverse jinx. They should absolutely be pushovers, for all the reasons listed above. Almost twenty fewer wins in a weaker division, a weak staff, and a soft lineup once you get past the best two hitters. Really, this should be no contest, and the Yankees, though no guarantee, should win this series nine times out of ten, or maybe even 95 times out of 100. This is the 1998 Padres without Kevin Brown, and a Twin series victory would be a phenomenal upset, just completely unexpected. So I agree: no excuses. The Yankees have to win this series.

Pavano hahaha, don’t even. If it happens I’m gonna eat my hat. I hope for a sweep to rest up for our more likely competition. That being said, the Yanks are not impervious to the David & Goliath syndrome, even in the playoffs. I hope the Yanks play conservative baseball and win with class.

Carl Pavano slated to pitch Game 3. Who wants to bet he doesn’t make it out of the 3rd inning?
Posted by: Atheose | Wednesday, October 07, 2009 at 05:35 PM
Fixed that for you Ath! Man, you SF’s are having trouble typing today… ;)

…you don’t want me doing the same thing in your thread tomorrow Lock, believe me.

SF: I think they should win and have an advantage, but I hate that “they have to win” phrasing and you are definitely underestimating the twins. they may not be as good as the yanks, but they absolutely have some solid bats, beyond the mvp, in kubel, cuddyer, morales, and span. so they’re not totally anemic, and their pitching, while not intimidating, is not bad either. the team era is in the vicinity of the yanks. so in a short series, and with their back end pen, they are definitely more dangerous than folks are giving them credit for, especially you, thouh i do think the yanks are superior and should win. but it’s baseball. there are no guarantees.

People’s TRUE COLORS are starting to come out now YF…the hatred is spilling over the well-maintained YFSF dam…LOOK OUT!!!

i know, too early to be putting men on for the heart of the lineup
AND THAT”S WHY!!!!!!
K on the sweeping hook.
looks like cc has a scouting report to go after jm with the curves.

YF – probably to not give up the big inning. It’s still the first.. ;P
I mean, if CC gives up 3 in 6, the Yanks should really be dominating Duensing..

alex:
0-1 looks at hanging curve
0-2 foul low away
0-2 foul inside
0-2 foul hi heat
f9 curve low/away looped out to right. just a flick, but that ball died in the wind.
too bad he wasn’t looking curve on pitch 1. nice sequence from duensing.

krueg: i thought alex looked pretty solid in that at bat. good sequence against him, and he was behind from the outset. we’ll see where he goes….
delmon young is swinging at ANYTHING out there.
ks on one in the dirt after chasing a way high and outside heater.

Yeah, he didn’t look bad YF, I’m not a hater…I think it would have been bad for him had he K’d. Therefore it was good he made contact so he’ll feel good in his next AB…

Great play by ARod!!!! 2 solid innings for CC…TIME FOR SOME F-CKING RUNS!!!!

looks like after the game started the sf’s left the thread to you yf’s. i’ll do the same.
enjoy boys.

matsui an easy 4-3
what did we do to deserve sager?
someone call security and get mattingly’s weathervane away from that jackass.

Wait, so thinking the Yankees are vastly superior and should win a series is “showing my true colors” and “hatred”? Or was that directed elsewhere? And how is “no excuses” different from saying they really have to win this series?
I am so confused.

this duensing character is doing a nice job of Pitching with a capital-P. very impressive. locates well and mixes things up. makes his fastball look even faster.
but that big hook to k cano was not nearly a strike. bullshit.

Well, I think of course they really have to win this series… because if they lose, it’s the end of the season. Am I missing something?
That said, the Cano pitch was an inside strike, though Mauer was aiming outside, so got away with that one there..

And if the Twins and Yankees’ ERAs are close, is that normalized ERA? Because I don’t think that I should have to point out the difficulty of playing in the AL East.

Which way is the wind blowing, and how hard?
Here in the Hudson Valley we had insanely high winds today, with something like 18,000 customers out of power in the counties to the south of me… I had damage to a picnic table umbrella and an outdoor umbrella here in Columbia County, about 2 hours north of The Bronx.

Wow, Twins draw first blood. That DP really hurts though.
Ooh, and Posada making IH look like a genius.

That passed ball ought to stop Posada from grousing more about not catching Burnett in Game 2. Just sayin’.

64 pitches through three innings for Sabathia. That bullpen might get some work tonight if he doesn’t settle quickly. Of course, for Sabathia that still could project to a six-inning performance.
Ok, I’ve got to jet. This was my three-post contribution to the game thread tonight. GO TWINS!

Taxing the pen is not desirable, but not too awful for the Yanks – they get an offday tomorrow anyhow. If it’s what they need to win..
Go Yanks hitter!
Hudson it seems to be blowing toward left field, but not 100% sure.

Tried to do a Jeter impression in house of Jeter? Nope, Melky safe at first for the second hit of the game for the Yanks, and here’s the captain my captain.

Hudson, I’m at the game and wind feels like it’s blowing out to right. It’s pretty steady with some gusts.

