It's game two of the Angels/Yanks tonight, and again, I'll be updating as I watch.
A couple of quick pre-game notes to get us ready for the first pitch:
- It appears as though we're back to the personal catcher for Mike Mussina theory. For the record, I hate the personal catcher, and I doubly hate the personal catcher when he is being used for a pitcher who gives up a bunch of runs. (Note: I don't hate the actual personal catcher, I like Molina, I hate the philosophy of the personal catcher)
- If you need a good laugh, check out this post on Lefty Malo. I'd like to add that the bright red and bright green Red Sox jerseys are the biggest fashion travesty in the history of professional sports.
See comments for the relevance, but this is the only alternate uniform I ever want to see worn:
- For some reason DirecTV isn't showing the Yanks on HD, great start. At least they're running the Giusseppe Franco commercial (1).
- Jeter looks like he has a piano on his back, GIDP, 5-4-3. Melky did a nice job taking Kendirck out, but he got the throw off.
- Abreu rung up on an inside tailing fastball. Long night?
- In my deconstruction of Mussina earlier today I forgot to mention he can't hold runners on. Opponents are 19 out of 21 in stolen bases off him.
- Lead-off walks score 60% of the time, just FYI.
- At least Moose has a couple of excuses for his monotone post-game interview. 2-0, Angels.
- Mussina's mood:
- A-Bomb. 2-1, Angels. That was a friggin' rocket the opposite way.
- Mussina's Mood:
- Michael Kay is lamenting the fact that the Yankee bench is too deep. This bench is not as good as it was back in the day with Darryl, Glenallen Hill, Homer Bush and Canseco. It just isn't.
- The Sox won, and Seattle is on its way to a win as well. Moose better buckle down here.
- Single, double off the wall. 2nd and 3rd, no outs.
- Double, two runs score. Get him out of there. Seriously. I don't care who you bring in, I've seen enough. 4-1, Angels.
- Even the outs are getting smoked.
- Vlad, double down the line. 5-1, Angels.
- Double for Anderson. 6-1, Angels. Guidry to the mound, took him long enough. Guidry is laughing on the mound, Mussina: stoic.
- RBI single for Matthews. 7-1, Angels.
- Mussina's mood:
- The good news? The pen will probably only have to pitch five and a third innings, because I'll be shocked if a bottom of the ninth is necessary.
- Villone is probably going to be hung out to dry here.
- Mid-game letter to the skipper:
- Lead-off walk for Molina. Remember, lead-off walks score 60% of the time.
- See what happens when you take Mussina out? The bats come to life, the team thinks it actually has a chance.
- Walk, walk, single, double, RBI ground out, RBI ground out. 7-5, Angels.
- Lead-off walks score 60% of the time. I'm starting to notice a theme to this game.
- Walk, single, walk, (Guidry going to the phone)... bases loaded, no one out.
- Another walk, 8-5, Angels.
- Joe is bringing Edwar into a bases-loaded, no one out situation. No pressure, kid.
- Great catch by Matsui, that could save the...ahh, who am I kidding. 9-5, Angels.
- Edwar made Vlad look silly on a couple of change-ups for the K.
- One change too many, on the 3-2 count, no less. 12-5, Angels. Anderson hit the fifth change Edwar threw to him, that's just too many.
- Those fireworks may be a tad over-the-top.
- Another walk. Edwar seems shaken and stirred out there. Ugh.
- If I'm Joe, I send Farnsworth in to pitch the next 5 innings.
- Uno, dos, tres. Rolling over and dying?
- RBI single for Kendrick. 13-5, Angels.
- Edwar got Vladdy again, and made him look silly doing it.
- Yanks go silently. I expected the regulars will be taking a seat soon. If I was Joe, I'd make them sweat it out. Singleton tells a great story about Earl Weaver yelling at his regulars one game when they were getting blown out. Basically he said, "If I have to sit through it, so do you."
- Torre said Henn wasn't available tonight. Henn is now pitching. I always wondered why a manager would announce who is and who is not available in the pen on any given night. Doesn't that give the opposing manager vital info? Anyway, who cares if Henn gets burned out.
- Pretty DP to end the inning, started by Phillips. Only three and a half more innings of this garbage. Anyone besides me still watching?
- Michael Kay seems flummoxed by the Mussina situation. He brings up a good point, his next start is against Detroit, or they could skip him (they have an off day), but then his next start would be against the Sox. Lose-lose situation if you ask me. I say let him go against the Tigers. (or fake an injury and get Ian Kennedy up here.)
- RBI double for Orlando Cabrera. 14-5, Angels. It's only the bottom of the sixth.
