Tagged: Chad Gaudin
Stumbling to the Finish Line
This race will be over soon. One way or another, the Yankees will get through this Boston series, the one at Fenway and the one in Toronto, and they will be in the playoffs. Don’t ask me how, given how badly they’re playing right now, but somehow it’ll happen. Not with Ivan Nova, however, and certainly not with Chad Gaudin. Nova has been intriguing and I wish him well for next season, but today he confirmed that he unravels way too easily.
And Gaudin just needs to be gone. Period. As for the Yankees offense, Lester is a very good pitcher, just like David Price is a very good pitcher, but where’s the opportunistic, hungry, attacking lineup we know and love? When a guy like Lester or Price gives up walks, you have to take advantage and make something happen. Are we doing that? No. Why? Because we are playing like dead people!
Or maybe, as someone said on Twitter, the real Yankees have been taken over by the body snatchers and are just pods.
I know, I know. Yesterday I was chirping about all the homers we hit. Today I was happy to see Granderson and A-Rod go deep. But other than smacking home runs, what is this team doing? What? If I were Girardi….Well, if I were Girardi I wouldn’t have brought in Gaudin when the game was still winnable, but that’s another story… If I were Girardi, I would insist on a closed door meeting with the boys before Sunday’s finale, remind them that last year was last year and this year is this year, tell them that maximum effort is required ASAP and that the idea that “there’s always the wild card” is not acceptable. I would, in other words, get mad. Vein-popping-out-of-my-forehead mad.
I was pretty mad myself after today’s game, but then I went for a walk on the beach. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Santa Barbara, and I came upon a couple in the process of getting married.
After I took this pic I saw their getaway car all shiny and pretty waiting for them.
It was a 1955 T-Bird in pristine condition, and it – and the newlyweds – got me thinking that life’s too short to obsess about baseball. Seriously. At least for the next 24 hours.
Yanks-Rays Round 3: Death By Bullpen
Ring…Moseley…Gaudin…Albaladejo. Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.
Actually, Ring can be forgiven. It was his Yankees debut and he gave up a walk. Not a criminal offense. But the others? Please. All we needed to complete the parade of mediocrity was Mitre, but he must have been busy toweling off after the rain or something.
The rain. I forgot to blame it too. For all we know, A.J. would have had a nice outing and we wouldn’t have had to use our D-list relief corps. On the other hand, the offense was getting no-hit until Berkman went deep. I guess it wasn’t the Yankees’ night, except for the defense; there were some terrific plays by Tex, among others. He can hardly hold a bat but he still shines at first base. Now for the Big Question: Did our friends Peggy, Melissa, YankeeCase/Eddie and Ladyjane/Jane stay through the long rain delay? Did they meet up as planned? Did they get drenched?
I hope they’ll check in and tell all. Meanwhile, I’m counting on CC to wrap up the series tomorrow night with a dominant performance. Like a complete game shutout performance. Like a no-doubter that sends me into the weekend feeling better than I feel right now.
Update: Right after I hit “publish,” an email from Melissa floated into my inbox with a photo of our “core four” at the game tonight. Without further ado, here are (from left to right): Jane, Melissa, Eddie and Peggy.
And take a look at the buttons the gang is sporting. Melissa made them and here’s what they say…
How cool are they? I love them!!!!!
Yanks-Rays Round 1: Yankees By A TKO
Tonight’s series opener felt like it might be yet another seesaw battle between the two teams, but Curtis Granderson (or Grandis Curtison, as I called him in a moment of excitement) delivered the knockout punch with his second homer of the game. Whatever he and Kevin Long did to his swing worked, and his improved offense couldn’t have come at a better time. With Tex clearly ailing and flailing, Grandy is key to the Yanks’ success. Jeter looked a lot better at the plate too, and Cervelli seemed rejuvenated.
Ivan Nova continued to impress – until he kind of fell apart again. I guess he just runs out of gas.
Was I about to stick my hand into the TV and slap Logan and Gaudin when they couldn’t throw strikes? Uh-huh. But it all ended happily, if shakily, after Mo closed it out. As for Garza, maybe he should take Pedro Martinez’s line and call the Yankees his daddy. It was nice not to have to play scoreboard baseball during the game. The Yanks kept the Rays in the rearview mirror for another day. Whew.
And now a few words about the pre-game activities. Am I the only one who got choked up? What a ceremony, as only the Yankees can do ceremonies.