Wild pitch/passed ball, and Melky to second.
Ball was in the dirt and Mauer couldn’t keep it in front of him.

From the sound of things, John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman are both going to have to change their underwear after that Jeter HR.

Hudson – can’t blame them, I screamed too and I’m at work, haha.. I even did the Jeter fist pump.

Teixeira can really bring the stadium with anything…
Double play ball but the inning continues as the throw to first was wide and pulls the 1B off the bat.
ARod up.

I thought ARod was a bit aggressive in his 2 ABs today, and he K’s for the third out of the inning.
However, the score is now tied.

(You can bet some baseball scribes are already sharpening their pencils for the “A-Rod is not clutch” stories — one LOB in each of his two at-bats so far, both in scoring position.)

Oh no, I’m scared for the onset of ‘Lopez: Late Night’ commercials (ala frank caliendo last year…). Ugh.

“…(You can bet some baseball scribes are already sharpening their pencils for the “A-Rod is not clutch” stories — one LOB in each of his two at-bats so far, both in scoring position.)…”
yeah, sigh

The Yankees are only up by one? Wow, I seriously figured they’d be up 10-0 at this point.

“…Wow, I seriously figured they’d be up 10-0 at this point….”
first time watching post season baseball ethan? ;)

Duensing 68 pitches, Sabathia 76, 3-2 Yankees through four… That’s actually about as good as the Twins could hope for at this stage. (Minnesota would have a better shot if their infield could figure out how to turn two.)

first time watching post season baseball ethan? ;)
No — I’ve been watching playoff baseball for decades — but it might be my first time watching two teams as totally mismatched as this in every way in a playoff series.

“…No — I’ve been watching playoff baseball for decades — but it might be my first time watching two teams as totally mismatched as this in every way in a playoff series. …”
sorry ethan, no disrespect, but you can throw out mismatches once you get to the post season…

Oh well, just took a little longer than I expected to start. This is not the kind of mismatch you can just toss out the window.

ok ethan, you win…still not over yet…
and the talk about the jet stream is starting…funny it’s only streaming when the yanks hit the homers…unreal

Ethan, this should be obvious to all and I apologize to less obnoxious sf’s for this, but if the Sox had beaten NY for the AL East title it would be them on the other side of this mismatch you find so astonishing. Alas, after taking the first 8 off the Yanks, your team could not win the season series let alone the division and so you;ll be facing a much tougher Angels team. Deal with it.
Sorry to all others, but if Ethan wasn’t bringing this purposeful goading into the first Yankee postseason tjread in 2 years I’d leave him alone.

I’m sorry IH, but I honestly was not intending to goad or anything. What is to goad about? The Yankees are winning, and they should be winning.
I guess my initial comments could have come off as snarky, but they were not intended to be. I was honestly surprised that the Twins were keeping it close. I was basically saying “The Yankees are way way better and should win easily.” That is hardly taunting. Sorry if it came off as disrespectful.

These two teams ARE Extremely mismatched–but they’re that way because the Yankees won the division and had the best record in baseball. Facing the Twins instead of the Angels is their reward for this. What’s the big deal?

IH:
I don’t think it is sour grapes to point out that this series is really quite the mismatch. It is. The Twins, in a lesser division, won far fewer games. The Yankees had the best record in baseball. Hell, they were THE superior team in MLB, while the Twins weren’t even better than the second place team in the West, also a lesser division than the AL East.
Why is this so terrible to point out? What do you guys want? We can’t disparage the Yankees – that would be bias. But now we can’t discuss how superior the Yankees are to the team they are playing? Why is the latter a bad thing, why is it “goading” to discuss how good the Yankees are? They deserve this opponent: they earned the right to play them by virtue of their great regular season.
What’s to argue? What’s to be offended by?

What’s to argue? What’s to be offended by?
Thank you, this is what I was getting at. I am not sour, or bitter, and not once did I bring up the Red Sox or say that the Yankees did not deserve to be playing a weaker team.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter, we’re all friends here, no? No need to be so sensitive. I am not taking shots at the Yankees or you.

OK Ethan – I’ll get off my high (Iron)horse. Am a bit touchy on the subject perhaps.

In a short series, anything can happen, let alone a single game. But ya, Yanks really need to win in either case.

Seeing Kate Hudson on the sidelines (a long-time crush of mine), cheering ARod on while carrying his child, makes me ridiculously sad.

