Anyone Have A Cardiologist On Call?
I know. That thing looks gross, but the point I was trying to make is that my heart can’t take these Yankees-Red Sox games. Must they always be so, well, heart-stopping? First, there was that collision between Pettitte and Ellsbury at first, with Andy taking a tumble.
(Oops. Wrong sport.)
Then Andy gave up an RBI single to Lil’ Mami, and the Sox went ahead 1-0. Both starters were effective through six, but – as with the previous two games in the series – neither would last long enough to get a decision. With Boston bringing in Schoeneweis (did I put too many “e’s” in there?), Posada, the king of doubles, doubled. In came Bard, up came Swisher and home came JoPo, who also took a tumble.
(Sorry. Still wrong sport.)
Suddenly, we had a tie game in the seventh and my nerves really kicked in. I mean, 1-1 at Fenway? Anything could happen, right? When they brought in Papelbon for the ninth and tenth and he gave everybody The Stare…
…I thought the Yankees were in big trouble, but no! Granderson, that tower of power who’s making himself a hero already, took JP deep for 2-1. But with such a slim lead, I hardly allowed myself a breath. “Insurance,” I kept saying to the TV. “We need insurance.”
(Am I the only one who can’t stand those Progressive commercials? Especially when the actors start yelling at each other?)
Anyhow, I asked for insurance and the Yankees obliged. After walks to Gardner and Jeter, Papelbon headed for the dugout. His replacement, a guy named Atchison who looks like a high school science teacher, walked the ever-walkable Johnson to load the bases. A dribbler by Tex was enough to score Gardner, and Mo took the mound with a 3-1 lead – and held it. Which gives me yet another excuse to flash his pic.
Kudos to Chan Ho Park for his three scoreless innings of relief, although those warning track fly balls in the ninth almost sent me to the hospital.
Oh, and Pettitte popped one on Youkilis’ helmet and Lackey nailed Jeter on the arm, and the ump issued a warning. But it was all very Aren’t-we-grownups, so no harm done.
I’m glad the Yanks are off tomorrow. They usually have a letdown after playing the Red Sox, and I want them hungry when they face the Rays.
P.S. Here’s your nightly reminder about the Cooperstown Cookies contest. The deadline for entries is April 11th at midnight, PST.
Confessions of a She-Fan 
i can’t agree with you more, Jane! Yanks vs Red Sox games seem to always be close games! I admit, even when the Yanks lose.. I think.. that was a good game. And then I have my pulse checked and throw myself on the heart monitor.
I got the pleasure tonight of watching it at a bar and since I live in the Red Sox territory, I’m cheering while everyone else is groaning. I cherish those moments! haha!
-Courtney
Lil’ Mami, JoPo, that’s priceless. XD Yes, Pettitte did it again, and its nice the Bosox got a little of their own medicine with Papelbum struggling and Mo being Mo, since he usually struggles at Fenway. I think when Nick John actually does hit a homerun he’ll just walk to first and stop, out of force of habit. 😛 And yes, I do hate those Progressive commercials, and I thought that heart was so cool! Also, you should should the Hungry Man pic to sea food 😉
Edit:
you should change the Hungry Man pic to sea food 😉 Sorry, kind of tired ;D
Dear Lord, I love the heart!
I think every real fan has some sort of cardiac arrests when the lead is that slim (or when our boys are loosing) This was a great and long game, but defeating the “Nation” is always worth the wait. I hope that Andy stops giving Lil’ Mami (you should copyright it Jane) singles. Tonight was a great night in the Universe. I need your opinion, but I dont like Papelbon’s attitude, not to mention The Stare…..
About the Cooperstown Cookies contest, my prediction is Yankees 4 – Angels 3.
Great Day Tomorrow
Oh, Courtney. They’re close games. They’re exciting games. And they give me sweaty palms almost from the first pitch. You were cheering for the Yanks in a Red Sox bar? You deserve a badge of courage. Brave girl!
You’re right, seindsfeld. Mo does tend to “struggle” (if it can be called that) in April, which is why I really, really wanted some insurance for him. A one-run lead is just too treacherous at Fenway. Funny about Nick Johnson. Right now I’m happy with his walks, but one of these days he’ll start getting hits. Same with Tex. I guess I could have used a pic of Hungry Man fish sticks, if they made them. LOL.
I’m not sure I can take credit for “Lil’ Mami,” James. I think somebody on Twitter used the expression, but I can’t remember who or when. I’m not very fond of Papelbon and The Stare, but I have to give him credit for being one of the best closers in the game. When he blows a save, it’s a big deal, which is why I was especially thrilled for Granderson. What a series for him. Your contest prediction is duly noted!
Jane,
The heart is great! And my husband and I loved the Lil’ Mami moniker!! Typical, typical Yankee-Bosox game. I’m with James, I can’t stand the Papelbon stare (although I do adore Andy’s stare!). I have really disliked Pap since the All Star Game at the old Yankee Stadium when he said he should be the closer instead of Mo!!!! Like Manny, he is one current or former Bosox that would never be welcome as a Yankee when becoming a free agent.
