Tagged: Roy Halladay
Since There’s No Yankees News, This Post Is About THEM
That’s right, the Fab Four (not to be confused with the Core Four). Today’s announcement that iTunes would now be making the Beatles’ music available for download was a huge thrill for me, and it took me exactly ten seconds to go on the site and click “Buy” next to all the songs I loved when I was growing up. Yes, I was one of those screaming teenagers who went crazy the first time I saw Paul, John, George and Ringo on “Ed Sullivan.” From then on, I hung their posters in my bedroom, bought their records, went to their movies (I actually saw “A Hard Day’s Night” 11 times and “Help” 13 times), terrorized my parents to let me go to their concerts. I was like the blonde girl in the video below who cries.
(Loved Groucho at the end of that.)
Anyhow, the Beatles were a big part of my childhood and even now when I see Paul McCartney at Yankee Stadium I go a little nuts. So today was a happy one for me and my iPod.
Oh, I guess there was a little Yankees news. Doc Halladay won another Cy Young award. How is that Yankees news? Because in my fantasies, he ended up in the Bronx, not Philadelphia – just like the Beatles came to my house and sang “I Want To Hold Your Hand.”
If the Yankees Can’t Get Cliff Lee, Then…
Who? I mean it’s possible that Lee will sign somewhere else, it really is. So if not him, then who else? That’s what everybody seems to be asking today so I’ll join the discussion – only I warn you: I won’t make any sense. Why should reality get in the way of a good blog post? The truth is, Lee isn’t the best non-Yankees pitcher in baseball; he’s just the best free agent non-Yankees pitcher in baseball. Which means that we have to look at those who aren’t free agents and would, therefore, require a miraculous, impossible-to-pull-off trade. Here are those I covet, regardless of availability or practicality.
1) The Freak
So what if he just won a World Series for the Giants? Maybe he’s tired of the West Coast, not to mention the color orange.
2) Doc
Yeah, he’s got some mileage on him, but I’ve made no secret of my affection for him and maybe he misses the American League East.
3) King Felix
It’s true that his team hasn’t been a contender and he’s looked out of sorts on occasion, but he’s only 24 – plenty of time for him to mature into the game’s best pitcher.
4) The Zackster
He’s already said he won’t come to New York, but that doesn’t mean he means it. And maybe CC and Amber will find him an historic old house in rural New Jersey with a barn and horses and it’ll feel just like Kansas, as in Missouri.
5) Justy
That’s what Girardi would call Justin Verlander if he migrated to the Bronx. Sure, he’s the ace of the Tigers’ staff, but wouldn’t it be less pressure to be a #2 pitcher?
Those are my top five choices in case Cliff Lee doesn’t work out. Did I miss somebody? (This is why I don’t play fantasy baseball. I always miss somebody.)
Yanks-Twins Game 1: Sheer Joy
If only this little cheerleader could be wearing Yankees blue. Oh, well. You get the idea, which is that I’m really, really excited right now. Mo just saved the game and the Yanks came from behind to torture the Twins yet again. What a nail biter.
CC didn’t have his best stuff, but it didn’t matter; the offense picked him up. Grandy rewarded Joe’s faith in him, Tex went deep, Cano had a big RBI, lalalala. The next thing I knew we were erasing Minny’s lead – twice – and winning the ballgame. The only controversy was the Golson catch – and it was a catch, as the replay clearly showed. Why bother to have an extra outfield ump or two if they all miss the call? Oh well. I can afford to be charitable about it, since there was no harm done.
In other news, I would be remiss if I didn’t congratulate Doc Halladay for the no-hitter. He’s an amazing pitcher. I’ll never stop wishing he were a Yankee, but what a thrill for Phillies fans.
Back to our game, the victory sure does make me feel better about tomorrow night. I assume Mo won’t be available for Game 2, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I just hope Andy feels dandy and pitches like it.
I’m Sorry; This Entire Post Is A Rant About A.J. Burnett
When I saw this picture, I couldn’t help thinking of another character altogether.
But the image that sticks in my mind is the one of him walking off the mound after Joe pulled him tonight.
He’s kind of smirking, kind of scowling, kind of nutty – sort of like Tony Perkins in “Psycho.”
