Yankees Reality Check

Yankees Reality Check tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2008-03-29:/83771 2009-08-18T20:38:20Z Deep breaths, everyone. Movable Type Pro 4.25 Haven't Needed to Check Reality in a While tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.1171121 2009-08-18T19:57:23Z 2009-08-18T20:38:20Z

Yankees Reality Check http://yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com

It's true: Happiness does breed complacency. The busy season at work is breathing down my neck, but truthfully I haven't been writing about the Yankees because I've been so satisfied watching them lately. (Let me be clear that this has nothing to do with being fair-weather, but more to do with the fact that I'm at my best when I'm complaining. Just asked my husband. He thinks it's the greatest show on earth when I get up in arms about something.)

But, recently, with the Yankees, it's been a big 'ole love fest. Until last night.

I didn't mind that they lost the last game in Seattle. It's crappy luck when three pitchers all don't have it on the same day. But last night was some lazy-*** ****. Things I did not like:

Managing to leave every man on base who got into scoring position.
Getting the feeling you get with a number-9 hitter every time A-Rod came up.
The atrocious double play A-Rod hit into with the bases loaded and maddeningly weak hacks by others
The swinging-at-the-first-pitch fest that had me tucked into bed at 12:15 a.m. I've never seen a Yankees game end that fast.

(BTW - Derek Jeter is always exempt from these critiques in my world, mostly because he just keeps hitting the ball no matter what goes on.)

There are nights when you think your team ran into a buzzsaw. And then there are nights when your pitcher balks in a run and your offense looks like they'd rather be playing cards in the clubhouse. At least they didn't have to tax the bullpen. It looked like it might happen in the fourth, but A.J. miraculously recovered his cool. The offense? Not so much.

Still, the Oakland A's are no buzzsaw. We have the Angels and apparently the Rangers for that. So, pretty please, boys can we get the mojo back tonight? I know you'll be okay in the long run but it's best not to let the lazy become ingrained.
]]> Blowouts are Fun! Except When Your DVR Changes the Channel tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.1109921 2009-07-28T16:47:31Z 2009-07-28T17:18:54Z

Kooky night at the Trop for the Yankees. A.J. was a live wire again. I don't care, as long as it works for him. The Tampa Bay announcers were obsessed with the fact that Kate Hudson was in the...

Yankees Reality Check http://yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com

Kooky night at the Trop for the Yankees. A.J. was a live wire again. I don't care, as long as it works for him. The Tampa Bay announcers were obsessed with the fact that Kate Hudson was in the house, although they made no mention of the fact that she was sitting next to Todd Bridges of Different Strokes fame. Weird. A-Rod was in a quarrelsome mood at the plate. And Swisher and Cano were on fire. Here's a gratuitous shot of Robbie smiling after his home run in the sixth:

Not to be outdone, Swisher went yard about a minute later. Take that, haters! And by haters, I mean my husband. (Btw, the Swisher battle in my house is becoming epic: Tim simply refers to him as "the S-word."

So, I was enjoying the romp (and some mint chocolate chip ice cream) when the channel switched to Bravo of its own accord. Damn you, DVR. Because Weeds and Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List were both taping, I couldn't watch the rest of the game! There's got to be a way to fix that you can't tape two shows and watch a third at the same time, right? I mean, besides making us buy actual Tivo?

When I turned back I saw that Swisher had jacked another one, and that Johnny Damon had hit his 200th career homer.

It has taken me a while to warm up to Johnny Damon, and not just because he came from the Red Sox. I know he's still crazypants on the inside, but he seems to have matured a bit with the Yankees, if only in a relative kind of way. (Also, he dreams about A.J.)

So, congrats all around! Hopefully the Trop and Scotty Kazmir continue to be good to the Yanks tonight.

]]> It's Official: I'm Bad Luck tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.1105431 2009-07-27T01:29:11Z 2009-07-27T02:29:36Z

Yankees Reality Check http://yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com
The Stadium itself is really a lot to take in all at once. Tim and I agreed that it is now an awesome place to see a game. Before, it had the mystique but not the comfort. Here's my sad little no-zoom-lens picture of Pettitte and Molina warming up:

And speaking of comfort - Saturday was friggin' boiling hot. It was brutal out there. We were in Section 205 in right field, right above the Utz Potato Chips sign. Nice view.

