Most baseball fans think about their favorite team over the winter–probably over and over. Many discussions are about things like:
- Did the general manager sign the right free agents?
- Who will be the hot rookie this year?
- Will the trades that we made make a difference and take my team to the World Series?
My winter was no different except the fact that I had little to no snow in Dallas. During spring training I always check the April schedule and predict what my beloved Red Sox will do the first month. Will they get out of the box early?
I really believed this year the Red Sox would start really fast, jump out and lead over the NY Yankees and frankly I was right. With almost a third of the season in the history books, this is what has happened so far:
The Yankees are 2-10 in 1 run games! They never lost games like this in the past.
- A-Rod started hot but now is as cold as ice only hitting .235 in May
- The Yankees have the same record as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays!
- During a 19 day stretch in May, the Yankees scored the fewest runs in the majors!
- Yankees pitching staff is a mess! That sounds great doesn’t it?
- Jason Giambi has only 7 homeruns and is hitting .262
- Robinson Cano is hitting 80 points less than his average last year
- Mike Mussina looks like he is below average at best
- The Yankees have had a revolving door of starters this year
- Their Japanese phenom (their answer to the Red Sox) is in the minors and still struggling
- Johnny Damon who I like and thought would have a great year has 3 homeruns and is banged up
- Bobby Abreu looks lost with an average of .228
- Mariano Rivera isn’t hurt and has only 4 saves all year!
- The Red Sox swept the Yankees and lead the season series 6-3
- The Red Sox have only given up 201 runs–2nd BEST in the American League
- The Yankees have already had losing streaks of 5 and 7 games this year
- The Red Sox are 18-8 at home and on the road – so clearly they are doing playing great everywhere
When you look at the Red Sox team they have a number of guys struggling like Ramirez, Lugo, Crisp and some injuries like Timlin and Lester. When they return to form, the Red Sox will be even better. Clearly the future is bright for this summer.
All this has added up to the Yankees being in last place! A whopping 13 1/2 games behind the Red Sox.
- The Red Sox have the BEST record in the American league
- The Red Sox have the BEST record in BASEBALL!!
Life has been great so far. No that’s wrong! Life is and has been fantastic for me since the start of the baseball season.
I know Yankee fans like Jennie, Jay Wilson, Jeffrey, Nicole, Uncle J, Homer, and Jim Q will say, “Just wait. The Yankees will get hot, make the playoffs and then you will see what happens!” Maybe they will be right but I doubt it. The Yankees are in turmoil and nothing short of Mantle, DiMaggio, Ruth and Whitey Ford will help them this year.
Clemens will help a little bit but they have dug themselves too big of a hole. Get ready New York! Fourth of July will be coming early and often in the Bronx! There will be lots of fireworks this summer for sure, especially when Clemens arrives and is allowed to do things that nobody else can do. Kyle Farnsworth has already spoken up and others will follow.
Joe Torre is a classy guy. His record is very impressive. Unfortunately in a good year he gets too much of the credit and in a bad year he takes too much of the fall.
Sorry Joe — and all my friends that are Yankee fans. The Red Sox are the better team this year and have the chemistry that your team doesn’t have.
I look forward to your comments and thoughts.
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Mike MacLeod says:
I saw Clemens pitch here in Scranton on Memorial Day. Yankee fans shouldn’t be hoping for The Rocket to save them. His stats looked good (6 IP, 2H, 0 ER) against the Toledo Mud Hens, but big leaguers are going to eat his 89 MPH fastball for lunch.
Yankees Suck. Go Mets!
Michael Halberstam says:
Time to step out front and take my medicine. My Yankees are not a good team this year. The pitching staff is old (we knew this was coming) but attempts to solve this with money by buying guys like Carl Pavano, Kei Igawa and others, has failed. No home grown talent, except Wang, has led to this. This is not Torre’s fault but Steinbrenner’s. And, while I am the biggest Derek Jeter fan in the world I think “The Captain” needs to step out front and take some responsibility for a dysfunctional clubhouse. I don’t recall him saying much of anything or calling a team meeting.
I now must suffer through the first losing Yankee season, with no playoffs, in 11 years! (And quite possibly a few more because this is not something I think Steinbrenner can buy his way out of) To top it all off I am a Laker’s season ticket holder (think Kobe saga) and a NY Giant’s fan (will Eli ever be any good?). I am now looking forward to my 5 year old daughter’s T-ball games for real competition!
Enjoy Merrill!
Owen Jenkins says:
Baseball is great for stats. Did you know that in May the ERA of the Yankees two best starters (Pettite and Wang) were better than the Red Sox two best ( Beckett and (amazingly!) Tavarez). The hitting is where the Red Sox have really separated themselves. Six regulars hit over 300 for the whole month with two (Youk and Pedroia) over 400. BTW the six have average OBP of 439.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Michael,
You are a classy guy! I appreciate your comments. You are 100% right about Derek Jeter - I am shocked he hasn’t stepped up that’s what leaders do.
Sounds like all of your favorite teams are a mess - good luck.
Merrill
Willie Martin says:
Hello Merrill!
Whew, where to go with this one…I begin by stating that in the last week your Red Sox have done something they haven’t done in 34 years-Sweep Texas in Arlington! Each game overcoming a deficit to do so. I enjoyed watching Dice K do his thing before the nausea set in. Jason Varitek I have followed since his days as a Mariner prior to 1997. JD Drew has been murder on the Rangers so far. Having watched Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling last year, I have no worries about the pitching staff…
Prior to the tragic death of Thurman Munson 8/2/79 there probably wasn’t a bigger Yankee fan on the planet than myself. However I always conceded that I respected the Red Sox and their fans. The AL’s answer to the Cubbies for diehard loyalty. Having moved around and having lived in Chicago, Portland Seattle, Anaheim, and now Arlington it is fun to watch how much east coast are hated or loved but never ignored.
You sir are the first fan to speak optimistically about your team, and I concur. To the many people of ‘the nation’ I have one thought for you:
2007 IS NOT 1978!!!!! To those not around that was the year when a Yankee team fell 14 games behind Boston on July 19th before playing .720 ball the rest of the way forcing a one game playoff.
New York was helped by a managerial change in Bob Lemon, a newspaper strike and some really good pitching. Ron Guidry went 25-3 and Jim ‘Catfish’ Hunter returned to form with a 6-0 August record and a 1.84 ERA. There are no stalwarts on this 2007 team.