Watching the entire Steinbrenner family come out onto the field, including Mrs. Steinbrenner whom I’d never seen before, was touching, as was the procession of players past and present (Roy White is such a class act) who followed them to Monument Park, and the return of Torre and Mattingly who both got rousing receptions. After The Boss’ monument was unveiled, I was mesmerized by the sight of Mo crouched all by himself staring at it, as if he really was saying goodbye for the last time. Sob!
And how about Steinbrenner’s granddaughter and her rendition of “God Bless America?” I wasn’t expecting much, figuring she got the gig because of nepotism, but she was awesome. Bring her back, please! And speaking of anthems, how spooky was Frank Sinatra, Jr.? He not only sounded like his father but has aged the same way (well, maybe a little more jowly).
Anyhow, I’m sure it was a great night to be in the Bronx. I’m grateful I was able to see it all on TV way out here in the boonies of California. Speaking of which, I’ll be on a writers panel at the local Borders store in Goleta tomorrow night if anyone’s in the ‘hood. Stop by and say hi.
Congratulations, CC, On Win #20!
I could talk about the game (it was a relaxing one thanks to big hits by Cano, Grandy, Gardy, Jorge, Swish), but this post will honor Carsten Charles Sabathia for achieving his personal best 20 victories in a season.
I saw Chad Gaudin ask the ump for the ball to give to CC, but I think our ace deserves more than a baseball. Here are some other commemorative ideas:
* 20 steaks for dinner tonight.
* 20 glasses of champagne.
* 20 massages by someone other than Stevie Donahue or Gene Monahan.
* 20 bottles of Jeter’s cologne.
* 20 rides in A-Rod’s Maybach.
* 20 appearances on Letterman.
* 20 copies of a Yankees-related book, signed and personalized by its author.
Nooooooooooo!
The evening started off so promisingly. My dinner guests arrived, unsuspecting that I had ordered the special Yankees cap cake (see previous entry). Everybody was having fun, the Yankees were up 5-4, and the bullpen was pitching scoreless baseball. The only sour note was that Vasquez was given a quick hook again. (Would it have been so horrendous for Girardi to leave him in for another inning? I feel sorry for Javy at this point.) Oh, and there was that abysmal call at second base where replays showed that Jeter clearly tagged Kinsler. But OK, we could win this. I felt pretty good. And then Joba served up this.
And Nelson Cruz ate it up to tie the score. From then on it was the battle of the pens, and I started getting really tired and cranky. My guests had gone home. I had dishes to wash and leftovers to put away. I wanted to go to sleep – with the game firmly in the win column. Instead, I sat there like an idiot watching us strand runner after runner. It was sickening. It seemed inevitable that Gaudin would serve Cruz a meatball too, and all those wasted opportunities would end in disaster. I hated the game. I hated that I stayed up late to watch the game. I hated that my evening with friends – my end-of-vacation thank-you dinner to them – was tainted.
Or was it? There was still the Yankees cake, and we really enjoyed it. Not only did it look great but it tasted incredible. Underneath the cap was a moist chocolate dessert with creamy vanilla frosting – three layers worth!
Singing in the Rain
It wasn’t raining here in Santa Barbara, but I sang while it rained in the Bronx. Why?
* Because the Yanks jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the Royals in the first.
* Because A.J. threw five shutout innings before the storm blew in.
* Because Cano is so damn good this year with runners on base.
* Because Jorge knocked in his 1,000th career RBI.
* Because A-Rod, while unable to hit #600, helped the team anyway.
* Because Colin Curtis got the start in right field.
* Because we won the game and only had to use Chad and Alby in relief.
* Because Swisher claims he hurt his Achilles while he slept, and there has to be more to that story.
* Because when we play the Royals there’s always a chance that I’ll see Farnsy again.
Maybe The Yankees Were Still Hungover?
Diaz keeps head down at Yankee bash
Last Updated: 1:17 AM, July 20, 2010
Posted: 12:13 AM, July 20, 2010
PrintCameron Diaz is playing it smart with Alex Rodriguez — keeping a low profile and fitting in with the Yankee wives at CC Sabathia‘s birthday bash.