In fact, we had a perfect view of the Swisher Salute during the roll call. I think Tim might have sprained his muscles from rolling his eyes so much. Then, just because it wouldn't be a Yankee game for us unless Tim felt tortured, they played a montage of Swisher highlights on the enormous screen during the changeover in the middle of the first inning. Delightful. Here are two of the many Swisher fans in our section (I thought I would be in the minority):

Andy looked good through the first six. The game was flying by. Everything was going good (well, not everything. WTF, A-Rod???). And then, the wheels came off. Andy suddenly couldn't throw a strike; they took him out in favor of Aceves. I have a lot of faith in Aceves, but on this day, it was not to be.

Now, it might have been something I said. Something that was not so nice. About the family of a certain senator from the great state of Massachusetts. I don't even know why we were talking about that. But whatever it was, Tim said I was about to be struck down by lightening, and immediately Aceves started coughing up runs. Finally, David Robertson got the Yankees out of the inning. With a 6-1 deficit. Great.

At this point, Tim and I had spent our first-born's college money on bottles of water. I had brought a travel-sized bottle of sunscreen, which was down to its very last bit. But I wasn't going anywhere. I'm a ride-the-game-out-no-matter-what kind of girl. So, we baked in the sun some more, and I was rewarded with a two-run homer by Jeter that just barely went over the fence and a sweet right-field shot by Tex.

In the top of the ninth, Nomar Garciaparra came up to bat, and the fans booed him as they had been doing all day. Tim, once again, rolled his eyes. "He's been on three different teams since his was a Red Sock, " he said. "Well, they'll stop booing him when you guys stop booing Johnny Damon at Fenway. Get over it." (Note: I actually like Nomar. I don't consider him part of the Boston teams that I have grown to hate.)

"Get over it" may have been a little too strong, considering my karma wasn't that great at the moment. We did get to see Brett Gardner make two great catches in center field, but later found out he'd broken his thumb. The Yankees ninth-inning comeback didn't materialize, and I was forced to ride the train back to New Haven with a smirking hubby. Here I am smiling before things took such a disappointing turn:

When we got home that night, I told myself that I was not going to watch the game on Sunday. I held to it for about an hour and a half after game time. I didn't want my terrible karma to interfere with another Yankee win.

But soon curiosity got the better of me, and I turned on the tv....just in time to see Phil Coke give up the lead! Poor Phil Coke - I definitely have a soft spot for him. Thankfully, the Yankee bats came back this time, and Hughes, Bruney, and Mo tied the win up with a nice, neat bow. I guess three out of four isn't bad. Next time I'll be nicer in my thoughts about the Kennedys.
]]> Umm, Phil? I Don't Want to Scare You, But... tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.1099741 2009-07-24T20:14:49Z 2009-07-24T21:04:21Z

Yankees Reality Check http://yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com

...I think my adolescent school-girl crush on you has become a full-on love fest.

What with the badassery coming out of the pen and the longer devil-may-care locks, and the aggressiveness right out of the gate, you may just be my new imaginary baseball boyfriend.

And then you say things like this: "I don't want them getting on base for free. I want them to earn it," and my heart goes all aflutter. You've cranked it up to a whole new level of awesomeness, and I am seriously digging it.

]]> Why Does Work Have to Interfere with Baseball? tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.1095401 2009-07-23T13:53:41Z 2009-07-23T15:24:16Z

Yankees Reality Check http://yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com

So I missed yesterday's funfest because I was at work and only monitoring the Gamecast every once in a while. I've also been away from the computer a lot lately due to both the day job and some freelancing. I did see Matsui's walk-off, which was completely and totally adorable. We usually only see him with the stoic face on. It was nice to see a smile. And, btw, doesn't he look about ten years younger with his batting helmet off?

Anyway, yesterday was apparently a roller coaster of dropped fly balls, tremendous pitching from AJ, amazing catches from the same person who brought you the drop, uneven pitching from Bruney, Phil/Mo awesomeness, and ice cream metaphors. That's the kind of craziness I can get behind.

I haven't seen highlights of Swisher's drop in the third inning, but it looks like he more than redeemed himself with this:

And this:

Notice the clete marks. I'll admit, it's hard to advocate for Swish when he has his lapses in the field. But seriously, who's going to try to argue that Hinske makes those two plays? Not a chance. And how was Swish able to make those plays after he'd botched one so badly? He's able to put things away right after they happen and focus (relatively) on the next play. People undervalue that skill.

Oh, intangibles. How we love you. Or hate you. Depending on who we are. If you're a stat-head, you don't care about the psychological aspects that come into play. But Swisher certainly has a boatload of those qualities: he's a good teammate, he's not afraid to get banged up out there, he's patient at the plate, he's relentlessly positive, and he likes playing in New York and handles everything that goes along with that well.