I will not be surprised when Brian C, A-Rod, and the Giambino aren’t around at the trade deadline. Joe Torre can at least take pride in that his tenure outlasted Billy Martin’s five stays in New York!
All Boston has to do is play .500 ball the rest of the way and they have a 94 win season. No way in hell NY or anyone else in the East plays .740 ball just to get even. I only hope The Red Sox do not suffer the same fate as a certain Dallas Maverick team that went one and done in the playoffs…
Why Roger Clemens wouldn’t want to finish with the team he began with is beyond me, unless Theo Epstein knows something more than I do about not wrecking team chemistry.
The last time the Yankees has a last place finish was 1991. George Steinbrenner was banned as owner for a spell. In 2007 the banishments will be fast and hard from the players/ coaches side.
Enjoy the ride Merrill! Enjoy!
Peace!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Willie,
Thanks so much for including all of the facts and numbers with your response.
I remember 1978 and as a Sox fan it was a year I would like to forget. There is no chance that happens this year unless most of the stars get hurt. The Red Sox of 2007 are very deep and are set up to go deep into the playoffs.
Merrill
fanofthemick says:
What do I have in common with a Red Sox fan? Love of my team through thick and thin! What do the Mets and Red Sox have in common? These are two teams I wouldn’t root for even under threat of castration!
The Yankees have a legacy with Mickey Mantle, while the Mets have a legacy with Ed Kranepool! The Red Sox have a legacy of winning the big prize every 90 years or so! If we catch the Sox, that’s great; 13.5 games out is like one game ahead, using Bucky Dent math.
Omi Cantor says:
Papa Paul and I are having the best time this year as Red Sox Die hards. You should also know that Rabbi Kushner of “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” arranges his speaking engagements outside of the Boston area to coincide with that city’s team playing the Red Sox.
We are counting on a World Series in Boston.
Ed Sugar says:
As a Dodger fan, I am heartbroken over the Yankees recent misfortune. Boy, as far as I am concerned, if Mr. Bonds fails to break the career homerun record, 2007 will go down as a lost and forgotten season. (For the young and the dense, this is a mode of satirical wit that writers and comedians often employed called “sarcasm”)
With the Yankees in the tank and Red Sox Nation poised for the playoffs in October, do you think Fox and ESPN will continue force feeding their now meaningless games to the rest of the nation? If one did not subscribe to MLB Extra Innings and relied on the two above mentioned networks for their baseball fix, they would be led to believe that there are just 4 major league baseball teams; the Red Sox, the Yankees and whoever they happen to be playing.
Jay Wilson says:
With reference to your blog, I hope you understand that Yankee fans have supreme confidence in their team and look down with scorn on the weak, pitiful, delusional attempts by insecure Red Sox fans to grasp at straws.
The rotation is coming together. Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, Clemens and Hughes (when he comes off the DL)-it’s the best in baseball. Damon. Abreau, Cano–the guys who have not been hitting–are proven hitters and will have strong seasons from here on in. Giambi has been a distraction–good riddance! A-rod has a busty girlfriend so I expect him to return to April performance levels. Jeter and Posada are the best in baseball at their positions.
The Red Sox? A flash in the pan. Schilling is over the hill; Wakefield is a 500 pitcher at best who can’t beat the Yankees; the Japanese guy needs a couple years in the minors; the others are prone to injury.
Most of the new team members are overachieving and will start to decline. As soon as Manny sees the team start to decline, he’ll start thinking about being traded. The Red Sox are about to implode.
The implosion starts tonight!
Jeremy Bromberg says:
As a Yankees fan living in Boston, I’d like to amend what I told quite a few people in 2004. I would never deprive another human being of the right to be happy twice in 88 years.
Merrill Dubrow says:
A little Yankee/Red Sox humor that was sent to me last week:
Showing once again the lack of Honor from the RS Nation.
One foggy night, a Yankee fan was heading north from New
York and a Red Sox fan was driving south from Boston. While crossing a narrow bridge, they hit each other head-on, mangling both cars. The Red Sox fan manages to climb out of his car and survey the damage.
He looks at his twisted car and says, “Man, I’m lucky to be alive!” Likewise, the Yankees fan gets out of his car uninjured, he too feeling fortunate to have survived. The Yankee fan walks over to the Red Sox fan and says, “Hey, man, I think this is a sign that we should put away our petty differences and live as friends instead of being rivals.”
The Red Sox fan thinks for a moment and says, “You know, you’re absolutely right! We should be friends. In fact, I’m going to see if something else survived the wreck.”
The Red Sox fan then pops open his trunk and removes a full, undamaged bottle of Jack Daniel’s. He says to the Yankee fan, “I think
this is another sign we should toast to our newfound friendship.”
The Yankee fan agrees and grabs the bottle. After sucking down half of the bottle, he hands it back to the Red Sox fan and says, “Your turn!” The Red Sox fan calmly twists the cap back on the bottle, throws the
rest of the bottle over the bridge into the river and says, “Nah, I think I’ll just wait for the cops to show up.
Pat Savolt says:
I was anticipating this blog for quite some time. I believe you waited until it was relatively safe to make this prediction. Two things, it’s not over until it’s over and there is always the Wild Card — where it very well may come down to a playoff series between the Yankees and Red Sox — and when those 2 teams meet crazy things occur. I now have to “pay” to watch my beloved Yankees (MLB extra innings) — and we are not happy with what we are seeing (until the past week or so) and we find ourselves constantly switching to the Red Sox games to see what they are doing — congratulations, you do have a great team this year — may the best team win!
Jennie Lovejoy says:
I too have been waiting for this one. We can go with old facts like, the Yankees always seem to find ways to beat the Red Sox…giving them a break once or twice a century, or we can go with new facts like, the Yankees were 13 1/2 games back when this blog was started and only 8 1/2 games back now and riding an 8 game winning streak! (makes me smile to know the sweat beads are beginning to build on the brow of the RS nation…even though they won’t admit it!)
We can update the stats as well…
-over the last 7 days-
A-Rod: 4 HR - 14 RBI - 7 R
Abreu: 11 R - .440 avg. - 9 RBI
Damon: .345 avg over the past six games.
Rivera: 0.00 ERA - 0.86 WHIP - 2 SV
Mussina: struck out six and walked none in 7 2/3 last night.