Diaz, who’s gone to great lengths to avoid being pictured with A-Rod, bonded with Yankee women, including Laura Posada and Nick Swisher‘s actress fiancée, Joanna Garcia, at Jay-Z‘s 40/40 club Sunday. Diaz even asked to be introduced to legend Reggie Jackson, now a team adviser who works closely with A-Rod.
A happy Sabathia was spotted downing shots with Jay-Z and greeting teammates Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mark
VICTOR CHAVEZ/WIREIMAGE.COM
Cameron Diaz
Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte — who made it despite his groin injury.
A source told us, “Cameron doesn’t cling to A-Rod like Kate Hudson, whose front-row antics didn’t go down well with the wives. Cameron kept it low-key and hung with the girls. She and Alex stayed on opposite sides of the room but they kept glancing and smiling. He didn’t look at another girl.”
The pair — described by Sabathia’s wife, Amber, as a “cute couple” — later escaped through a back door and headed to a West Side heliport.
Amber, who’s about to give birth to their fourth child, planned the lavish $150,000 bash for 400 guests, with an open bar awash with Ace of Spades champagne, dancers with pythons and a three-foot alligator in a tank — which sparked a minor panic as it tried to escape its keeper. Spies said one snake terrified Jeter, “who jumped a mile as soon as he saw it,” while A-Rod and Giants star Brandon Jacobs refused to touch it.
Meanwhile, Beyoncé fueled pregnancy rumors by avoiding alcohol. Teixeira stuck close to his pregnant wife, Leigh, while champagne-swigging Joba Chamberlain was surrounded by admirers before leaving at 2:30 a.m. with a leggy brunette.
All I know is that they looked utterly flat tonight against the Angels. They couldn’t hit – not against anybody. They didn’t play good defense (I’m talking to you, Grandy and Swisher). And, most of all, the pitching was nothing to cheer about. Hughes? Where’d you go? And Park and Gaudin? Why aren’t you gone? The only bright spot – and I mean only – was Jorge throwing out Abreu twice. Oh, and it’s always entertaining to watch Girardi get tossed. Otherwise, what a boring game. I hope the Yanks sober up by tomorrow so that Friend of the Blog Mike and his sister-in-law Steph will see a better contest than they did tonight. Here they are before the first pitch, hoping for a win. Sorry, Mike.
Gotta Give Some Love To The Yankees Bullpen
I didn’t think the Yankees would end up winning this game. Not after Pettitte got pounded in the first inning and especially not after he came up lame and left the game after the second. If that makes me a bad fan, so be it. But considering that A.J.’s tantrum yesterday required the use of Robertson and Gaudin, I kept wondering how our much-maligned (including by me) bullpen would contain the Rays today. So how did they do it? They were really good!
Here’s a big, heartfelt shout-out to Robertson (huge game saver for him), Logan, Park, Joba and Mo. They let the hitters do their thing and kept a lid on the Rays’ scoring. And speaking of hitters, how about the bats today? David Price didn’t look sharp, but our guys took advantage. Just about everybody contributed. Loved the steals. Loved the sacs. Loved the RBIs. Loved that A-Rod is now at HR #598 and could very well get to #600 during this home stand. I was there in 2007 when he hit #500 against KC, and KC will be in the Bronx later in the week. Could we be seeing this?
Getting back to Andy, a grade 1 groin strain? Really? What are we supposed to do if he goes on the DL, which seems likely? Aceves isn’t around. Mitre and Gaudin don’t thrill me as starters. Hughes has an innings limit. All I can say is I wish Cashman hadn’t let this guy go.
Update: So Pettitte’s going on the DL and Mitre’s taking his place? For 4-5 weeks? Please wake me when somebody from the Yankees says, “Only kidding.”
Losing Games and Winning Friends
When I found out that A.J. would be pitching on Saturday, I went to Dodger Stadium fearing the worst but hoping for the best. Tex staked us to that nice lead in the first, and I said out loud, “This is gonna be fun!” Wrong. Well, the game itself wasn’t fun. It’s natural to focus on A.J.’s dreadful pitching – please come back, Dave Eiland, wherever you are! – but the offense was pretty lame too, except for that early burst. And when will Girardi accept the fact that Chan Ho Park is perfectly fine for one inning but cannot pitch two? It’s obvious. I know we’re short Aceves and Mitre, but surely somebody else – Gaudin? – was available. Even Cervelli had a lousy day behind the plate. But onto more pleasurable things…
Michael and I had a great time at the ballpark, game or no game. Yes, we were disappointed to arrive at Dodger Stadium two hours early – only to be told we couldn’t get onto the field for BP because we didn’t have field box tickets. But our seats in the Loge, just to the third base side of home plate, were excellent, and we had no trouble meeting up with our friend Denise, aka @SunnySoCal on Twitter. To say she’s an A-Rod fan is wildly understating her affection for our third baseman.