Liriano up at a possible big spot and gave up back to back singles. I think Liriano was brought up as a possible starter for this game, but obviously not at this point..

i think we’re just saying that you never know in the post season sf…the twins are division winners…look at how an inferior wild card team won in 2004…you just never know until ALL the games are played…you are goading us when you say we “should win”…if we do win, we’ll hear about how our money bought a jet stream…if we lose, you’ll bust our balls….never gets old…

They’re just rumors at this point, Lar. But the fact that it’s a possibility at all is enough to depress me.

the twins are division winners…look at how an inferior wild card team won in 2004
Red Sox in 2004: 98-64 in the best division in baseball
Twins in 2009: 87-76 in the worst division in baseball
Please do not compare these two.

i think we’re just saying that you never know in the post season sf
Yeah, I know. But I am tired of this cliche. The bottom line is that yeah, lesser teams win sometimes. A difference of a couple games in the standings here and there and sometimes the first place team doesn’t beat the second place team, or the wild card team beats a division winner. But in this case we are talking about almost twenty games in two very different divisions. Like I said earlier, 9 times out of ten this series goes to the Yankees. I’d never wager my money otherwise, unless the return was really, REALLY big.
Tonight’s game is going just as the rest of the series will, as far as I can tell, unless the Twins steal one. But they are not stealing three, and certainly not three of four. Once the Yankees graduate to the Sox or Angels, I think the odds get a lot tighter since the difference in quality isn’t as wide. But this series is about as much of a mismatch as Yankee fans could have hoped for, and it is what they deserve.

Son of a bitch, ARod now has 2 postseason RBI’s–twice as many as he’s had in the last three postseasons combined.
I predict he goes on a tear from here on out.

different year ath…remember the mvp discussion about ped…you may want to take the night off and enjoy your thread tomorrow…remember, you scolded me about getting into your game threads…

SF’s raining on the parade…surprise, surprise.
Can’t you guys just let YF’s enjoy the game?

Not really fair, dc. A wild card team’s “inferiority” is not absolute, nor is it fair to create an equivalency between the 2004 Sox and this year’s Twins, which is actually what you are doing. This year’s Twins team won a weak division. The Yankees normalized record this year was, I believe, 106-56. The Yankees and Sox in 2004 were probably the two best teams in all of baseball. The Yankees and Twins are probably not even the 1st and 8th best teams in all of baseball. Context matters.

No, I scolded you for coming into the game thread and making steroid jokes. We’re talking about baseball here ;-)
But seriously, the 2009 Twins are just godawful… especially with Morneau out. Sure any team can win if they get hot, but jesus, the Yankees are an exceptional team on all fronts and the Twins are merely average.

SF’s raining on the parade…surprise, surprise.
Dude, what are you talking about? Seriously, what in God’s name are you talking about? Your team is SUPERB.

I’m taking the playoffs off from the gamers. It is seriously ridiculous that you SF’s are going to take over a Yankee gamer to basically say that we should win and that this is no big deal. You guys are either :
A) completely clueless
or
B) dickholes

Apparently it’s douchebaggy to compliment the Yankees? It’s like bizarro world in here tonight.

Actually, I should clarify: the Yanks and Twins probably aren’t the 1st and 5th best teams in the AL. Sorry.

Are the Yanks super insane favorites? Yes, they won 17 more games than the Twins, not even factoring in the division. They have every advantage, schedule-wise to them.
Does it mean they’ll win? That’s why they play them..

krueg:
Please, an open invitation to come in to our gamer and feel free to lavish our team with compliments while we win. honestly – come on by, I hope this is the case. You hate us when we sh*t on your team, you hate us when we praise them.
For God’s sake, get over this and enjoy the win!!!!

Krueg, your team is fantastic. Just great all around, top to bottom. I’m afraid of playing you in the ALCS, that’s how good you are. Hughes and Joba in the bullpen only increase this fear.
If you win, we’re not going to say “Pshhhhhh this doesn’t matter cause you SHOULD beat the Twins!” But we’re certainly going to say that it’s a mismatch, which is to the Yankees’ credit because they played so well in the regular season (103 wins, holy fuck).

Actually, I should clarify: the Yanks and Twins probably aren’t the 1st and 5th best teams in the AL. Sorry.
I would say 1st and 6th/7th

“…I’d never wager my money otherwise…”
that’s why i don’t bet sf, on anything, including the yankees…
you know sf, if you or paul, or any of the regular sf’s ever agree with me on anything…let’s say “water is wet”, i’ll shit my pants…you guys are unreal, you’ve become entertainment for me really…

Krueg, Lar, DC, we’re in here because we enjoy discussing baseball with you guys, ESPECIALLY during the playoffs. We’re not trying to take anything away from the Yankees.

Hehe, I don’t know. I think part of it is YF’s trying to set lower expectations, in light of you know, the LAST 9 YEARS, or at least, last 5 , and SF’s are like, no, we’re trying to be realistic!

Will they save Mo with an off day tomorrow? I know, bah bah bah, heavy favorites, but you got to take wins as they come..

Lar, I’d love to think that its the last five years (certainly it is a factor) but in 1998 I remember the buildup of the lame Padres team that was steamrolled by the Yanks, I lived in NY and I couldn’t get over how misplaced and misguided I thought the buildup was for their opponent. I sense that again this year for this Twins series – it may assuage the nerves or emotions in case of an upset, but it really isn’t based on statistics or thoughtful analysis of the two teams on the field. As you allude to, there is a serious difference in the two squads.

Hughes out after two outs. One big out, and another out. Quick hook/micromanaging here? Though the Yanks had plenty of days off and got tomorrow off.. not sure.