The Yankees are averaging eight runs over their past six games. Wednesday’s three long balls make it 15 in 12 June games. In June, the Yankees are already 10-2, with more than half the month left to play.
As a little cake topper, since that sweep the Yankees have won 5 and lost 4 to Boston while scoring 49 runs in the process!
Watch your back Boston! It aint over yet, fellas…long time until October!!!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Pat,
Thanks for your comments. It should be an interesting finish this year. The Red Sox/Yankees don’t meet until August. Maybe those games will mean something after all!
The Sox are in the middle of a losing streak - there worst of the year. Enjoy it for now because it WILL NOT last long!
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
Thanks for waiting weeks to respond - yes your yankees are hot and yes Clemens is back. Roger if you really want to impress me pitch a gem tonight and beat the Mets. Than win a few games on the road. Beating the Pirates who by the way might be the worst hitting team in the NL is meaningless. Jeannie they pushed his start because they didn’t want him to face the Red Sox and get pounded.
Enjoy your recent success because they still have a way to go and I for one don’t think they will do much of anything in the playoffs - assuming they make it. The closest they will get to a world series ring this year is having Jeter and AROD call “BIG PAPI” and have him show off his ring!
90+ games to go - should make for a fun summer.
Merrill
Pat Savolt says:
Can you Red Sox fans count to 7 1/2?
Merrill Dubrow says:
Pat,
I love that you are following the race so close. Please don’t get too upset when your Yankees let you down this year. Easy for you to have high expectations when your team has the highest payroll in baseball.
That team is very old - and frankly getting older everyday. Yes they will make a trade at the deadline but I really don’t believe they will be playing in late October!
Merrill
Matt Gershner says:
Just like a Red Sox fan, counting early in the season.
Don’t look now, but the Yanks have won 11 of the past 12 and have taken that 14 game deficit down to 8.5 after the weekend. And I thought we’d have to wait until the end of July to catch up to “Red Sox Nation” (do you have a flag, a salute and a handshake too?).
Merrill Dubrow says:
Good morning.
The Red Sox are clearly in a bad stretch - their worst of the year. They are 8-8 during this month and The Yanks are hot.
Enjoy it while it lasts because the Sox will go on another tear this summer and put some more distance between the other American League. contenders.
Because the Red Sox have solid pitching they will NOT have long losing streaks - their longest of the year is 4 and might stay that way the entire season.
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie/Pat/Matt,
Just wanted to make sure you didn’t miss what Scott Proctor did over the weekend:
After surrendering three runs in 1/3 inning Saturday, Scott Proctor set fire to his glove, uniform, spikes and other items, outside the Yankee dugout following the game.
“I burned everything, the whole bit,” Proctor said. “I’ve done it before when things have gone bad. When I needed a change.” He has given up six runs on 10 hits and three walks in his last 4-1/3 innings.
I guess things are really “HEATING UP IN THE BRONX”.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Mr. D!
That is pretty funny. More importantly, I know we’re back to 11 games back. So what! Only 1/2 way through the season as you just reminded me 10 seconds ago. For most teams that would be devastating…for the Yankees, that’s NOTHING!!!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
I love the fact that you support your team. I do believe you are not in touch with reality.
Most championship teams don’t have huge peaks and valleys.
Take a look at the winning and losing streaks by our two teams:
Red Sox Eight - three game winning streaks
Two - four game winning streaks
Two - five game winning streaks
One - three game losing streak
One - four game losing streak
Yankees Two - three game winning streaks
One - nine game winning streak
Two - three game losing streaks
One - four game losing streak
Two - five game losing streaks
The Red Sox will win the east for sure. Their pitching is solid and won’t allow long losing streaks.
Sorry Jennie and fans of the Yankees it will be a very long summer for you and your team.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
My friend Merrill,
2004 was real, wasn’t it? The Yankees proved then that these regular season streaks mean nothing. The longest losing streak we had was 4 games, and it only happened once. Other than that, only three 3 game losing streaks. We had an 8 game winning streak, a 6 game winning streak, three 5 game winning streaks, five 4 game winning streaks, and three 3 game winning streaks. Oh yeah, and we won the east…which we’re currently sitting on a 9 titles in a row streak there. BUT, we all know where that led to…the toilet! After it was all said and done, your BoSox went home MLB champions. ‘member that? Ooooof course, you do! The Yankees can do the same thing. Everyone knows it! Many hope and pray that they won’t! But until the last out is called and the fat lady starts whaling, there will be just enough fear in the back of your minds to keep you switching over to the Yankee games to check the score…just to check…just to keep your hopes alive…just to keep your confidence up…just to keep your doubts in check…because, until then we’re right behind ya, right on your bumper, making you nervous like a cop late for his donut break!
So, a long summer is fine with me! It will be fun to watch no matter what.
BTW, how many Yankee games have you gone to this season, and how many BoSox games have you gone to this season? Don’t worry, I won’t tell!
Bob Graham says:
Jennie and other Yankee fans,
Since we’re talking streaks, I seem to remember a four game losing streak by the Yankees back in October 2004 that turned out to be THE BIGGEST CHOKE IN THE HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS! So don’t be so cocky. The Fat Lady will sing again, but the song she’ll sing is “Tessie”.
Boston Bob
Bob Graham says:
The AL won the All-Star Game! Sox will have home field advantage in the World Series! Woo-Hoo!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Bob,
I happen to be there and had mixed feelings about the AL winning. since they won the first two games will be in BOSTON but Ed and Myself will be in Atlanta for the MRA board meeting and conference.
If they lost the middle games would have been over the weekend.
I am glad they won! Ended up being a fun and exciting game.
Merrill
Jeffrey Lorber says:
When we start thinking “Wild Card” it’s time to heed the words of Yogi, “The future ain’t what it used to be!”
At 9 1/2 games out, 1 week after the All-Star break, I’m not ready to think bridesmaid. It is now about character and the will to win (as well as avoiding injury and throwing the occasional strike!)
So, do the Yankees have the collective spirit necessary to make a comeback? I honestly don’t know. The team is studded with great players, and yes, aging veterans, who know how to win. Predicting this is like predicting the Stock Market - I don’t know if it will go up or down, I do know they have enough talent to rally, and Torre is an amazing leader.