To wit, this quote via NorthJersey.com: "That's when I'm at my best, when I'm having fun and laughing and joking around," Swisher said. "I think there's a lot of people in this world who would trade their right arm to trade spots with me." Which brings me to Brian Bruney.

I'm not one of those fans who writes people off without ample evidence, so I won't write Bruney off as a pitcher. However, the one thing I really can't stand is when someone acts like the friendly, goofy guy when things are going good and then turns around and becomes a sarcastic jack*** when he's forced to take responsibility for a mistake. Sure, you can be disappointed in yourself and you don't have to be a shiny happy person like Swish. Just say, "Yeah, I know I still have some stuff to work on." How hard is that? Apparently, snapping at the beat writers is just easier.]]> Bumbling Through Anaheim tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.1067581 2009-07-13T02:21:53Z 2009-07-13T03:18:16Z

In honor of the pop-up-dropping, the hideous pitching, the errant throwing, and the lack of timely hitting that characterized the Yankees-Anaheim series this weekend, I herewith bring to you a list of things I would have rather done than watching...

Yankees Reality Check http://yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com
1. Get a root canal.

2. Opened the door for some Jehovah's Witnesses

3. Read Vanity Fair's article about Sarah Palin (as if we haven't heard enough about her to last a lifetime.)

4. Gambled at Foxwoods (probably would have had better luck than any of the Yankees starters)

5. Watched a bunch of Michael Bay movies

6. Spun around in circles on my front lawn until I got dizzy and passed out

7. Tried on either jeans or bathing suits (when this is preferable to watching Jeter, Swisher, and Joba we have a real problem.)

8. Spent the afternoon riding It's a Small World at Disney over and over again

9. Cat sit for someone I hardly know. (Now the sarcasm is really coming out.)

10. Sleeping. A nice, deep, peaceful unaware-of-what's-happening sleep.

Let's not ever do that again, okay?
]]> Get on Board for an A.J. Adventure! tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.1057211 2009-07-09T14:50:33Z 2009-07-09T15:27:38Z

Yankees Reality Check http://yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com

There's no way around it: A.J. Burnett is a badass. (He also gets extra points for not being as mean and nasty about his badassery as his buddy Josh Beckett. But I digress.) Last night he didn't really have control of anything but his fastball, but you gotta respect the way he battled. I was surprised to be thinking in the seventh inning that they should have kept him in there a little longer.

Yes, three wild pitches and four walks are not ideal. But when he needed an out, he buckled down and got an out. That's the kind of resilience I want to see. Joba should stop arguing with Jorge and start asking A.J. what he does to calm down in those situations.

Speaking of needing to calm down, and people thinking you need to calm down, we have Phil Coke and Nick Swisher. Always eager to add to the adventurous nature of a game, Phil Coke seemed to have a bit of a hyper moment out there, giving up a home run to Joe Mauer. I often want to tell him to count to ten, do some yoga, picture Joe Mauer in his underwear. (Whatever works.)

Swisher on the other hand loves being out in the field so much that he needs to dispel some of that pent-up energy with little hops, skips, and jumps up against the padded walls. He must have been an exhausting little kid. I kind of understand why Girardi talked to him in the dugout about it, but I tend to think that Girardi is Debbie Downer. C'mon man, Swisher is high on life and you're just killing his buzz.

All in all, the game moved a little slowly for my taste. My boy Brett Gardner was actually the only one trying to inject any speed into the proceedings. My fondness for Brett continues to grow with each passing day. I don't care what people think the racial implications of calling a white ballplayer "scrappy" or "gritty" are. That's not how I see it. White, black, Latino, Native American: if you exceed expectations, prove you can help the team, and don't take your spot there for granted, you're good in my book. I want you on my team and I will call you scrappy, gritty, gutty and, occasionally, awesome. Keep it rolling, Brett the Jet.

Finally, I just want to say how endearing Francisco Cervelli's comments were about his time in the big leagues. Now that he has returned to AAA-Scranton, and even though I have a soft spot for Jose Molina, I think more people than just CC and AJ are going to miss him.

