Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Tuesday Night GameNotes, Part 4
Two quick strikes in the 9th for Rivera.
Mark Grace is sitting in the press box, a member of the Diamondbacks' broadcasting team. It's funny, his clean base hit up the middle to start the 9th inning is always the first image I think of when my mind drifts to the memory of Game 7 of the '01 World Series. There were other more definitive, more crushing moments in that frame, but that's the one that always jumps to the forefront. Maybe because it turned out to be such a clear sign of danger.
Two easy, quick outs. A strike out and a ground out.
Rivera's velocity has really looked sharp the last week or so, the best it has all year. 94-95 with pop.
3-2.
Fly ball to center. Game over.
The Yankees are back to .500 for the first time since May 9. Thanks, Michael Kay for providing that tidbit and saving me the trouble of looking it up.
It's time to stop talking about the division deficit and the amount of games they're behind the Tigers. As I said earlier, the Tigers are winning the Central.
There are now three teams that the Yankees can legitimately keep their eyes on that are in the Wild Card mix. Cleveland is 37-26; Seattle is 34-26; and Oakland is 34-28.
The Yankees are now 31-31.
Two quick strikes in the 9th for Rivera.
Mark Grace is sitting in the press box, a member of the Diamondbacks' broadcasting team. It's funny, his clean base hit up the middle to start the 9th inning is always the first image I think of when my mind drifts to the memory of Game 7 of the '01 World Series. There were other more definitive, more crushing moments in that frame, but that's the one that always jumps to the forefront. Maybe because it turned out to be such a clear sign of danger.
Two easy, quick outs. A strike out and a ground out.
Rivera's velocity has really looked sharp the last week or so, the best it has all year. 94-95 with pop.
3-2.
Fly ball to center. Game over.
The Yankees are back to .500 for the first time since May 9. Thanks, Michael Kay for providing that tidbit and saving me the trouble of looking it up.
It's time to stop talking about the division deficit and the amount of games they're behind the Tigers. As I said earlier, the Tigers are winning the Central.
There are now three teams that the Yankees can legitimately keep their eyes on that are in the Wild Card mix. Cleveland is 37-26; Seattle is 34-26; and Oakland is 34-28.
The Yankees are now 31-31.
Tuesday Night, GameNotes Part 3
Oh, good, Kyle Farnsworth is in the game.
While he gave up his obligatory baserunners, I should count my blessings he didn't give up anything more than that.
Looking at some other scores during the commercial break. How 'bout the Royals whacking the Cardinals? They had a nice, surprise weekend against the Phillies, taking 2 of 3 and are now besting the defending champs.
Bottom of the 8th.
New pitcher for Arizona, Juan Cruz.
This is the first time I've seen Webb pitch this year for any substantial amount of time. He was solid. He definitely has legitimate, upper echelon-type stuff.
I can't read it, but Rob Neyer has already commented on Verlander's no-hitter on his ESPN Insider Blog. Curses to you, ESPN Insider blockade.
Mariano is starting to cook it up in the pen.
Jeter strikes out.
What effort am I going to make to watch some of the 2nd half of this basketball game? That's the question I'm asking myself right now . . . San Antonio is up 2 at the half, a still-meager score of 40-38.
It's been about two weeks since a scout was quoted saying Abreu's play on the baseball diamond was akin to a "piece of garbage." In June, 10 games that encompass most of the time since those quotes were printed in the Daily News, Abreu's splits are .500/.604/.789.
Oh, good, Kyle Farnsworth is in the game.
While he gave up his obligatory baserunners, I should count my blessings he didn't give up anything more than that.
Looking at some other scores during the commercial break. How 'bout the Royals whacking the Cardinals? They had a nice, surprise weekend against the Phillies, taking 2 of 3 and are now besting the defending champs.
Bottom of the 8th.
New pitcher for Arizona, Juan Cruz.
This is the first time I've seen Webb pitch this year for any substantial amount of time. He was solid. He definitely has legitimate, upper echelon-type stuff.
I can't read it, but Rob Neyer has already commented on Verlander's no-hitter on his ESPN Insider Blog. Curses to you, ESPN Insider blockade.
Mariano is starting to cook it up in the pen.
Jeter strikes out.
What effort am I going to make to watch some of the 2nd half of this basketball game? That's the question I'm asking myself right now . . . San Antonio is up 2 at the half, a still-meager score of 40-38.
It's been about two weeks since a scout was quoted saying Abreu's play on the baseball diamond was akin to a "piece of garbage." In June, 10 games that encompass most of the time since those quotes were printed in the Daily News, Abreu's splits are .500/.604/.789.