We cross-posted SF – I was settling things with Ethan already. I can’t help seeing only Sfs pointing out a mismatch as somehow belittling the Yankees’ success against them. Somehow I think if YFs came into a sox gamer while the sox were winning and needed to make the point, some sfs would take offense as well. Regardless, no need for correction – Ethan and I settled it. Even he acknowledged that his early remarks could be viewed as snarky and I acknowledged that I may be overly touchy.

Yeesh, I was never intending to hijack the gamer, nor was I trying to take credit away from the Yankees.
Didn’t say a word about money or jet-streams or whatever, and only said that the Yankees were really good, and were playing a blatantly inferior team. You should be enjoying this! Your team is kicking butt! Can’t we all just get along?

Lar, I say you absolutely save Mo. They’re even saving Hughes right here by pulling him instead of letting him finish the 8th. If it was only a 4-run lead I would feel differently… but 5 is a lot.
Coke coming in, presumably to pitch the rest of the game.

Oh, I don’t doubt the Yanks are a huge favorite, but that doesn’t mean it’s in the bag! Haha, we’ll discuss how good they are if they win this series first! ;P

Has krueg really disappeared because of our lavish praise? Is positive thinking from rivals of his chosen and beloved team his kryptonite?! What hath we wrought!?!
Come back, krueg, the YANKEES SUCK ASS!!!!!!!!!! THEY STINK, THEY ARE OVERRATED DOUCHENOZZLES!!! THE BEST TEAM MONEY CAN BUY!!!!!!

Coke in.
Really? I would think he’ll close this inning, but that’s it. I don’t know who else is warming up though.

Teixeira with a good grab, and Mauer alert and got back to first. Good heads up by Mauer.
And Coke is out.. with Joba coming in. Is he closing the game?

Boy am I 100% wrong… Coke in for one goddamn out, and Joba is coming in. First relief appearance in quite a while.

IH:
Like I said to krueg earlier: I hope we have the opportunity to feel belittled by praise for our team from YFs as our beloved Sox squash their opponents!

Ath – Joba pitched the last game of the season, I think a 7 pitch inning. But ya, I say there’s no way he’s coming in to pitch 4 outs.

I agree with SF… it’s weird as hell not experiencing the bipolar nature of a Krueg-inhabited thread.
Come back Krueg! We promise we won’t compliment the Yankees anymore!

Sorry Lar, thanks for correcting me. I haven’t watched a baseball game in about two weeks, aside from the play-in game last night.

Joba with a two pitch out. Maybe if they’re low stress he’ll finish the game.. but I would think Joe G is going to play it conservative with Joba.

What is this hubbub? YF’s, the Twins are a vastly inferior team to the Yankees. It will be a huge upset if the Yankees do not win the series, and frankly, I’ll be a little embarrassed for them, because they really should win.
SF’s, what you’re saying is absolutely true (thanks for the compliments on the team we root for!), but realize us YF’s HAVE to be pessimistic in order to keep ourselves sane. We understand that, even though the Yankees are humongous favorites, it’s not like they’re playing little leaguers. Humongous favorites in a 5-game series is the Yankees winning the series 80% of the time. (h/t RLYW: http://tinyurl.com/ybosuyh) Would you bet your life savings on an 80% chance? So all we’re saying is that, because the Twins are a professional, above-average major league baseball team, absolutely nothing is guaranteed, and while a series win may not necessarily be as impressive as the Red Sox beating the Angels, it is impressive nonetheless, because any series win in the playoffs, against a playoff team, is impressive.

i don’t blame krueg for leaving…you guys are doing exactly what we [i] have been criticized for in the past…hijacking an opposing gamer…maybe the ysfs rules are different for the playoffs…but let’s get one thing straight…you are not “praising” the yankees when you say they should win…you are putting us in a no win situation…if we lose, you can ridicule, if we win, well, come on, we should have…nice try…actually, now that you mention it, you guys should beat those LA chumps…after all you own them…you’re their daddys…anything less…bah…complete failure

but realize us YF’s HAVE to be pessimistic in order to keep ourselves sane
Times have reallychanged. This is truly amazing! I say this as someone who has lived in NYC since 1994.

Well SF, when 3 ALDS’s in a row, 2 against ‘vastly inferior teams’, have led to horrible disappointment, that tends to happen.

What is sad is that I probably won’t even be awake to see what happens to the Sox-Angels gamer tomorrow. I am so f*cking old.

i don’t blame krueg for leaving…you guys are doing exactly what we [i] have been criticized for in the past…hijacking an opposing gamer…maybe the ysfs rules are different for the playoffs
No DC, I criticized you in the past because you came into a Sox thread and started making steroid jokes. A comparable scenario would be if, after ARod knocked in his last RBI, I made a steroid joke too.
Let’s all call a truce, because this is just silly. There’s playoff baseball on, and the Yankees are rolling right now. I honestly wasn’t trying to put the Yankees in an “unwinnable scenario”, and was rather trying to praise them for clearly being the best team in baseball, both in record and in overall look.