]]> Quick Hits from a Busy Weekend tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.1047341 2009-07-06T16:18:24Z 2009-07-06T16:32:04Z

Yankees Reality Check http://yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com

Normally, I think I'm being more sensitive to the Yankees than people who are fans of other teams. That's just natural, right? But yesterday my husband, who provides the barometer for my crazy fandom, said to me, "Why is it that Posada just doesn't call a good game for Chamberlain?" Now, I don't dislike Jorge. But, I think some people mesh better with others, especially in the pitcher-catcher relationship. So, it might not be all Jorge, but for some reason these two just do not agree with/understand one another.

Seriously? Ian Kinsler has to rely on the final fan vote to get into the All-Star Game? To that I say, in 90s Clueless fashion, whatevah!

Dare I say it? I kind of like the idea of keeping Phil Hughes in the pen. Aside from his success there, I like the confidence he's gaining in that role. He's also sporting the rock-star shades and the longer hair. Good times all around.

More to come...]]> Delayed Reaction tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.1033351 2009-07-01T15:26:41Z 2009-07-01T16:16:54Z

First of all - who in the world does not love this man? I know I've said it before, but it bares repeating that Mo is an impressive figure both on and off the field. He seemed confused by the...

Yankees Reality Check http://yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com

I know I've said it before, but it bares repeating that Mo is an impressive figure both on and off the field. He seemed confused by the fact that the Yankees would have him throw out the first pitch to last night's game. Nobody else was confused - they all wanted to give him the standing ovation he deserves.

But I think I sort of had a delayed reaction to the 500th save and all the hoopla surrounding it. I actually got choked up last night with save no. 501. And not because I'm crazy or anything, but because I thought about watching this team in light of the way my grandfathers watched the team and my mother and father watched the team. They all had those players of mythical status that they could say they were lucky enough to watch play: Joe D., Mantle, Yogi, & Maris (my mom's fave). Of the veterans on the current team, Jeter and Mo fill those spots for me.

I know things are different now. Players' lives are de-mystified to the point where we have to separate liking the player from the person. But I'm glad I've had the chance to root for two old-school type players like them. I always wonder if my kids (should I have any!) will have the same kind of fan experience.

All right, enough sentimental girly stuff. On to a few tidbits that others have mentioned today, but I need to second:

Brian Bruney shaved the catapillar on his upper lip but it didn't help him any. Also, he apparently went to the Ian Kennedy School of Quote-Giving.
Joe Girardi, what goes on in that crazy little head of yours? Phil Hughes is throwing heat, getting outs. Why not bring him out for the next inning? Why, for the love of god!
Related to the item above: Phil Hughes has moved into second place on my baseball boyfriends list, knocking Joba down to fourth.
As Pete Abraham noted today, somebody's got to get the fight back into Joba. Get on that, Dave Eiland. I would hate to have to drop him another couple of spots on my totally ridiculous list.
Ken Griffey Jr. had a sad look on his face last night. He's not hitting well, but even worse, he looks like the reality might be setting in that he's not the player he used to be. I feel for Junior. He lost so much time with injuries, and now his age has become a factor. On the upside, he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer and the first person mentioned whenever someone asks who has/had the sweetest swing in baseball. Plus - great smile.
Oh, Nick Markakis, you make me love you more each day. Although I don't know what that country at-bat music is all about.

]]> Simply the Best tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.1028081 2009-06-29T20:23:00Z 2009-06-29T20:50:05Z

Yankees Reality Check http://yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com

Last night, it was sweet to watch Mariano Rivera record his 500th save (and his first-ever RBI). Today, people have written all about Rivera's legacy and what the numbers mean and all that other stuff.

For me, as a fan, it comes down to one thing: He has been as close as there ever was to a sure thing.

There are so many facets to a MLB win: hitting, starting pitching, relief pitching, defense, base running, fan interference...

But being the closer always seemed to be the position in which you have to have immense courage and a zen-like nature to excel. There's not much worse that losing a game on one pitch that came out of your hand.

Mo almost never seemed phased by the responsibility of being that guy. Even after blowing a save to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, he seemed able to put it in its proper perspective. He was disappointed, obviously, but many lesser closers and lesser men would have let something like that destroy them.

Over the past few years, Mo may not have looked as sharp as he did in the prime of his career, but I still thought he could make things better. Young guys out in the pen? Let Mo teach them all his secrets. Wang having a crisis of confidence? Mo should have a talk with him. Set-up men nervous about facing certain hitters? Have Mo tell them his philosophy: Even in batting practice, when the guys know what's coming, they don't hit it well all the time. So, just throw your very best stuff in there and don't be afraid of the contact.