I too have noted that after a Yankee-Bosox series, both teams tend to lose the next game. But for us, we really can’t afford to lose to TB whereas Boston gets KC! Oh well :).
May your heart recover on the day off! Kathleen
The schedule makers weren’t kind when they put the Yankees in Boston for the first three games of the season. Fortunately, they survived but it was very intense. A great job by Andy Pettitte. And how huge was the Granderson home run? It doesn’t seem as though he is going through the adjustment period required by so many new Yankees in the past. Hopefully, the Yanks can keep it going against the Rays. I am anxious to see the return of Javier Vazquez.
–
Have a great day!
–
Scott
http://fotr.mlblogs.com
You are all correct. These two teams are very evenly matched and come to play when they compete against each other – the history is there, even for “the new kids” – there seemed to be a bit less animosity than usual — I don’t know if its because its early in the season or because players like Manny R. and Pedro are gone.
It was a very exciting game and obviously a happy ending for us Yankees fans. You’re right, Jane — the team and the fans can use a night’s rest after the first meeting of the season. And as the song says, “2 out of 3 ain’t bad”. Had to add that, since Dave shares my love of music.
Most of the Progressive commercials are pretty annoying but I like the one where she’s helping the prospective client realize how many discounts he’s entitled to receive. The commercial that really kills me is the Volkswagen one where the woman keeps punching people in the arm. And I’m sick to death of the cavemen commercials. But I’m not sick of our team and am looking forward to winning the next series as we did the first one. GO YANKEES!!!!!!!
The heart is kind of creepy. I can’t even think about that going on in my body!
Great game last night. I managed to stay calm because I just knew they would win. Park did a wonderful job- glad the flu seems to be behind him. And what about Johnson this series? Batting .000 but on base something like 5 times? I love it!
I listened to the recap on the radio. Sterling’s home run call for Granderson was something like “Oh Curtis that is Grand.” And then he sang (if you can call it that!) something like “The Grandy man can, oh the Grandy man can.” to the tune of “the Candy Man.” I was half asleep so I can’t remember exactly, but I did start laughing. Hope he sings it a lot this season.
When Kimberly Jones interviewed him, Curtis (who has always been classy) was a “true” Yankee – just saying he got up there to get on base, he doesn’t consider himself a home run hitter, and wasn’t it great that the other guys were able to add an insurance run.
Speaking of insurance, I read somewhere once that that Progressive woman is wildly popular and every man wants to marry her and every woman wants to be her. What? I find her really annoying and always want to wash the stupid make up off her face.
So, we won the first series of the season! Now we just have to keep on winning series and we’ll be set. And we did this with quiet bats from Arod and Tex.
Melissa
Sweetie, the season just started. You may want to take a prozac or something. There are a lot of games left to go. I wasn’t crazy about the season starting with a yanks-sox series, but it was a good series. Made the wait this off season worth it.
I know Park did good last night, and I’m going to recinde my earlier comments about him. It was unfair of me to slap my dislike on him after one game. Don’t get me wrong, I still dislike him, but he’s a bomber so we as the fans will back him.
How about Granderson. He is wasting NO TIME what-so-ever becoming a fan favorite. Good for him.
~Mike
Chan Ho will do that to you, but more often than not comes through.. and yes the Progressive… still waiting for the green lizard to appear in one their commercials… 2 out of 3 on the road to start at bad…
-peter
Phillies Outside
This game was pretty much perfect. Damn but I love seeing Papelbon fail. Without Schilling, he is bar none the player I dislike most on the Sox. Punk kid like that thinks he gets off disrespecting Mo… *fumes* =),Anahttp://enternight.mlblogs.com
Let’s get the Kia Sockmonkey in a Yankee cap!
Yankees 9, Angels 2 (Matsui and Abreu each solo hr)
i can’t believe we won two out three. i can’t believe how great andy was and am more surprised at chan ho, and posada scoring and granderson doing well right away. wow.
and now let’s get to some baseball that doesn’t involve the home town team. it feels like we play them every day and i’m tired of it.
the odd quirk for me was that two relievers each had a win and a loss in the series (okajima, park of course). curious.
what a nice start to the season.
barbara
I told you,you would love Granderson, congrats on the win!
Kathleen, I really hope the Yanks don’t let up when they play the Rays, who had an amazing spring and are in fine form so far. It would be a mistake to underestimate them, just because they’re not part of “the rivalry.” So I hope the boys gather themselves together and come out swinging on Friday at the Trop.
Great job by Andy, Scott – especially since the collision apparently gave him a headache and whiplash, and he had to be treated by Steve Donahue. He certainly came back and gave a gutty performance. Granderson does seem to be fitting in seemlessly. Yes, he’ll strike out, but we’ve already seen the upside. Now on to Vazquez.
There does seem to be less animosity between the two teams, Diane. I guess playing together in the WBC helped. It’s mostly the fans that get crazy with each other these days. And yes, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad! As for the commercials, when any of them gets repeated over and over, I get sick of them. Advertisers think the more they run, the more brand recognition they get and we’ll buy the product. It’s the opposite for me. But I’m not sick of our team either. They’re the brand that never gets old!
