Tagged: Chan Ho Park
Should I Ask My Mother To Change Her Name?
I’m thinking about it. Why? Because her name is Joyce. As in this guy.
He broke my heart with his home run off Huuuuughes last night, and he nearly broke it again tonight when he took Vazquez deep. But the Yankees prevailed. Here’s what I learned from our win at the Trop. The running game is fun if you’re the Rays.
But the Yankees can mash.
The Rays kept taking the lead, and these guys kept taking it back.
Nice performance by Javy to give the boys a chance to come back. Really nice outings by Robertson, Logan and, of course, Mo. All of a sudden, our pen doesn’t look so bad. Which brings me to today’s official comings and goings.
Going:
We’ll see Juan Miranda and Colin Curtis later in the season, so I’m not crying over them. But Chan Ho? He’s gone. I felt sorry for him when I read that he asked A-Rod for a signed #13 jersey on his way out the door.
Coming:
Well, two out of the three are in Tampa already and one played in today’s game (going 0-for-4 but who’s counting). Lance Berkman was actually quite entertaining from the quotes I’ve read. In his session with the media, he said the magic words: His favorite player growing up was Donnie Baseball and his dad’s favorite was The Mick. Good enough for me. He also said that in addition to “Big Puma,” his other nickname is “Fat Elvis.” I’m going with that one.
Austin Kearns was described as a quiet guy who was just happy to have been shipped to a contender and will play wherever and whenever he’s asked. I like the team spirit. That leaves the impending arrival of Kerry Wood, who probably spent today shaving off his beard.
I admit I wasn’t wild about this deal. Yeah, he didn’t cost much, but isn’t he on the DL all the time?
On the other hand, if he can stay healthy he could be a terrific pickup for the pen. I just hope he realizes we already have a closer.
Anyhow, looking forward to the rubber game of this series tomorrow. So far the match-up has really lived up to its billing.
What I Learned From Tonight’s Blowout
1) iPhones are the greatest invention known to mankind.
I’ve had mine for awhile now, but tonight it allowed me to do three things at once: eat dinner with a friend, “watch” the Yankees beat the tar out of the Indians and enjoy the beautiful view of the Santa Barbara harbor at the Endless Summer cafe.
2) Dustin Moseley knows how to pitch.
He was great tonight after some first inning jitters. Threw strikes. Kept his cool. Deserves another start for sure.
3) Cervelli has the ability to make me mad.
Memo to him: When you come up with the bases loaded and the opposing pitcher has done nothing but walk batters, do not swing at the first pitch and ground into a rally killing DP.
4) A-Rod is allowed to have fun during his chase for #600.
The guy has been an RBI machine, so people need to stop worrying about the homers. He’s helping us win – big time.
5) Scoring seven runs in one inning is what I’d like the Yankees to do over the weekend in Tampa.
Not that I didn’t appreciate the runs tonight, but I’d really like a lot of offense against the Rays. Please.
6) Chan Ho Park cannot – I repeat – CANNOT – pitch two innings.
I know. It was a laugher. But thanks to him things got a little hairy in the ninth. All those walks. Seriously. He’s okay for one inning (if nobody else is available), but not for two. That is all.
7) Marcus Thames reminded me of these in his attempt to play third.
Yeah, he’d never played there before and he was giving A-Rod a rest. But I had flashbacks of Angel Berroa. Not good.
8) The grilled mahi mahi at Endless Summer is worth checking out if you’re ever in the neighborhood.
Rookie + Bad Defense + So-So CC = Loss
Tonight’s game against the Indians felt like a replay of every other game featuring a rookie starter for the opposition. Taking nothing away from Josh Tomlin, the Yankees are incapable of hitting pitchers they’ve never faced. They stand there at the plate looking absolutely clueless.
Why is that? They can watch videotape beforehand. They can make adjustments each time through the order. They can use their experience to figure it out. So why don’t they? Boggles my mind.
CC wasn’t his usual dominant self, but his defense definitely let him down. Ugh. There’s nothing positive to say about tonight’s loss except that Chan Ho Park didn’t give up a run. Oh, and Brett Gardner made a great throw home. That’s about it.
After the Yankees were done, I switched over to Angels-Red Sox, curious to see how Lackey would be greeted by the fans in Anaheim. I’d heard he was hopeful that they’d give him a warm reception, seeing as he spent his entire career there before going to Boston. Here’s what happened: people booed him. A lot. And there were signs like this:
“LACKey of Loyalty”
and
“Traitor John.”
I can’t stand Lackey, but I felt sorry for him. I guess I should have remembered the way they always boo Tex when the Yankees play the Angels. Do their fans not realize that management decided not to retain the services of Lackey and Tex, not the other way around? Sure, the players became free agents, but that’s baseball. Why not applaud your former heroes for the great work they did when they helped you win ball games? Easy for me to say, you’re thinking. I haven’t lost Jeter or Mo to free agency. But even if I did, I’d like to think I’d always cheer for them. When Pettite went to play for the Astros I didn’t boo him or call him a traitor. I don’t get the sense of betrayal, I really don’t. Someone needs to explain it to me.
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.”
At the Break: My State of the Universe Address
On the eve of the All Star break, I thought it was the perfect time to assess the state of the Yankees Universe and discuss what needs to be done to insure a successful second half. Here goes…
“With the best record in baseball, the Yankees are already on a pace to win it all – again.”