I know people are wringing their hands over what happens when Mo retires, and I worry about that too. But if anyone in the ownership still has half a brain left, they'll have him hired as a coach immediately after his farewell tour as a player. He's still got a lot more he can share with this team.]]> Jumbled Mess of Yankee and Non-Yankee Thoughts tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.1019901 2009-06-26T15:14:29Z 2009-06-26T16:15:45Z

Last night's game was a marathon for no reason whatsoever. On several levels, it hurt my brain. And then the whole Michael Jackson thing added to the confusion. It's so weird to see multiple generations have such vastly different memories...

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So, all I can really muster this morning is a few random thoughts:

Happy Birthday, Derek Sanderson Jeter. Even though you have reached the golden milestone of 35 two months and ten days before I will, I get annoyed out of solidarity when people talk about your age. You look just as good to me now as you did in '96. I wish I could say the same for myself.

I don't know why, but I can't get all jazzed up about A-Rod tying Reggie Jackson in the home run department. Part of it is that I could never get jazzed up about Reggie. I know I should be able to, and I know A-Rod passing him (and the other guys on the list) will be a big deal. But Reggie never really seemed like a particularly fun guy and, as you know, I'm forever ambivalent toward A-Rod.

Is it wrong that I am simultaneously sad about Xavier Nady's setback and somewhat relieved that it could possibly cut down on the chances that Swisher would be traded?

In Non-Yankee News, it was reported yesterday that Cubs catcher Geovany Soto tested positive for pot during the World Baseball Classic. The following paragraph appeared in a blog post written by Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com:

"In all seriousness, though, this news is embarrassing for everyone involved, most notably Soto. The Cubs' catcher is hitting just .228 on the year and looks like a shell of the player that was the NL Rookie of the Year last season. He doesn't look nearly as powerful, or as fit, as he did when he clubbed 23 homers and 86 RBIs in 2008. In short, he's been a disappointment, and now with this news being public plenty of fans will wonder if all the adulation got to his head."

Everybody who thinks this was the first time Soto ever smoked pot, raise your hands. No one? Good. Because my feeling is that it wasn't. Now, everybody who thinks all this hand wringing over pot use is ridiculous in light of what was happening with drugs in the 70s, 80s and 90s? Aren't we all pretty sure that the entire Mets roster was high as a kite throughout that time. Sure the adulation may have gone to his head, and maybe he thought he didn't have to work so hard anymore, but I would question blaming that all on the pot because you're assuming he wasn't doing it the whole time he was coming up through the ranks.

Speaking of MLB players you might want to smoke pot with, when we were at Citizens Bank park for the Phillies game, my husband and I got a kick out of noting the batting music of each player. Shane Victorino was rockin' the Bob Marley, forever endearing himself to me. (Disclaimer: this is not to say that I'm speculating about Victorino smoking pot. I have no idea what he does with his spare time. I'm just commenting on the mellow vibe Bob inspires.) Tim decided that he would like to be pals with Chase Utley based on his choice of Led Zeppelin, specifically Kashmir. Good to know. I told him that now he can't turn around and make fun of Utley if I say something about him being an aesthetically pleasing ballplayer in addition to being a very good one.

]]> Sometimes All You Need is a Little Push tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.1016801 2009-06-25T15:11:29Z 2009-06-25T15:32:12Z

Okay. I know. I was the pessimistic one yesterday. And I think the frustration had reached a boiling point for many in the Yankee Orbit. Then, we were treated to this:The drama! The intensity! The incredibly terrible call by this...

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The drama! The intensity! The incredibly terrible call by this here ump! I believe that a manager getting thrown out can fire up his/her team. But in this case, I think it was actually the bad call on Gardner getting "picked off" first. It wasn't even close. Something that maddening is bound to push a frustrated group right over the edge whether the manager gets thrown out or not. And it did. In a good way.

Francisco Cervelli, who does have a way of making good things happen (although I am emphatically not in the group calling for Posada to be put out to pasture), hit his first major league home run, and nobody in the dugout even bothered with the pretense of giving him the silent treatment.

(Speaking of Cervelli, I can't get a handle on his accent. I know he is from Venezuela and that he played in the WBC for Italy. Is he of Italian descent? His accent kind of had that feel to it in the postgame interview with Kim Jones.)

The home run opened the flood gates for a string of hits and runs to preserve a win for Joba, who pitched very well. But the best moment was yet to come:

Mo's got a bat! Look out. He actually hit the ball pretty hard to center field, although it was caught by Nate McLouth. Of course, CC Sabathia's reaction was priceless. As soon as the ball came off the bat he started jumping up and down like a mad man. It was kind of an awesome moment. That's the kind of enjoyment I look forward to seeing from my boys. I hope we get to see lots more of it in the near future.