Btw, the A-Rod/Twilight reference is courtesy of his appearance at the LA premiere of the movie the other night.
How did Michael get those delicious Dodger dogs, you might ask? Not at the concession stand. We had our own personal caterer — fellow MLBlogger and Dodger fan extraordinaire Cat of Cat Loves the Dodgers. She was too shy to let me put her on the She-Fan Cam, so here’s her own blog pic.
She came over to our seats and handed us boxes of food from the baseline club, where she always sits and has access to incredible eats. She brought us the hot dogs, some pasta salad, some Tri-Tip, grilled veggies, you name it. How sweet was that? Oh, and she also got us a parking pass for the “preferred lot” so we wouldn’t have to walk a long distance to the stadium. A big thank you to her.
Next came my thwarted cell phone conversations with Peggy, our good Friend of the Blog. We were trying to meet up before the game but it was impossible to hear each other. And she found out – much as we had earlier with BP – that she wasn’t allowed to come down to the Loge section because her ticket was one level above. Aaaargh. But then who showed up to help? Emma of Crz Blue’s Dodger Blue World.
I explained the situation, and Emma offered to be my escort and take me to Peggy! So I left Michael and Denise and went up with Emma to Peggy’s section – only to have Peggy not be there! Aaargh again! Apparently, she had gone to get something to eat. So Emmy cleverly grabbed a Dodger flyer and, after I wrote Peggy a note, tied it to the arm of her empty seat so she would know I was there.
“I have another friend, ladyjane, sitting in the Top Deck,” I told Emma. “Any way you could take me up to see her?”
Not a problem for Emma, who seems to know every nook and cranny of the place. Anyhow, up we went and found ladyjane, who jumped out of her seat to come and talk to us atop Dodger Stadium. Here she is with Emma on the Cam. Nice view of the city in the background, but I apologize in advance for my voice. I sound bizarrely excited, and remind myself of Suzyn Waldman doing her “Roger Clemens is back with the Yankees” thing. (Cringing.)
It was great to see ladyjane, but I never did get to see Peggy, which was a bummer. We were like two ships passing in the night. A big thank you to Emma for taking the time to help out.
Somewhere around the fifth inning, while we were drowning our sorrows in some tasty beer, Denise and I got a tweet from some Twitter Yankee friends, @amandarykoff and @Stefmara, and joined them for a tweet-up.
The amazing thing for me is without having met such great fans I would have been sulking about the Yankees loss. Instead, I spent the long drive back to Santa Barbara thinking how lucky I am that baseball has brought so many wonderful new people into my life.
Moyer Oldest Pitcher To Beat Yankees
You bet he’s celebrating. Drink one for me, J-Mo.
Somehow, he managed to stymie the Yankees and make them look utterly inept at the plate – on a night when our own starter was struggling in every possible way.
Don’t you love the New York papers? This headline from the Daily News cracked me up. Anyhow, A.J. was wild (not unusual) but he was also throwing fat pitch after fat pitch…
…and the Phillies, who’d been slumping, suddenly unslumped. The last straw was when A.J. failed to cover first on a grounder to Tex. He left to a chorus of boos, as if he had just walked off the mound in Philadelphia, not the Bronx.
As a matter of principle, I’m against booing any Yankee for any reason (except when I’m on Twitter and have no problem typing the word “boooo”), but A.J.’s lack of hustle – particularly after CC failed to cover first the night before – made me mad. On a positive note, the pen was terrific. Boone Logan and Chad Gaudin (yes, Chad Gaudin) came through for multiple innings, giving the Yankees a chance to get back in the game. It didn’t happen. Sadly. But tomorrow night we’ll have Andy on the hill. He’s bound to be our stopper.
P.S. Super she-fan Peggy, friend of the blog, sent me pics from her daughter Kristyn’s trip to the Yankees’ meet and great on Tuesday with Cano and A-Rod. Here’s Kristyn cheek to cheek with Robbie.
Are we jealous or what?!
Confessions of a She-Fan 