Mo in for the finish. I wouldn’t have used him, but I definitely see why he’s out there.

:: sighs :: ok dc, I give up. You win. I am just a jackass intent on disparaging your team.
And Andrew, thank you for the reasonable perspective on things. I guess we all have our ways of dealing with our fandoms. I have to keep myself pretty down on the Patriots in order to deal with their (still) crushing loss in ’07.
It’s true that nothing is guaranteed in sports, but I really, honestly do not see the Twins as having a chance. This is a rare series that I actually *would* put money on, and I do not gamble.
Meanwhilst, the Yanks have just about wrapped up game 1. Congrats. Not sure about using Rivera here, but I guess they do have the long series schedule.

Any given Wednesday…mismatch, smismatch. Just keep winning. Who you play makes no nevermind.
Would have like to see Joba go more than one batter. Coke to Mauer, Joba next 2 or 3. He needs work.

Mo has never done fantastic in non-save situations. Cabrera and then Mauer is a tough two to face now, though.

Naaa you wouldn’t put money on the Yanks the odds are awful. Bet 380 to win 100 was tonights line. Series line was 400 to win 100. Unless you’re betting 1,000 plus it’s a terrible bet. Regardless of your confidence even as a Soxfan.

Why not use Mo? Day off tomorrow hasn’t pitched since _____, it makes perfect sense. Take nothing for granted.

Awesome. Everyting went right. CC has a great outing. A-Rod gets a couple hits and RBIs, most everyone contributes. If anyone who saw this on TV and so got better views on replays than me in nosebleeds, please describe the first passed ball/wild pitch on which the Twins scored – was Jorge as inexcusably lackadaisacal as it looked?

IH, heading in Friday…leaving NJ at 3:30. Think that’s enough time? Was it crowded? Traffic getting in?

“…Context matters…” amen, wish i had said that sf…wow
never said you were a “jackass” ethan…that’s your description…by the way, did arod’s rbi’s count tonight, or are they irrelevant…i just find it strange if i’m the only one who thinks that you can throw out the odds in a short series…of course the yanks are the favorites based on their regular season performance, and given that the twins had to play the extra game, and the wind stream that only seems to blow out when the yanks are up and all, but there are enough upsets in all of sports to suggest that it might not be farfetched to see one here…should yankee fans be embarrassed? ok, you guys win, we’ll hang our heads in shame…the sfs’ here that harp on it put us in a situation where, like i said, we feel guilty celebrating a sure thing, and we look like fools if we lose…like i said, the sox absolutely own the angels…have fun with your gamers….

we feel guilty celebrating a sure thing, and we look like fools if we lose…like i said, the sox absolutely own the angels…have fun with your gamers….
You’re the only one making yourself feel guilty for celebrating the win. Jesus christ dc, stop playing the victim all the time.
And for what it’s worth, Andrew is the only one who said the Yankees should be “embarrassed” if they lose.

i don’t feel guilty at all ath…any team that makes the post season is a formidable opponent…sf doesn’t want to hear it as he said earlier, but anybody can win in the post season, especially in a 5 game series…andrew may think otherwise too, but he doesn’t speak for me…look at all the times in the past 8 years the yanks were “supposed” to win…i take nothing for granted…i’m happy and grateful for tonight’s win…

“…stop playing the victim …”
and that’s some wierd bizzarro-world topsy-turvy advice coming from a red sox fan, especially on this site…

Why, dc? It always seems like you guys are playing the “Oh man we’re outnumbered and picked on all the time!” card.
Like I said earlier, let’s call a truce. It’s the postseason, we shouldn’t be squabbling about minor stuff.

John, I’m not a good judge of travel time from outside the city (I’m the guy who told you a flight from MIN to NY was 4 hours!). I live in Manhattan and so take the subway pretty directly. I’m actually already home from the game which is great. So on traffic I just don’t know. As far as crowds, I think because it was a weekday 6pm game the stadium wasn’t really full until the 2nd/3rd inning. Have a blast on Friday – I’ll be in Pennsylvania, but in my optimism I got tix for Gs 1, 2, and 6 of the ALCS – I hope I get to use them!!

Well after sleeping on last night’s game (for 3 hrs…had to catch a 4:40 AM train to DC!!!) a couple thoughts:
1. I over-reacted to Ethan on the mismatch commentary. For me it was not about psychological defenses in case of a Yankee loss as it was my perception, in the moment, of exactly what dc pointed to: a feeling that some sfs were portraying this series in such a way that yfs could not win – win and it was expected all along, lose and it’s an epic failure. In any event, looking back on it, I was more reacting to the Yankees having just taken the lead (by one) when these comments started and so I didn’t want to get into mismatch analysis so much as just rejoice while still not ruling out a possible game and/or series rollercoaster. In any event, sorry for jumping on you ethan.
2. CC and A-Rod had what they each probably needed – a quick productive start to their postseasons, which should help erase some of the bad taste of Octobers past for both of them and shut up some critics…for now.
3. I like Girardi’s use of multiple pen guys to keep some (Mo) fresh and get others’ (Coke, Joba) ’09 post-season feet wet in fairly low-pressure situations.
4. Tonight’s Angels-Sox game should be the start of what I think will be the best of the 1st-round series (though Dodgers-Cardinals could be a wild ride too). For me it comes down to if Beckett is healthy and can spot that curve, the Sox should win. If not, they’re in trouble. The other thing that would concern me as an sf is that the Sox biggest vulnerability (containing the running game) matches one of LA’s greatest strengths. But on the whole I still give Boston an edge. Until an Angels team proves they can beat these guys I am in a bit of a I’ll believe it when I see it frame of mind.
5. Derek Jeter is the man.