And one more thing, Merrill, you have to promise to stop throwing that Yankee Payroll nonsense out there, especially when the Sox payroll is second only to the Yanks and more than double 12 teams in the majors! We both know that money helps but doesn’t buy victory. If it did, the Sox may have won more World Series’. HA!
P.S. Don’t take your eyes off the rearview mirror. There’s still a lot of baseball to play.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jeffrey,
Thanks for finally responding now that the Yankees have cut into the Red Sox lead. You can never toss out the payroll fact - yes the Red Sox have the 2nd highest payroll but it is 80 million dollars behind the Yankees.
We both know that money does buy some championships and if it didn’t the Yankees wouldn’t have won ANY under Joe Torre.
Should be a fun summer.
Merrill
Jeffrey Lorber says:
Fact check - 80 million does sound better!
Year / Total Payroll 2007
Team Total payroll
New York Yankees $ 189,639,045
- Boston Red Sox $ 143,026,214
equals $46,612,831 [take out A-Rod ($22 mm) and Pavano ($10 mm)we're almost even!]
8 games back - start thinking Bucky Dent!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jeffrey,
Thanks for setting the record straight………. sort of… if you are taking out AROD and Pavano - than the Sox can take out Clement ($9mm) and other members of the team that are hurt as well.
Can’t fight this fact the Yankees have had the highest payroll for YEARS! That won’t change for a very long time and clearly can make personnel mistakes as opposed to other teams where the margin of error is much smaller.
When the Yankees make a mistake they go out and buy another player - it would be nice to have a unlimited salary budget like the Yankees do.
Good luck Jeffrey - this year you are going to really need it. They face Tampa Bay and KC - and will pile up the wins. Wait until they go into another funk - which should happen in the next few weeks.
Merrill
Jeffrey Lorber says:
Dubes:
Glad we’ll pile up the wins vs KC since they handed your boys 2 losses this week including a 9-3 shellacking. What does that tell you - that KC got good all of a sudden, or the vaunted Sox are starting to show signs of, dare I say, low self-esteem? 7 1/2 games out and the image in the rearview gets a little closer, a little bigger. Besides, who wants to see Cleveland in the playoffs?
I love this game!
Jeffrey
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie, Jeffrey, Jay, Nic,
I guess we are in the home stretch and guess what the Red Sox are in 1st place. Not only are they in 1st place the y have the BEST record in baseball. They only team with a winning percentage over .600.
The Red Sox have outstanding pitching and with the addition of Eric Gagne (thanks Theo) and Curt Schilling coming back tonight they just got better.
Yes the Yankees are playing better - we knew they would BUT before all of the Yankee fans get too excited their season is on the line. 20 of the next 23 games are against really good teams. If they can beat teams like Detroit, Cleveland, LA and the Red Sox they deserve to make the playoffs.
The time is NOW - lets see what happens. I know the Red Sox will be playing in October - what about the Yanks?
I look forward to hearing your perspective.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
All right, all right! I’ve been waiting for this. Dubes (I like that, Jeff), I told you when you started this and you were cruising through the office with your feet 3ft. off the ground…the Yankees will be there! …and, here we come! Btw, I’m loving the current BoSox series. You win, you help us in the wild card race…you lose, you help us in the division race as well! Doesn’t matter though, we’ll be there! Hmmmm, the next 23 games huh…the Yankees will finish AT LEAST 18-5 and that will include a series win over your BoSox.
Question about all this payroll banter…is it worse to buy another player after you make a mistake, or is it worse to spend millions of dollars on a player specifically so the team you’re most afraid of doesn’t get him?? OR, is it all just successful MLB of the not so distant future?
***faint whisper chant Merrill hears in his dreams…buck-y…buck-y…buck-y***
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
I love your passion, energy and enthusiasm even though it is miss directed to the NY Yankees. There is no way the Yankees go 18-5. I will even make a friendly wager on it - no money something that means more. If the Yankees go 18-5 or better i will not wear my Boston Redsox red band for ONE month. If the Yankees come up short you can’t wear a Yankee shirt for a month?
Since the Yankees already won yesterday you have a head start.
Are you standing behind your team?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
OK Dubes,
You bet I am standing behind my team!! It’s a bet! I had to cut off about 11 inches of my hair once because of the Cowboys! I can do this! I don’t think the Yankees will make me buy a new wardrobe, though! But, I think you should have to wear short sleeves the whole time your BoSox band is missing…AND, I should get to cut it off of your arm!!!
You’re confident, right? 
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
I will agree to both of those things with one exception client visits. I still will wear a shirt/tie other than that short sleeves for a month.
If you win we will take some pictures of you cutting it off my wrist.
Good luck.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Perfect! I’m sharpening my scissors as we speak!
Pat Savolt says:
I haven’t checked this blog in awhile and thought I would find some interesting stuff from Jennie and Merrill. I thought I was a fanatical Yankee fan — Jennie, you have me beat. I am routing for you (and the Yankees) 100% and if the Yankee pitching can keep it up, I think Merrill will be bandless. So, keep those scissors sharp, but we have our work cut out for us, 18 and 5 will be tough — already have 2, only need 16 more!
PS Merrill — I think Boston has the far better pitching team. Yankees have a bunch of “old” pitchers that I think will start to show their age come September when it is going to get down to the nitty gritty. And don’t get too excited about Curt Schilling — I think we can put him in the same categoy as Mussina — both starting to show their age, not to mention that the Yankees always seem to bomb him.
The next month is going to prove to be very interesting.
Joshua Kail says:
In the time since Mr. Dubrow’s eloquent blog posting on June 1st:
The Boston Red Sox are 32-28, a whopping 4 games over .500, a .533 winning %
The New York Yankees are 40-21, 19 games over .500, a .655 winning %
-The lead in the American League East has been trimmed from 13 1/2 games (at the time of the posting- 1 game better than the high mark of 14 1/2 games) to just 5 games, with still 6 games head-to-head against the Red Sox remaining
-The lead in the wild card race has been trimmed down to 1/2 game
-A-Rod has gone on to post MVP-type #’s .296 36HR 109 RBI’s 258 total bases- 1.025 OPS–with still 49 games to play, and possibly have one of the greatest complete offensive seasons in Yankee history in terms of total HR’s and RBI’s and OPS
-Since the All star Break, the Yankees (21-7) lead the league in Wins, Runs Scored, HR’s, Batting Average, OPS, etc.