You knew the Yankees would win, Melissa? Do you have psychic powers? I wasn’t at all sure – not with Lackey pitching so well. I keep forgetting that it takes the boys seven innings before they rise to the occasion. I think I’m glad I missed Sterling’s Granderson call. LOL. On Twitter, I simply wrote: “Grandelicious!” People love the Progressive woman? O-kay. That’s what makes horse races, as my grandmother used to say. Huge point: The Yankees won the series without much offensive help from A-Rod and Tex. Imagine the possibilities once Tex, in particular, gets going.
Yes, Mike, there are a lot of games to go, but I don’t get as worked up over Yankees-Royals. This was the first series and the first Yankees-Red Sox series, and, as Scott said, it was intense. Now I can relax a little, but I sure hope the Yankees don’t. I think we have to give Chan Ho a pass for his Sunday night performance. He had the flu.
“More often than not” is good enough for me, Peter. If Park can throw scoreless innings like he did last night, he’ll be a huge fan favorite but more importantly a huge part of the team.
The game did work out well, Ana. I really wasn’t sure in the beginning, especially after Andy went down in the collision. I figured we’d be seeing Mitre early. But he hung in and gave us the innings. Not bad at all. And then for the Yanks to come back against Papelbon was a beautiful thing.
Thanks for your prediction, Irkaserman. You’re in the contest!
I knew you’d feel better, Barbara. Now you can relax a little. It was odd that none of the starters in the series factored in the decisions, but it’s early in the year and they’re just coming off spring training. Not that big a surprise. Great series.
You did tell me, wetfeet, and I do love him!
Jane, you used one of those beating hearts last season in a post, and it creeped me out then, and it creeps me out now.
Flo the Progressive chick is a little too chipper for me – too much Prozac maybe? Come to think of it, she’s kind of creepy too.
Sue
Rants, Raves, and Random Thoughts
I did use that heart, Sue, and I remember the reaction from people. That’s why I said at the top: I know it’s gross! LOL. But it’s exactly how my heart was feeling last night, although mine seemed like it was beating faster than the one in the pic. Flo is just annoying and so are the others in their ads. I like watching people I would actually want to meet. Is that too much to ask from these companies???
I think your “good” luck game diet may have more to do with the heart issues than the game itself, going back to the bacon thing during the playoffs.
http://www.paullebowitz.com/
http://princeofny.blogspot.com/
You’re so funny about the bacon, Paul. It was one week! OK, maybe a few more days, but I haven’t had any since!
Jane: It was a very tense game last night, but I loved it. The Yankees have been listening to us lately: my Grandma asked for insurance the other night, and she got it. And they answered for you too. Maybe now’s my chance to wish for a date with one of them….
-Virginia
http://southernbelle.mlblogs.com
http://riveravebombers.com
Jane, that was a wonderful game for your pinstripers.. and Grandy.. my gosh.. he’s really filling in those Johnny D shoes isn’t he?
Buz
I loved it too, Virginia – especially the outcome. A date with “one of them?” I thought Cervelli was your favorite.
Grandy has been dandy, Buz. I haven’t forgotten Johnny, but I’m not pining for him either.
Lil Mami!!! When I stop laughing I’ll get around to saying that trumps yesterday’s monicker I heard for Ortiz;
Bad Papi.
One of the stories out of the locals was Youk told Jete he was going to get hit next. It was a joke at the time. A little foreshadowing on Youk’s part.
On to Tampa.
Mike
Yuck that heart turned my stomach.
I miss Chan Ho. I wish he were a Dodger again.
http://catlovesthedodgers.mlblogs.com
I read that story about Youk and Jeet, Mike. That’s what I meant about how grown up and civilized everybody was in that game. But now on to Tampa. Should be a great series.
Sorry you miss Chan Ho, Cat. He does seem like a stand up guy. Apparently, he had the flu when he pitched poorly on Sunday, so I look for better things from him now that he’s healthy.
OK – here I am – your favorite Red Sox fan. ha ha! I have been following along – just haven’t had a chance to comment. Yes – I hate the Progressive commercials esp Flo with the stupid Bumpit in her hair. Yes – I was needing a cardiologist as well. Those long shots to the warning track were just not quite good enough. The Sox really needed to capitalize then and there but didn’t. Lots of baseball left to play though. I don’t start getting too concerned until June 1. (Who am I kidding??)
Jen
http://faithful.mlblogs.com
Those warning tracks shots nearly killed me, Jen. I was up on my feet going, “Noooooo.” And then “Whewwwwww.” Such a roller coaster. Yes, lots of baseball left. We forget that it was just the first series of the entire season. Yankees-Red Sox makes us lose all perspective.
Glad to see that the final Sox- Yankees game was a pitching battle instead of a slug fest. I hope all Sox- Yankee games get better as the season goes on. Hopefully Joe wont be behind the plate, since all he does now is complain about how long they take. Oh well, who cares!!
-Holly
http://irishsoxkid19.mlblogs.com
Yup, the starting pitching was much better in the finale, Holly. As for Joe West, I bet he’s sorry he opened his mouth. How insane to criticize our teams.