i don’t see it so much as “playing the victim card” ath, as i do just pointing out the obvious…no other franchise in baseball history is as hated as the yankees…and it shows in non-yes coverage of them, and commentary here…i don’t know whether that’s rooted in jealousy [money, history], or a collective inferiority complex that some non-yankee fans share, or something i’ll call the “arrogance and entitlement myth”, talked about on this site before on several occasions, that makes all yankee fans seem dickish, or what, but it’s undeniable…for me to point it out is not evidence of my own persecution complex, that some of you want to lay on me, rather, it’s just a statement of fact…i want to be fair though, it was yf who mentioned the yanks “superiority” in his post, and started this whole ball rolling, the arrogant trouble-maker ;)
but, you see, there’s another side to this…i have an intense dislike [don’t like the word hate] for the red sox, and for those fans who exhibit traits that i like to call the “typical red sox fan”…let’s just say it’s not a compliment…it’s irrational of course, but i’ve been caught up in the whole rivalry thing since i was a little kid…i appreciate your offer of a truce…i don’t know how long it will last ;) i do plan to stay out of your gamers…while you guys say you had good intentions, i didn’t see it that way, and i wasn’t alone…i still feel that way this morning…

2. CC and A-Rod had what they each probably needed – a quick productive start to their postseasons, which should help erase some of the bad taste of Octobers past for both of them and shut up some critics…for now.
This was the biggest thing I took from last night’s game. If ARod had pulled an 0-for it would be headline news regardless of the game’s outcome. It’s debatable whether or not ARod’s confidence is affected by such things, but I personally think it is. I predict he absolutely tears it up for the rest of the postseason, and if he does the Yankees will be tough to beat.
And DC, we don’t want you to stay out of the gamers dude. You mention several times about how you got criticized for making antagonistic comments in a gamer before, but it’s not fair to keep bringing that up when I apologized for it:
I did overreact, and apologize for that. I get crap from lots of O’s fans at work about Ortiz/Manny, so by the time I get home and enjoy the game/gamer the last thing I want to hear are more Ortiz steroid references.
Posted by: Atheose | Friday, August 21, 2009 at 07:52 AM
There’s nothing wrong with both YF’s and SF’s talking in the same gamers, as long as things are kept civil, right? I’m sorry you interpreted what we were saying in a pessimistic way, but all the comments from the SF’s are about how good the Yankees are (spoiler alert: they are VERY good). You’re more than welcome to come into the gamer tonight and talk about how good the Red Sox are ;-)

3. I like Girardi’s use of multiple pen guys to keep some (Mo) fresh and get others’ (Coke, Joba) ’09 post-season feet wet in fairly low-pressure situations.
IH, I liked that he used Mo. I can’t and won’t argue that. Day off, best closer in the game, step on their throats. The only problem I had was the 8th. I would have taken Hughes out after closing down the 7th and let Coke pitch to Mauer to start the 8th. Then went to Joba for the remainder of the inning. It’s a fairly low pressure situation with a decent lead, let Joba get his sea legs back. Instead he wound up only pitching to one batter. That one batter can still breed some confidence, but not like a full inning would have. I completely understand it’s the playoffs and Girardi’s job could be on the line, so building confidence is the least of his worries, but…How dominant can this bullpen be IF Joba is right? Joba, Hughes, Mo…that’s a 6 inning game.
Either way, great win.
Friday looks like it’s going to be rained out or at least delayed. It went from 40% chance of rain to 70% all day. Only helps the Twins, but what can you do. Can’t control mother nature.

thanks ath…truce is on
i agree with both IH and you about the need for arod and cc to get off on the right foot…otherwise the whole superiority controversy is moot…jeter, well, he just did what we expect…talk about high expectations, but he handles it
not sure whether i’ll join the gamers or not, but i appreciate the invitation…my comment about staying out of them wasn’t just a reference to the exchange you and i had, because i’ve seen it suggested to other participants on several other occasions…the discussions can get too heated and devolve into non-game stuff, like last night…you and i are cool as far as i’m concerned…
and the yankees are very good…and they should beat the twins…but, we’ve seen enough history to know that nothing is a given…i’m just girding myself for the inevitable choke comments if they lose, or the “big deal, they were supposed to win?”, if they win…and that’s not playing the victim…it goes along with rooting for the team that happens to be a solid favorite…

I hear what you’re saying re: the 8th John. Joba’s shift back to the pen came so late in the season that he only got one pen appearance in before the post-season started so yeah – he could use some repetition in that role. And oh yeah: Joba, Hughes, Month is scary-good. Does it make up for potentially erratic-AJ as the #2 and Chad Gaudin as the #4 if/when they get to the ALCS? No clue. But I’d be very comfortable with a small lead, in a tie game, or even down by one going into the 7th with this line-up and those arms in the pen.