-The pitching staff has been fortified, both in experience with Roger Clemens, as well as infused with Youth, in the form of Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, strengthening both the starting rotation and bullpen. Gone are the Matt DeSalvo’s, Tyler Clippards, Darrell Rasners, and Chase Wrights of the world (unfortunately for Red Sox fans, he will not be around again to serve up 4 consecutive gopher balls). The “revolving door” of starters is no longer, and quite possibly, the Yanks have the most potent 1-5 starters in the league. Wang, Pettitte, Clemens, Mussina, Hughes.
- The “Japanese Phenom” as Merill describes Kei Igawa (although I would be hard pressed to see any Yankee beat writer, staff member, or fan describe him as such, he was brought in to be a #4 or #5 starter, unlike Dice-K, whom was expected to be at worst a #2 starter) is back in the minors where he belongs, and will not see NY for the rest of the season
-Jason Giambi has now returned the the lineup from injury, making the bench even stronger. A bench of Giambi, Duncan, Damon, Bettemit, and Molina certainly sounds a lot better than Kevin Thompson, Josh Phelps, Wil Nieves, etc, etc…
- Robinson Cano has raised his average approximately .70 points during the season, and since July 2nd (33 games) is batting .412 with 8 HR’s and 27RBI’s, scoring 27 Runs, also with increased plate discipline (see 3 BB’s from last night’s game)
- Melky Cabrera since June 1st- .348 5 HR 34 RBI’s .928 OPS 124 total bases, while also leading the team in OF assists
-Mike Mussina has won his last 3 starts (more than can be said for Any Red Sox starter right now)
-Bobby Abreu has raised his average from .228 to .285
- Hideki Matsui in earning player of the month for July, batted .345, 13 HR’s, 28 RBI’s, 31 runs, 39 hits
- Mariano Rivera, whom Merill so cheerfully stated only had 4 saves, now has 18 saves (it’s tough to pile them up when the team consistently is blowing out the competition) his ERA is now below 3.00, at 2.83 (I believe in the last 2 months his ERA has been approx 1.50) his WHIP is 1.01, and his K to walk ratio is at a staggering 50/5.. - equating to 10.0– Papelbon’s ratio stands at 4.46
-Since the opening sweep by the Red Sox in the 1st series of the year, the Yanks hold a 5-4 edge in Head to Head competition (2-1 since Merril’s June 1 posting)
so I implore Merrill, please, keep the blogs coming!
Pat Savolt says:
Joshua-
Your recap of the stats are remarkable. I knew Cano and Cabrera have been on fire the last several weeks — along with other players getting key hits. I am still leery about Yankee pitching — though I liked what I saw last night with Chamberlain. I have to disagree with the “potent” pitching staff — I think Clemens, Petite and Mussina can all pitch a good game, but I believe (with the exception of Clemens) they need the offense to put a good 7 - 10 runs on the board to win the game — which luckily they have been doing (but the Red Sox will come and score 11 or 12). I know it’s not always the case, but I don’t think either Mussina nor Petite are pitching extremely well overall.
You can’t get a bigger Yankee fan than I am. I was raised right outside the Bronx, went to high school in the Bronx and my husband is an ex-Yankee vendor (when he was in high school). So, let’s go Yankees and let’s knock Boston right out of first place like we did last year!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Where are all the Red Sox fans! I feel like I need a little help.
Joshua - I love your passion and frankly I am very impressed with your putting together the stats. I will admit I have been impressed with how the Yankees have played over the past few months I still don’t believe they win the east.
I loved Roger Clemens hitting Rios and after getting tossed out having that “would do i do look - the ball slipped out of my hands” I hope all of the Yankees have the same look when they don’t win anything this year.
Pat - Chamberlain did look good but remember Hughes was pitching a no hitter and got hurt a few innings later. many months later he is pitching now.
May the best team win and I keep my Red Sox bracelet in one piece this year!
Merrill
Jeffrey Lorber says:
Joshua - We need to meet - that was an encyclopedic rendering of the Yankees recent performance. Well done!
This is a fired up team, Merrill. You can tell, because if you listen to the fans, right here on your own blog, you can hear we are pumped. And the Red Sox fans? You said it: “Where are all the Red Sox fans! I feel like I need a little help.”
I was happy to settle for the wild card a few weeks back. NOW I WANT IT ALL!!! The Yankees will win the World Series this year - how they get there is relevant only in how entertaining the race becomes. This rivalry is what makes the sport so good. I mean really, who would care if Detroit or Cleveland was battling it out with the Sox except for a few welders in Motown?
Jennie - Make him wear a Yankees cap too!
Hit Hit Jorge!
Josh Kail says:
I’m guessing that RSN is a bit too nervous right now to puff out their collective chests and defend themselves…I owe a great deal of the stats to the good folks from nyyfans.com- as much as I would love to say that I computed that all on my own, unfortunately that thing called work always seems to get in the way…As far as Clemens goes, of course he is going to have the “it just slipped” excuse, because out and out admitting that he plunked Rios would lead to an automatic suspension (which he may get a few games anyway). Just as a small history lesson, in 2005, at this same point in the season the Yanks were 5 games back, so you still give them no shot at the division, especially with 6 games head-to-head??
Merrill Dubrow says:
Josh,
You are a bigger fan than I thought - especially to abbreviate Red Sox Nation - it doesn’t matter how big of a puzzled look Mr Clemens (who will be wearing a Red Sox hat when he goes into the Hall Of Fame) on his face will be suspended as will Torre - or at least they should be. My gut is two games for Clemens and one for Torre.
2005 was along time ago form this standpoint - the Sox pitching is GREAT! If their starters give them 6 quality innings they will not lose many games. Their bullpen is usually lights out in the 7/8/9 inning when it really matters. The Yankees can beat up on all the little teams - but lets see them rock Halliday and Carmona in the next two games.
Josh - I would rather be in the Red Sox position than the Yankees.
Time will tell.
Merrill
Bob Graham says:
Ah, Yankee fans, such a class act. You’re talking mighty confident for a team that is still behind. You’ve been mighty quiet for a while, but it looks like the bandwagon has made a stop at the old Merrill Dubrow blog nothing attracts Yankee fans more than a bandwagon.
Do the numbers 2004 mean anything to you? It should, that was the year you committed THE BIGGEST CHOKE IN THE HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS.