- Grand slam, Garrett Anderson. 18-5, Angels. 10 RBI for Anderson in the game, too bad I don't have him on my fantasy team.
- It was awful nice of Joe to put Shelley Duncan in the game, I know it pains him to play the kid.
- Giusseppe (2)
- This is completely f*cking ridiculous. Kyle Farnsworth should be in this god damned game right now. Pitching Vizcaino, who is suffering from a dead arm, in a 13-run game is a firing offense as far as I'm concerned. There is absolutely no justification for this move by Joe. This guy is one of your reliable guys, he's suffering the effects of 63 innings of work, and you don't get him a day off in this game!!! What the hell is going on?
- Betemit, 3-run bomb. 18-8, Angels. That's probably enough to get him the player of the game nod.
- A-Bomb. 18-9, Angels. An absolute bomb deeeeeeep to left for A-Rod. He's the player of the game now.
- This was a disgusting game, and Torre's bullpen management has me so pissed off I can barely type.
Player of the Game:
Wilson Betemit, Alex Rodriguez, 2 for 5, 2 runs, 3 RBI, 2 HRs, plus, he played the entire game, which is a mammoth accomplishment.
Same time, same place tomorrow night. Pettitte vs. Lackey. Let us never speak of this game again.
The green jerseys are an acquired taste, but it's not like they wear them a lot.
There's nothing wrong with a red jersey, though. Red is a classic color, and sometimes it's nice to see something different than the normal white or gray. The Cincinnati Reds seem to have gotten by with a red jersey for quite a while.
All "bib" jerseys must be outlawed. The Angels have one, as do the Rockies, Devil Rays, and I'm sure others that I've forgotten at the moment. They're ridiculous, and they often involve an upturn of the seam at the shoulder, like the jersey is seconds away from flying off the player.
I hate all "special" jerseys, in all sports. This isn't just me being anti-Boston, I hate it when the Eagles wear black jerseys, I hate it when the Sixers wear their special unis.
The only thing I like is throwback night, but only if it involves the White Sox and the year they wore collared, long-sleeve jerseys and shorts. I will find a picture of that before the night is over, by the way.
No Gagne for the Sox tonight. They brought Papelbon in with 2 out in the eighth to relieve Okajima.
this is gonna be a long game if the calls arent goin, moose isnt going, and escobar IS going...
lol 2 consectutive innings with misplays between abreu and melky if u go back to yesterday...i hope its a coincidence?
Figgins was out. Son of a bitch.
Mussina, popping the glove with 85 mph fastballs. Wonderful.
Who was Moose trying to blame for his sorry night? Molina? After he just took a charge for the guy? Funny after your whole rant about him not showing emotion. He finally shows it and it's directed at his "personal catcher".
This is turning into a very ugly game, for all concerned. I'm hoping for 30 runs combined.
This will be a nice test for the Changeup kid..
I meant to talk about those fireworks in my post about Angel Stadium, but I had so much to cover and I forgot.
I like them during the national anthem, but only because there is plenty of time for the smoke to clear before the game starts. But after a home run, it's insanely smoky. The outfielders probably have a hard time breathing for a few minutes there. Maybe that's the Angels' intention.
Vinny,
He failed. One pitch away from getting out of it, too.
I think Joe is going to let him go three or four, I think he settles down.
Erin,
Seriously, it looked like the English Channel, or some other foggy place, out on the field. Unbelievable.
He almost got out of it, it was a bad sequence called my Molina..
I went back on my DVR to see if he shook him off, I don't think he did. Anderson was looking for the change the entire at bat. If he throws a fastball right down the middle there he freezes him.
Agree, Anderson had the change timed, he throw 4 or 5 changes in that abat, a Mussian fastball would of frooze him..
I'm still watching. And my goodness, Garret Anderson is having quite a night.
I really am a glutton for punishment. I have a ton of work to do tonight, but I know I'm going to watch the rest of this game. Sean Henn is on his way to Scranton on the red eye tonight, I wonder how much more punishment they'll let him take.
props for watching the whole thing, i couldnt watch without yelling and waking my house up. jesus that was painful.
Thanks, but I wish I hadn't been watching when Torre brought the Viz in.
The good news is that he can use Joba and Mo for three, or maybe even four innings tomorrow night, if need be.
You spoke of the retro uniforms....
Nothing is worse than those powder blue jerseys the Eagles had Jevon Kearse model earlier this summer. If they wear those uniforms, they'll get the shit kicked out of them and have their manhood questioned, guaranteed.
I seriously hope the Eagles aren't going to wear those jerseys in a game.