His (Joba’s) outing was not long enough to know how true it was, but Darling said he was hitting 100 in warm-ups. Who knows if that’s true, but if his velocity is back to what it was before he joined the rotation, the Yankees are in good shape.
What happens IF the Yankees make the ALCS, I have no idea. Ideally I’d hope they would keep him in one role for the remainder of the postseason. Unfortunately that would mean Gaudin pitching a game 4. Who knows what happens, let’s just hope we have that type of problem to worry about!

Who knows what happens, let’s just hope we have that type of problem to worry about!
Come on, John – Let’s be serious here. Short of some kind of epic collapse, or clubhouse sickness, this Yankee team is going to the ALCS, and probably with a few days rest to boot!

“Short of some kind of epic collapse”
Hmmmm, those never happen in New York right Brad? I learned my lesson in 2004. One day at a time.

“…Short of some kind of epic collapse, or clubhouse sickness, this Yankee team is going to the ALCS, and probably with a few days rest to boot! …”
“epic collapse”, “clubhouse sickness”, guaranteed win?
et tu brad? ;)
i know you guys hate it when i try to interpret what someone else is saying, but i think all john, and IH are saying is that for all of the yanks offensive might, the pitching may be a bit unsettled…having an effective joba, hughes, mo for the late innings is cool, but we still have question marks with AJ, and gaudin…and, for all his positive post season experience, i’m not sure what we’ll get from andy pettitte…that’s why last night’s game was so important with our best pitcher on the mound…one game…if we lost it, we have shakey AJ in game 2, and then andy, in a best 3 out of 5…sure we’re the favorites, but if we’ve learned anything from the past 10 years it’s that the yanks teams that just tried to outslug everybody went home early…

I have not unlimited but nevertheless VERY high confidence in Andy Pettitte. I will be shocked if he give us any worse than 3ER/6IP and not at all surprised if he does better – and anything in that range with this pen and line-up gives the Yankees an excellent chance at a win against any opponent in my view. But I too felt last night was key – mostly because of the question-mark that is AJ Burnett.

have not unlimited but nevertheless VERY high confidence in Andy Pettitte. I will be shocked if he give us any worse than 3ER/6IP
I think the key to Game 3 is the fact that Carl Pavano is starting for the Twins. He’s either going to throw 7IP/0ER, or get knocked out in the third.

I’m seriously considering spending the evening in the Sox gamer giving back…luckily for SF’s the Sabres are on tonight and it isn’t worth it. It’s been fun chatting with you guys but I’m not going to sit here and have SF’s ruin every playoff game for me…
Such BS last night. Unreal.
Here’s to hoping we can pull off #27! Peace out fellas.

think the key to Game 3 is the fact that Carl Pavano.
That’s my point. CARL PAVANO. The twins third starter is Carl Pavano. The twins are not a good team, and even if NY were to stumble, they’re going to the ALCS. Detroit is the better team, and NY lucked out to get the weaker of the two teams, but that’s nobody’s fault but the Tigers’.
Not only do the Twins have a history of just laying down for NY, they’re a vastly inferior team (even with Morneau), so under no circumstances can I see NY losing.
That being said, I agree inasmuch that the next series is the one to worry about, not this one. LAA and Boston (whomever it may be) is a much, much better opponent than the Twins.

Brad, the Twins lay down for the Yankees about as much as the Angels lay down for the Red Sox. So since there is NO WAY either could lose to their respective lay-down partners it would be really embarassing if either one did, right?
Incidentally, I already posted yesterday under the CC/Posada thread Pavano’s numbers vs. the Yankees, which are better (or barely second best) to his numbers against every other opponent he has faced this year. Yanks should sweep this series, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Pavano stifles them again. Just pissed.

i was about to talk krueg into hanging in there, but like i said earlier, emotions run hot in these gamers, but comments like the one brad just made are exactly what he’s trying to avoid…seriously brad, “Not only do the Twins have a history of just laying down for NY, they’re a vastly inferior team (even with Morneau), so under no circumstances can I see NY losing.”
you’re kidding right?…you think the twins just let the yankees win?…that’s the kind of silly bullshit i’d expect from the “typical red sox fan” i mentioned earlier, not you…

i don’t have the same warm and fuzzies about pettitte, IH, but i sure hope i’m wrong and you get it right…
and ath, dead on with pavano…will he hurt his butt tripping over the rubber, or will he be the carl he was in florida?…

Let me just say this to EVERYONE. i think, after 150 comments, we’ve beaten the yanks-should-beat-the-twins meme to fucking death 43 ways to sunday, so henceforth let’s all just drop it because at this point we’re just going around in circles and a yankee playoff gamer just ain’t gonna be the same without krueg around for the whole 9. he’s carried us all season folks. so let’s all enjoy the going while the going is good!
your humble moderator. go yanks.