The Yanks going 18 and 5 in the next 23? Can I get in on this action? If the Yanks go 18-5 on their next 23 games I will eat Teo’s Hot Dogs in the middle of Park Square in Pittsfield, MASS in my UMASS boxer shorts.
Jenny, I don’t hear a chant of “Bucky-Bucky”, but I do hear “Steroids, steroids, steroids..” whenever Jason Giambi steps up to the plate. By the way, how do you get the NY Yankees to stand up at the same time? “Will the defendants please rise…”.
Remember, folks, it ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings, and in the 21st Century her favorite song is “Tessie”.
ps. Let’s give a big shoutout to my heroine Jessica Biel who dates Derrek Jeter, but wears Red Sox apparel in Yankee Stadium. You go girl!
Josh Kail says:
If you were impressed by my RSN abbreviation, would you like me to start talking about SoSH? Question- if the Sox starting pitching is as dominating as you claim, how does that explain the mediocrity from the team for the past 2 months? Granted Schilling has been hurt, and now Gagne added to the mix makes an already great bullpen devastating, but the Sawx should be well above .500 since June and they simply have not been. Part of it could be a product of having a huge lead and “going through the motions” but turning the switch “On” is a lot tougher than it seems. Agreed, the Yanks have certainly been beating up on the “little sisters of the poor” of late, but what this has done is put the Yanks in a position to make a run at the WC, division, etc- and now that the team is playing their best ball of the season, I really feel confident that they can win a great deal of the games during this tough August stretch- maybe 18 is a pipe dream, but with Detroit and Cleveland’s poor play of late, the 11 games against those 2 teams is not nearly as daunting as it was a month, or even 2 weeks ago. Yeah, you can throw 2004 in my face, just as easily as I can throw 1978 right back, and 2003, and Babe Ruth, etc, etc…unfortunately 4 games doesn’t erase all of recorded history (one year just can’t erase a fan base’s inherent feeling of impending doom either). Would I rather my team be 5 up or 5 down, obvious no-brainer- but I will pose the question back–Would you rather have your team playing at a .650 clip heading into the stretch run as opposed to meandering through at .500…And as far as the steroids/Giambi comment, in this day and age, it is fairly impossible to believe that a clubhouse exists that is completely clean, so it really is a case of people in glass houses throwing stones. Yes Giambi is an admitted user, but you’re going to sit here and tell me that Papi’s head naturally got that big???
Merrill Dubrow says:
Josh,
Thanks for the email and all of your comments. Good pitchers have bad streaks and that is one reason that the Sox have played poorly over the past few months. Their hitting has gone away at times and again another reason why the lead isn’t double digits howvere the fact is with 48 games to go they have the BEST RECORD IN BASEBALL! I know that pains you and Jeffrey and Jennie to hear the reality is it is the truth.
The Yankees have gone 20-8 in their last 28 games - very impressive….. maybe…. The teams they have played with the exception of 3 games - ALL had a losing record. That all changes for them in the next 3 weeks. With the exception of the Orioles who play them tough they face really good teams - if the pitching match ups don’t go the Yankees way they will lose a bunch of games.
The Red Sox - have 12 games let with Tampa bay - I believe they will win 8 of those games - if they split the other 38 games that gives them 95 wins. The Yankees just to tie have to win 32 more games - two out of every three. I just don’t see that happening. Maybe they get closer but they don’t win the east.
Also most of the Yankee starters are old - as the season goes on they will not be able to toss great game after great game. Wang’s era went up last night almost a half a run with a bad outing - it won’t surprise anyone when that happens to their other starters. Not to mention Hughes got pounded on Saturday.
Good luck over the 49 games!
Merrill
Caitlin Graham (BoSox) says:
One more thing to ponder is that the yankees were trying to get rid of ARod, who just hit 500 homeruns… They’re so smart… And Let’s talk about Johnny Damon. You may say that he left the Red Sox for a better team, when really the Yankees bought out Damon only to keep him on the bench and place him on the field very rarely. Red Sox Nation has the most dedicated fans… How do I know that? Well because I am one and through hard times we stick to our beloved team, for better or for worse. All you can seem to talk about is how they are going to come back… Well, hope and dream all you want but may I just remind you that we are in reality and in reality yous’ guys are behind. I have one word for you Papi, and if he not a big enough statement for you then check the rankings. Thank God I ‘m a red sox fan, the dedicated team that doesn’t buy out their risks. This is baseball and not the stock market. Red sox keep baseball, baseball; the yankees make baseball about money. I leave you with this the Red Sox hit the baseball wicked hard!!!
Jennie Lovejoy says:
My, my, my is this GREAT or what???
Bob, let me start by saying that true blue-blooded Yankee fans are fans through thick and thin and don’t need a bandwagon.
And Josh, we both know the RSN always brings up 2004, because that’s ALL they have! Makes ‘em feel better about that “inherent feeling of impending doom”! Funny you should mention 1978, because I was coming here to do that very thing. Dubes, the standings in 1977/1978 were almost exactly the same as they are now. Do you need details of how the season ended? Probably not.
Jason Giambi’s steroid use will not factor into this season’s standings no matter what. Whether he’s at Yankee Stadium or the Betty Ford clinic, it doesn’t matter at all.
I would much rather be playing with the momentum the Yankees have as opposed to moving towards a downhill slump.
In any case, I can smile already just knowing that it was not that long ago that a certain RSN member told me that it was virtually impossible for the Yankees to make the playoffs, and now he knows he was WRONG…not only is it possible for them to make the playoffs, it is entirely possible for them to win the division! BEAUTIFUL!!!
Bob Cecil says:
I’m a little curious about Jennie’s Aug 7th bet. Jennie, did you realize that you were committing to a 78% winning percentage? Did that really come from someone who works in Market Research? How’s it working out?
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Bob - It’s working out well so far, actually. 2-1 so far. It’s just too bad that we didn’t start 3 games sooner. We’d be at 5-1. There’s nothing wrong with forecasting.
Bob Graham says:
Jenny,
Of course you Yankee fans stick with your team through thick and thin. That’s why you waited two weeks, until they got “warm” and they welcomed Clemens back into their midst until you first replied to this blog topic.
I must say you and Josh are awfully non-challant about the presence of a dirty drug abuser on your team (to say nothing of a a guy who yells “I got it.” or tries to swat the ball out of the first baseman’s hands when he can’t beat the tag).