Tuesday Night GameNotes, Part 2
Just flipped to the score of Game 3 of the NBA Finals and see that the Spurs have decided to play the role of the Cavs in this game; they have 28 points with about five minutes left in the 1st half. Of course, the Cavs are playing the role of the Cavs as well and have 32 points.
Think about that for just a nano-second and then we'll return to a sport that hasn't killed itself like a game of Chinese Water Torture over the past 10 years. In Game 3 of the NBA Finals the two teams have combined for 60 points in the later stages of the 1st half. Even searching for the most purist, defensive-oriented basketball bone in my body, I can't defend this. This, quite simply, is unwatchable basketball.
Matsui's on 1st with no outs; Cano's up.
Speaking of the team I'm zeroing in on: Cleveland lost again tonight, this time to the Marlins 3-0. They had three hits and no walks against a trio of Florida pitchers, led by starter Scott Olsen who pitched 7 innings.
Talk about an odd play. With the infield in, Melky Cabrera hits a ground ball which is stabbed on a great play by second baseman Orlando Hudson, who then turns it into an unusual 4-3-6 double play. Cano was going on contact; Matsui wasn't. Matsui scored, but Cano got hung-up going back to second base. That's two DPs for Melky tonight.
Into the 8th. 4-1 New York.
Just flipped to the score of Game 3 of the NBA Finals and see that the Spurs have decided to play the role of the Cavs in this game; they have 28 points with about five minutes left in the 1st half. Of course, the Cavs are playing the role of the Cavs as well and have 32 points.
Think about that for just a nano-second and then we'll return to a sport that hasn't killed itself like a game of Chinese Water Torture over the past 10 years. In Game 3 of the NBA Finals the two teams have combined for 60 points in the later stages of the 1st half. Even searching for the most purist, defensive-oriented basketball bone in my body, I can't defend this. This, quite simply, is unwatchable basketball.
Matsui's on 1st with no outs; Cano's up.
Speaking of the team I'm zeroing in on: Cleveland lost again tonight, this time to the Marlins 3-0. They had three hits and no walks against a trio of Florida pitchers, led by starter Scott Olsen who pitched 7 innings.
Talk about an odd play. With the infield in, Melky Cabrera hits a ground ball which is stabbed on a great play by second baseman Orlando Hudson, who then turns it into an unusual 4-3-6 double play. Cano was going on contact; Matsui wasn't. Matsui scored, but Cano got hung-up going back to second base. That's two DPs for Melky tonight.
Into the 8th. 4-1 New York.
Tuesday Night, GameNotes Part 1
Top of the 7th at Yankee Stadium in a game that's going as advertised. Chien-Ming Wang and his National League alter-ego Brandon Webb are inducing ground balls and keeping runs off the board, as they typically do.
Both pitchers look at the top of their game. Webb has been stymied by one bad fastball in the middle of the zone to Bobby Abreu, which led to the Yankees only runs. They're up 3-1.
My guess is that this is the last inning for Wang. He's at about 90 pitches now; Myers and Proctor are up in the bullpen; and Arizona has just hit two hard balls for center, albeit for outs.
Already a big night in baseball tonight with Justin Verlander throwing a no-hitter for the Tigers, and in the process cementing my belief that the team the Yankees are really chasing is the Cleveland Indians; suffice to say I think Detroit is going to end up winning the A.L. Central when all is said and done.
Two on, two outs for the Diamondbacks now.
Nice play by Jeter on a liner to short. Just got it at the top of his jump as it was going by him on the back-hand side.
3-1 going to the bottom of the 7th.
Top of the 7th at Yankee Stadium in a game that's going as advertised. Chien-Ming Wang and his National League alter-ego Brandon Webb are inducing ground balls and keeping runs off the board, as they typically do.
Both pitchers look at the top of their game. Webb has been stymied by one bad fastball in the middle of the zone to Bobby Abreu, which led to the Yankees only runs. They're up 3-1.
My guess is that this is the last inning for Wang. He's at about 90 pitches now; Myers and Proctor are up in the bullpen; and Arizona has just hit two hard balls for center, albeit for outs.
Already a big night in baseball tonight with Justin Verlander throwing a no-hitter for the Tigers, and in the process cementing my belief that the team the Yankees are really chasing is the Cleveland Indians; suffice to say I think Detroit is going to end up winning the A.L. Central when all is said and done.
Two on, two outs for the Diamondbacks now.
Nice play by Jeter on a liner to short. Just got it at the top of his jump as it was going by him on the back-hand side.
3-1 going to the bottom of the 7th.