*looks down at ground. Deep breath. Stands up. Begins slow clap that crescendos*
kreug
kreug
kreug!
kreug!

Great game last night, i was up at the stadium and it was rocking pretty good at the big moments. Nice to see in the new place. I was most happy about the CC start, I hope its the first step to start putting the tired “CC sucks in the playoffs” meme to sleep for good.
Speaking of which reading some of the comments (especially those from Rod) in this thread from December is entertaining after this season and last nights game:
http://www.yfsf.org/2008/12/cc-coming-to-the-bronx.html#comments

Crowd swells with gathering chant (heard in so many soccer stadiums and even Shea/Citi-field for Jose Reyes)
“Kaaa-rueg, Karueg Karueg Karueg…Kaaaaarueg, Kaaaaarueg;
Kaaa-rueg, Karueg Karueg Karueg…Kaaaaarueg, Kaaaaarueg.”

I still think it is funny that krueg’s kryptonite is lavish praise for the Yankees!
Though how could this not have been obvious!?!

Over the Stadium speaker sytem the first chords pump out:
Buh…..bu-buuu-buh
Buh…..bu-buuu-buh
(Justin Timberlake’s mechanized voice cuts in with…)
“I’m bringing kruegy back…those other sfs don’t know how to act….root for the yankees and I’ll pick up the slack…..I’m bringing kruegy back — TAKE IT TO THE BRIIIIIIDGE — I’m bringing kruegy back”

A pair of Roman guards on horseback ride up a crowd of peasants working the field.
“We’ve come for kreug. He is to be arrested.”
Silence.
Then 1 by 1 each peasant stands and screams:
“I am kreug!”
“I am kreug!”
“I am kreug!”
And the refrain echoes through the sky interrupting SF, Paul, Ethan, Atheose, Brad, et al while they eat lavishly.
We are kreug.

Hysterical IH!
As long as John Collingwood didn’t get him, Kru(e)g will be back. He’s an important part of this community even with all the jinxy double jinxy stuff. Plus if only for superstition reasons we need him back! Come back Krueg, ignore the Sox fans.

To the tune of Sinatra’s “My Way”…
At laaaast, we have an ace; I’m pretty hyped, but in a shy way;
I rant, I slander and insult, I spit on my team, but in a krueg way;
And now, we’re in Fall-ball…
We’re favored to win, and that concerns me.
But more – much more than this – I want our kruuuuuuuuuuggggyyyyyy

i don’t know nick, i see him making more of an evita-type appearance on the balcony with all of us shouting kruegita!, kruegita!
come on krueg…you’ve heard the wishes of your people…don’t let the team down, but more importantly, don’t let your fans down…

Picture IH, a young, jewish college graduate, banging on the 2nd-story windows of a church, screaming Krueg’s name.

You’ve inspired me Ath…I picture John Cusack holding a boom box over his head looking up at Krueg’s second-story bedroom window.
Come on krueg. You…..complete…me…..

“Let me just say this to EVERYONE. i think, after 150 comments, we’ve beaten the yanks-should-beat-the-twins meme to fucking death 43 ways to sunday, so henceforth let’s all just drop it because at this point we’re just going around in circles ”
huh, I just read the last bits, but did this turn into a JD Drew thing or something? :)

wow. I didn’t realize that Yankee fans would get worked up about saying they are a much better team than the twins.
Here’s the skinny – NY is better from top to bottom. If they lose, I will be extremely shocked (as will the rest of the planet).
And, no dc. I don’t think the twins “let” the Yankees win at all. I just don’t think there is too much they can do about it, mostly becuase, well, they don’t seem to play well against them. Maybe it’s just my eyes, or maybe I take too much into the record the Yankees have put up against them, but seriously, New York does something that doesn’t match up well with Minn, and it shows in the final scores. Everytime.

I agree with Brad. Some teams are just bad matchups fro certain teams, in ways that we can speculate about but can be hard to quantify. Given the Yankee track record against MIN head-to-head for the last 8 years or so, I think it’s pretty safe to say it’s an awful matchup for the Twins, in addition to them being not as good.
I don’t really get why everyone got so worked up about it either. Maybe because the Divisional round has been a bugaboo for the Yankees the last three times they’ve been there, and it has everyone on edge.

“…wow. I didn’t realize that Yankee fans would get worked up about saying they are a much better team than the twins….”
big difference between saying this, and saying they “lay down” for us…but, like yf said, sort of, it’s getting old…we know where you sox fans are coming from…you’re not fooling us…you pretend to flatter, but really, you’re saying that we can’t celebrate no matter what…i already called you all on it…typical sox fans…hahahaha ;)
disappointment in brad :(
beware the wrath of krueg…

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