Josh, If you’ve got evidence of Papi’s steroid use: bring it-put up or shut up! His head may be big, but so are his stones, and in a clutch situation is there anybody else in baseball you’d want batting on your team? But that’s OK, Big George will buy himself another over-rated superstar to add to his collection of clubhouse poison come off-season and they will fail again because they lack chemistry and chemistry wins championships.
As for 2004: The onus of having THE BIGGEST CHOKE IN THE HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS is still the monkey on your back (although the Indianapolis Colts almost took it away in 2005). 1978 is a distant memory. And of course 2004 is not the only thing historically that the Red Sox have going for them. They have won more than one World Series. Can you tell me how many without looking it up? They also had the greatest hitter in the history of the sport (imagine if he had not chosen to serve his country in the Korean War, but I digress…)
I think back to my childhood. By the time I was 7 years old, I had lived through the dark cloud of 5 Yankee Championships. A 7 year-old today has never experienced even one. Oh maybe, we’ll let you win another one one of these days, when the kid is an insecure pimply-faced teen–those are always such hard years, and we are not without compassion.
In the meantime, if the Red Sox win the League and/or the Series (see I take nothing for granted) does it really matter what their lead over the Evil Empire is? Which do I prefer, the ignominy of ending the year with a double digit lead or winning by just one game, letting the bums get just close enough–maybe two strikes away–from winning it all only to crush them against our foreheads like an empty can of Knickerbocker Beer. Gee, I can’t decide which is better…
PS. Jennie, sorry to hear you lost 11 inches of hair because of the Cowboys. That probably wouldn’t have happened if you had rooted for the Pats (you know, 3 Superbowls in 4 years), but that’s another story.
Josh Kail says:
As far as the Papi and Roids allegations- they came right from the horse’s mouth:
http://rss.msnbc.msn.com/id/18551856/
what Papi said isn’t any different than Sheffield or any others stating “I used the cream, but didn’t know it had roids in it” Again, you’re fooling yourself if in this day and age of the “steroid era” in baseball, that the Red Sox clubhouse is 100 % clean.
And seriously, I don’t want to hear any arguments from the nation about their lovable group of under-dogs somehow managing to be in front of the Yankees. The Sox spend a TON of $$’s (of course not as much as the Yanks, but they did out-bid everyone dramatically for Dice-K). Face the facts RSN, the Sox have become the Yankees (minus the 26 championships) in terms of out-spending just about every team in the league- which is everything that you loathe and despise.
As far as starting pitching staff’s go…If Pettitte, Clemens and Moose are “old”, then what does that make Schilling and Wakefield?
All I can say, is it is going to be a fun month and a half the rest of the way- this rivalry drives the sport (at least in my east-coast biased eyes) and will be great to see those gutty, gritty Yankees win the division again!
Merrill Dubrow says:
A few thoughts this morning!
GO BOB GO! Your message to Jennie/Josh and other Yankee fans was perfect.
As mentioned in a comment from me on Wednesday Mr. “I didn’t mean to hit Alex Rios” Clemens has gotten suspended for 5 games. I had predicted two but glad I was wrong - now he can go visit his family in Katy, Texas. Torre also got suspended for one game which is exactly what I said he would get.
Here is some advice for Roger - Keep defending your teammates and getting suspended. maybe it is just me but if the Yankees wanted and more important needed revenge than why not bring in Farnsworth or one of the pathetic relievers they have in the bullpen as opposed to a starter they will need?
Merrill
Jeremy Bromberg says:
One of the really great things about being a Yankees fan is that there is no need to pop off. I like to just smile warmly at all my Red Sox fan friends.
Josh Kail says:
More re: Big Papi– from today’s Boston Globe–
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2007/08/10/ortiz_is_powerless_in_clutch/
the drop in power, the nagging injuries/body breaking down…infer whatever you would like from that…
Pat Savolt says:
Boy, is this getting really heated. Well, what keeps the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry going is actually the die hard, dedicated fans — not the players. Merrill asks who’s side we are on —- JENNIE, JOSH AND THE YANKEES OF COURSE! I can already envision Jennie cutting that band off Merrill’s wrist (we want pictures!). And in the event (slight chance) Jennie doesn’t win, I will make sure to wear a Yankee shirt when Merrill comes to Greensboro.
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Bob,
Actually, I was out of town and didn’t know about this blog topic. I posted as soon as I read it. But, if I’m breathing and I see my friend Merrill there is a BoSox/Yankees exchange no matter what the history, score or standings might be.
LOL, the only reason anyone says anything about the whole “I got it” thing with A-Rod is because it was A-rod. Big deal. Had anyone else thought of it and got away with it, it wouldn’t even be up for discussion. Oh well.
No club in baseball is juice free. Sad but true. Some will get caught and some won’t. Nature of the beast.
There’s no monkey on our backs. It happened, it sucked and now it’s over. Yup, I can tell ya how many pennants the BoSox have won without looking…20 LESS than the Yankees! And kids were born, grew old and passed on between their last 2. Can’t say that for the Yankees. No doubt we’ll win more.
If it weren’t for their rivalry with the Yankees, no one outside of Boston would even know the difference between the RSN and a bunch of little girls running around with red socks on their feet.
It’s great! Finally more baseball to watch starting tonight! GO YANKEES!!!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Josh,
While I do understand lots of what you are saying I don’t agree that we overspent for DiceK. Yes we spent lots of money up front BUT we took all of the power and leverage away from Scott Boras for many years. When you factor everything in I believe we are paying around Barry Zito money which will be a bargain for sure. He is a workhorse and with DiceK, Beckett and a young Mariano Rivera closer in Papelbon the pitching will be set and steady for years.
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jeremy,
You are one classy guy!
This is the best rivalry in sports!
Merrill
Jeffrey Lorber says:
This thing is getting longer than Harry Potter!
Bob Graham wrote: “As for 2004: The onus of having THE BIGGEST CHOKE IN THE HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS is still the monkey on your back.”
Does the name Billy Buckner ring a bell? Sure, we lost a series, ho hum. But that game was the biggest choke I’ve ever personally witnessed. Want to know the sad thing? I was about to marry a Rhode Island girl and so to suck up to my father-in-law-to-be I sat by his side and actually rooted for the Sox (against the Mets, it wasn’t really too difficult!) So I have felt what you Sox fans feel almost daily. You are very strong people, I admit, to take all this abuse that you so rightfully deserve! (BTW - Still married 27 years later.)