]]> Why Didn't I Stay on Vacation? tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.1013741 2009-06-24T13:51:53Z 2009-06-24T14:18:15Z

Yankees Reality Check http://yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com

Last night, when my husband came in from work, I said: "I really wouldn't care if they blew up this whole team and started over from scratch."

Now, I was having a moment of extreme annoyance, and that's not really how I feel. But I can't help thinking that the All-Star break cannot come fast enough. Last night's game against Atlanta was incredibly frustrating. But more than that, it was a situation in which I sat on my couch and thought about all the other things I could be doing just then. And then I decided that I was going to do all those other things for a few days instead of vegging out in front of this train wreck every night.

You see, when I was on vacation, it was so nice. We went to Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Citizens Bank Park in Philly. The whole time, I was inspired (and a little envious) at the way these people saw the games as entertainment. There wasn't a stressed-out vibe as soon as you walked in the park, like at Fenway or Yankee Stadium. I started thinking, wouldn't it be great to live in a city where the games don't really matter? (Note: I realize that Philly fans are just as crazy as we are, but they are enjoying life right now and giving their team a pass because of that World Series thing.)

I also didn't have access to the Internet, so I couldn't read all the hand-wringing and whatnot (you know, like I'm doing right now). It was actually quite liberating.

Unfortunately, I am now back to this:

I think I need the All-Star break as much as they do.]]> Maintaining Radio Silence for a Bit tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.980761 2009-06-12T14:28:14Z 2009-06-12T15:18:56Z

Yankees Reality Check http://yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com
That doesn't mean I'll be on vacation from baseball, though. My hubby and I are going to Baltimore to see the Orioles play the Blue Jays, and then we are going up to Philly to see the Phillies vs. the Mets. I'm pretty psyched to relax and root for a team I really don't care all that much about.

Specifically, I'm excited to see Camden Yards. I'm also looking forward to seeing Nick Markakis, live and in person. And, let's be honest, who wouldn't be?

But, really, I can't wait to watch the Phillies. Why is that? I don't know. I mean, I love Ryan Howard. But besides that, I just think they are a team I could get behind if I had to root for someone else (the Twins and the Cardinals also appeal to me). My husband, in that awesome way that he has, is determined to get his picture taken with the Phillie Phanatic. We'll have to make that happen.

So, until I return with tales of non-Yankee baseball adventure, I will just say that I am touched by the support Chien-Ming Wang is receiving from his teammates.

I hope Mariano has his planned chat with him and that Wang regains some of his lost confidence. I don't know about you, but I find it hard to say bad things about someone who seems like such a nice guy.

***UPDATE***: Wow. I don't even know what tickets I bought. That's how addled my brain is. The Orioles are actually playing the Mets and the Phillies are playing the Jays. This is why I need vacation. Desperately.
]]> Too Many Cooks... tag:yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com,2009://83771.978511 2009-06-11T19:04:30Z 2009-06-11T19:34:32Z

I can't really get into what happened last night because the game itself was pretty infuriating in a number of ways. I don't know why particular problems keep popping up against the Sox. But I do know this: people are...

Yankees Reality Check http://yankeesrealitycheck.mlblogs.com entirety of its schedule?

I'm not saying that I'm immune. I do the same thing all the time: when the team looks good, everyone's great! When it looks bad, let's blame A-Rod, Girardi, Swisher, Damon's arm, Matsui's knee, Dave Eiland, the bullpen, A.J., Posada, Kate Hudson, the water cooler, the security guard that bumps Pap Smear's fist everytime he comes out of the bullpen. (Note: This is just a partial list.)

I realized last night, however, that I loved this team a week ago and I love it now. Sure, the bullpen needs work. Sure, I don't think it would be a huge loss if they traded Matsui. But you can't start messing with truly integral parts of the team because they haven't performed well against the Red Sox. It's frustrating, yes, but stuff happens. Sometimes a team has your number for a while.

So let's take a moment, and a couple of deep breaths, and think about where this team would actually be overall without A-Rod bucking up Teixiera with his mere presence in the lineup; without Swisher and Cano and Melky hitting when other people weren't; with mix-and-match starters from the minor leagues instead of CC, A.J., Pettitte, and Joba having defined roles in the rotation. My god, do you people remember 2004 - 2008?

The sky ain't falling nearly as much as you think it is.
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