But then I lit on the shot from the “It Is High” blog, and that did it. I started cracking up, and tonight’s miserable game became just a bad joke. Their caption is entitled…”A.J. Brunette.”
He’s cute, isn’t he?
OK, enough about the photos and onto AJ’s “performance.” He had nothing. I mean nothing. The Jays can hit the ball, no question, but did every pitch have to be right in their happy zone? What the hell is wrong with Burnett? Is it just a confidence thing at this point? Because I thought he and Dave Eiland had worked it out, talked it out, hugged it out, whatever it is they do, and yet the result has been awful. I get why he needs to stay in the rotation; he did pitch well in the playoffs last year and Ivan Nova isn’t ready for prime time. But his 2010 has been abysmal, and it’s hard to understand why. Yes, I know. The Rays lost. So what? This isn’t about other teams. It’s about the fact that we need starters. Now. When I saw that Roy Halladay clinched tonight for the Phillies, I turned green with envy. He was the one I wanted all along. People said, “Oh, we don’t need him. We already have an ace.” True, but what would have been the problem with having two aces?
I’d better stop now before I explode.
So Much For That Game, Eh?
OK, so it was Vernon Wells’ turn to have a big night for the Blue Jays. Fine. Marcus Thames had one for the Yankees. The problem was Huuuughes. He just couldn’t put hitters away. With two strikes they kept fouling off his pitches and driving up his pitch count and necessitating way too many mound conferences with Posada. What a frustrating game, particularly since the Rays lost and we could have gained ground.
The larger issue is our rotation. Who’s in it? Seriously. With Huuuughes nearing his innings limit (whatever the mystery number is) and Vazquez having been banished to the pen and Andy getting his groin healed and not due back until mid-September at the earliest, are we really prepared to move forward with CC, AJ, Moseley and Nova? Is it too late to get him?
Oh, wait. He’s not in Canada anymore. And, fortunately, neither are the Yankees.
Sorry, Doc, But Even You Can Have A Bad Day
I was just glad the Yankees were the lucky recipients. After Gardner’s triple, I thought, Wow. Maybe Roy won’t be “on” tonight. Then came the blasts from Grandy and Swisher and even Ramiro Pena hit a ball that looked like it might go out. By the way, whoever said Pena resembles a young Ray Romano nailed it.
OK, so they’re not that identical. Never mind.
Getting back to the game, everybody figured it would be a classic pitcher’s duel and it wasn’t. It was only a matter of time before Roy was out of there, and CC had a rough couple of innings before settling down and throwing a five-hitter. Tex’s homer was sweet, but it was Cervelli’s single that shut the door on the Phillies.
Plus it was great to see Chan Ho doing well against his former comrades, and Dave Robertson isn’t scaring me as much as he was earlier in the season. But, naturally, with the win came news of yet another injury.
You strained an oblique during batting practice, Sergio? Really? Do you not realize that we’re already without Aceves, our best long man? Seriously, thanks a lot for leaving us with Gaudin for that role now. Shivers.
I guess I just have to hope that A.J. will go at least seven tomorrow night. I also hope that both Paul O’Neill and Al Leiter will be back in the YES booth with Michael Kay. I still miss Coney, but O’Neill and Leiter were funny together.
And The Yankees’ Opening Day Pitcher Is….
I know, I know. It’s only the Opening Day of the spring training schedule and pitchers will be limited to 30 pitches or so, but I didn’t expect to see Gaudin’s name fronting the rotation. By the way, does anyone else think his pitching face looks like a much younger version of this?
The big matchup will be coming the next day, March 4th, when CC will face off against Halladay and the Phillies in Clearwater. Now that’s one I’ll be watching, even if their appearances only last 15 minutes. My guess is Joe was saving CC for just this game. No, it doesn’t count. But it’s an exhibition between World Series contenders and the atmosphere will be charged.
Just a time out from baseball to say, “Is the world coming to an end or what?” First, Haiti. Now, Chile. What a sad state of affairs these earthquakes have wrought, only mitigated by the fact that Hawaii (and California) were spared the affects of a tsunami. But wow, it looks like complete devastation in Chile with aftershocks still coming. On top of record snowfalls in this country, it all makes me shake my head and feel grateful I have a roof over my head.