“Our starting rotation is strong, Cliff Lee or no Cliff Lee.”
“The Captain is perking up at the plate. He just has to stop swinging at first pitches.”
“Swisher is a better #2 than Nick Johnson ever would have been.”
“Tex is finally heating up – for real – and his defense has been outstanding.”
“A-Rod keeps knocking in runs. And HR #600 will quickly lead to #601, #602, #603, etc.”
“Is there really anything Robinson Cano can’t do this season?”
“Having Posada healthy means that Cervelli can go back to being a good backup.”
“Granderson has been somewhat disappointing so far at the plate. More productivity would go a long way toward making people stop wishing AJax would suddenly re-appear.”
“Marcus Thames isn’t useless after all. It turns out he’s a decent DH/pinch hitter.”
“Brett Gardner is the most exciting Yankee in years. He has to keep getting on base though.”
“Mo is Mo – a precious asset never to be taken for granted.”
“Dave Robertson has pitched better lately, but more consistency would be helpful.”
“Chan Ho Park is OK for one inning maybe – but that is all.”
“Damaso Marte doesn’t scare me as much as he did early in the season.”
“Joba….Well, if Joe keeps running him out there in the 8th I’ll need a defibrillator. He must be fixed or I won’t make it through the rest of the season.”
“Chad Gaudin is not Alfredo Aceves. Alfredo Aceves is no longer Alfredo Aceves. Therefore, we need a better long man.”
“We need another reliable arm out of the pen, period – someone not named Jonathan Albaladejo.”
“We need a bat off the bench. I love Ramiro Pena and Colin Curtis, but are they the players I want to see pinch hitting in a big game? Nah.”
“We need better communication between the Yankees and the media when it comes to player injuries. No more ‘Yes, he’s hurt. No, he’s not hurt.’ Just tell us.”
“It’s not necessary to have the grounds crew dance to ‘YMCA’ anymore. It really isn’t.”
“Where’s Hank Steinbrenner? And why isn’t he firing off Steinbrennerisms this year?”
“Why can’t YES re-hire David Cone and phase out John ‘the Snooze’ Flaherty?”
“We need to keep Dave Eiland from ever leaving the team again.”
“And finally, there should be more Yankees merchandise for she-fans – from Yankees lipstick to Yankees nail polish (the same color Jorge wears) and especially Yankees hair products. I mean, who wouldn’t want pinstriped hair?”
That concludes my address. God Bless America and God Bless the New York Yankees.
Cliff Lee Broke My Heart and I Don’t Even Know Him
When I woke up this morning and read that the Yankees were thisclose to signing Lee, I jumped out of my chair and started cheering. The news was so unexpected. I never thought we were in the Cliff Lee hunt – at least not now. As the day went on, I walked around with a little spring in my step, knowing that instead of facing Lee tonight in Seattle, he would be pitching for us any day. He even called his friend CC and talked to him about where to live in New Jersey once he was in pinstripes.
But oh well. The Mariners spurned the Yankees’ offer and sent Lee to Texas. If he doesn’t wilt in the Arlington heat, maybe we’ll have another shot at him in December.
Meanwhile, the Yankees continued to roll here on the west coast (I’m really trying to take good care of them). Phil Huuuuuughes was excellent over seven innings, and the offense gave him nice run support thanks to A-Rod’s sac fly, a triple by Cano and two homers by Tex (one from each side), Chan Ho Park made things interesting in the ninth, but got it done. The Yanks have now won seven straight. Would there have been a “W” if we’d faced Cliff Lee? Who knows. Who cares. Not me. Not anymore. I’m over him.
Plenty Of Goats In This One
Where do I begin? With Joba? Dave Robertson? Chan Ho Park? How about all three. They took a beautiful outing by A.J. and turned it into a win for the Blue Jays. That just shouldn’t happen. I mean, the guy finally got Dave Eiland back, fixed whatever was wrong with his delivery, re-gained his confidence and got absolutely no help from his bullpen (excluding Mo, of course). If I were A.J., I throw something in all their faces only it wouldn’t be whipped cream.
That’s right. It would be pizza. And I’d save some to throw at the Yankees hitters. Could they have been any more inept? There were nice plays in the outfield (I’m talking about Gardner and Granderson), but Cervelli had another rough one behind the plate. I guess what I’m saying is that this team looks like the All Star break can’t come soon enough for them.
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.
What A Great Game!
If you’re a fan of the Diamondbacks.
With A.J. doing his best impersonation of a batting practice pitcher, there really wasn’t much for Yankee fans to do except marvel at his ineptitude. I mean, seriously. The Diamondbacks? That powerhouse lineup? What a joke. That last homer by Upton against Chan Ho Park to give Arizona ten runs was the last straw.
As for the offense, stranding runners is not the way to win ball games. Was it jet lag or just bad luck that kept the scoring to a minimum? Brett Gardner had a pulse, going 4-for-4. Swisher looked alive. And A-Rod hit a gapper. But whatever. It was just one of those nights, and I’m sorry for East Coasters who stayed up late to watch. What I really want to know is this:
How can a pitcher with A.J.’s talent be so inconsistent? How?
Confessions of a She-Fan 