Who Would You Rather Keep? Hughes Or Joba?
Once upon a time in Yankeeville, in a place called Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, there were three starting pitchers designated for greatness: Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes. (Just pretend Shelley isn’t in the picture.)
Now Kennedy has been shipped off to Arizona to become a Diamondback.
That leaves two surviving members of the trio. Cashman says pitching is still a priority, even after luring Pettitte back for another year. Does he mean he’ll be forking over serious dollars for Lackey? Is he planning to cobble together a staff from among Joba, Hughes, Gaudin, Aceves, Mitre and the traveling secretary? Or will he shock us by trading for Halladay in an effort to give us another ace and reunite Doc with AJ?
If Halladay is an option, it surely will mean having to bid farewell to either Hughes or Joba. As much as I adore Doc, am I ready to part with either H or J? I’m having some sleepless nights over this one.
Joba’s ups and downs have been well documented, so I won’t bore anyone with the Rules, the flashes of brilliance, the decreased velocity, the fact that he wants to be a starter but seems better suited to the bullpen. Does he get another crack at the rotation? And if he falters, how long will his rope be?
Hughes looked tremendous out of the pen prior to the playoffs, and setting up successfully for Mo had to boost his confidence. But I always saw him as a starter.
OK, the truth is I don’t want to part with either of these kids. Let them both start, relieve, who cares. Keeping them affords the Yankees lots of flexibility. So I’m going to completely reverse myself and advocate that we forget Halladay and sign Lackey, who won’t cost us players and will make our pitching staff stronger. I know, I know. I said I couldn’t stand Lackey and his tantrums.
But maybe his supporters are right, and he’s just a “fierce competitor.” And maybe Girardi will take him aside and school him in the Yankees Way of doing things.
Anyhow, I want Joba and Hughes to hang around. I want Lackey instead of Halladay since we wouldn’t have to give up Joba/Hughes. And I want Gaudin/Mitre only as a last, very remote resort.
That’s where I stand at 8:08 p.m. Pacific Time. I could change my mind within the next ten minutes.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Oh, jeez. I forgot Ellen and Robin. And others too. Forgive me!
Don’t Get My Halladay Hopes Up, Cashman
I just read the latest Hot Stove article on MLB.com and immediately bolted up from my chair and did this.
According to the article, the Yankees spoke to the Jays about the possibility of trading for Roy Halladay, the pitcher I’ve coveted since I first started this blog! Be still my heart!
Who needs Lackey, Ben Sheets or any of the other names being bandied about? Halladay is the best pitcher not currently on the Yankees. (OK, there are a few others, but I’m conveniently overlooking them right now.) Sure, Doc actually lost a few games this season. But he was coming back from a stint on the DL, plus there was the uncertainty of being shipped out at any moment. I say he’s still in his prime and I want him on the Yanks for the following reasons and in no particular order:
* He’d look better in pinstripes than in that girly powder blue.
* He’s best friends with A.J. Burnett. They’d have so much fun hugging and shoving pies in each other’s faces.
* He would probably come packaged with Vernon Wells, which is OK because Vernon would play the outfield if Damon left and his offensive skills would miraculously return.
* How cool would it be to have a pitcher nicknamed after a gunslinger?
* He’s a horse like CC and could give us complete games. OK, he’s a smaller horse than CC but still.
* He throws a cutter, and we all know how successful cutter-throwers can be.
* If we had Halladay in the rotation, it would give Joba and Hughes some room to grow (assuming one of them isn’t part of the trade).
* Adding Halladay to the Yankees would drive the haters crazy and motivate them to come up with even more clever slogans than this gem.
I realize that any discussion Cashman may have had with the Blue Jays is only preliminary. But maybe he’ll make it happen. He’s been known to act disinterested in a player and then all of a sudden…..
P.S. Remember how we were talking about Cooperstown the other day, and some of us said how much we wanted to go? Well, one of our commenters, wirishrose, sent along some pics from her last visit. First, we have the statues of Gehrig, Robinson and Clemente.
Then there’s this one of Joe DiMaggio’s locker.
And finally a sign that’s very appropriate for a blog called “Confessions of a She-Fan.”
What would the sport of baseball do without women fans? I shudder to think!
Confessions of a She-Fan 