New York City is the capital of the world and the Yanks are the official emblem of it’s power, and wealth, and success. Boston is a pleasant blue-collar town. Both so “American” in their own ways. Overachievers versus the Underdogs.
In the end it doesn’t really matter who wins what - to me what matters is that it’s there to watch, to cheer, to fret over, and applaud. God I’d be miserable if I didn’t have this family feud. Thank you all for adding to the fun of it!
Caitlin Graham (BoSox) says:
Josh about Papi and steroids, he states that he doesn’t know if he used steroids when he was younger. Is it not possible that the steroids could of been in a supplement to lose weight or tone up. There was a point when steroids was like Creatine or cigarettes no one realized the effects. As a sports medicine trainer, I can tell you that Ortiz has fat all over his body, and the same fat that a steroid user would not have.
Matt Gershner says:
The Yanks are 22-8 since the All-Star break and are now only 4 games back of the Sox (and leading the wild-card race). We’ve made up 10 games on Boston since you began this thread and look how much time is left in the season…
Ah, this is getting really fun.
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Well, well, well…HAPPY MONDAY!
A little recap for your reading pleasure…
My boys are at 5 - 1 with 18 games left in this bet with the sweep of the Indians this weekend. How did the BoSox do you ask? Hmmmm, they lost 2 out of 3 in their weekend series! Who was pitching? Well, that would be Daisuke Matsuzaka and Curt Schilling. NICE!!! We did it with 21 yr. old Phil Hughes, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte. The latter two of course are two that are supposed to be too old to win a game if their lives depended on it…according to certain people posting on this blog.
We have a little ways to go, but what a nice start! I keep telling you not to be so quick to write off the Yankees! BoSox fans grab yourselves some hankies to wipe those sweat beads that are building on your foreheads…and, bring on the “contenders” AND bring on the schtick!!!
Have a nice day!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Matt/Jeffrey - clearly the Yankees are playing great baseball but they are playing WAY over their heads. Just like they weren’t as bad as their record indicated earlier in the year they aren’t this good now.
Yes the Red Sox have been playing very poorly over the past few months - but when you check the standings this morning. THEY STILL HAVE THE BEST RECORD IN BASEBALL….. Amazing BUT true!
This is the best rivalry in sports!
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Well since you like to stay current and not so much about OLD stats, let me add…
“The Yankees have won eight of nine, and with an offense mashing like no other, improved to a BASEBALL-BEST 23-8 since the All-Star break.” (espn.com)
…you know, just to stay current and up-to-date!
Jay Wilson says:
Listen carefully. Can you hear it? The slowly accelerating, inevitable onslaught of Jeter, A-Rod, Matsui, Cano, Posada etc., the whining of Red Sox fans, the deer-in-the-headlights look on the faces of the Red Sox players who, with one lucky exception, have crumbled in September? The Yankees are coming…the Yankees are coming!
Get out your checkbook again.
Jay
Bob Graham says:
Boston, home of Harvard, MIT, BC, BU the Boston Symphony the intellectual capital of the US is a “blue collar city”? Forget steroids, Jeffery, what kind of drugs are you on?
Let’s not get off topic though, because I love New York City. I lived there for 5 years and go back every chance I get. I may not love it as much as I love Boston (and I love it in a different way) but I do love it just a little more than I love my third favorite, Chicago (and way more than I love LA or SF).
Yes, the Yankees have won more WS Championships than everybody else. They are the Celtics of Baseball.
In the meantime, the Yankees start a 3 game series with Baltimore tonight. Hey Millar, COWBOY UP!!
joel says:
last time I posted, the Yankees were 12.5 behind the redsox and I said that by Yankee-Red Sox math. the Yankees were really a game and a half up. (I was a stats major in college before going into Mktg
Research). Now it’s only 4–I’m lovin’ it! Go C&C boys!
Bob Graham says:
Let me pause Yankee fans to offer condolences on the passing of Phil Rizzuto. He was a great and charismatic announcer had an enormous love for the game and was fun to listen to (even if I didn’t always care for the outcomes he was reporting). “Holy Cow!”
Merrill Dubrow says:
Following up on Bob Graham’s comments I want to send my condolences to all Yankee fans. Phil Rizzuto was a great Yankee player and Broadcaster
He wasn’t the biggest or strongest player in his day and clearly was over shadowed by Mantle and DiMaggio but he did his part. He was a scrappy player, who made the All Star team 5 times.
I
didn’t realize he was American league MVP in 1950. One of the main reasons Phil is in the Hall of Fame was because of Boston’s own Ted Williams. Phil was bypassed 26 times in total which might be a record before getting into the Hall of Fame in 1994. The only reason he got in was a very emotional and aggressive speech by Ted Williams to the voters.
Phil Rizzuto will be not only missed by Yankee fans but baseball fans.
Thanks for all the great memories.
Merrill
kath says:
Hi,
kath
I have not previously posted on this topic.
As a citizen of RSN, I just wanted to say good morning to all you yankee fans.
Did you all have a nice evening?
Jennie Lovejoy says:
nah! it was a butt kicking for sure, but that’s it in the grand scheme of things. we both lost today, so the standings remain the same. in the smaller scheme of things it puts me 2 games closer to a wardrobe change. LOL! i’m still 100% confident that won’t have to happen though! 14-2 is do-able. my boys can do it! 8 games vs detroit and 3 vs los angeles, and then the REAL FUN begins!!!
GO YANKEES!!!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
I am sure you are disappointed that your Yanks have now lost two in a row. That Oriole team is certainly scrappy and doesn’t give up. The real challenge for your team starts in 30 hours when they start a 14 game stretch that is the most challenging of the year. They than get a breather against Tampa Bay and than face the Seattle Mariners.
Should be exciting!
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Just in case you haven’t heard…
Commissioner announces no discipline for Giambi
08/16/2007 11:37 AM ET
MLB.com
Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced today that he will not take any disciplinary measures against Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees given his cooperation with Senator George Mitchell’s investigation and his off-field charitable activities.
Giambi had admitted to the use of performance-enhancing substances in a newspaper article in May and subsequently discussed his use with Senator Mitchell’s investigative team.
“Jason was frank and candid with Senator Mitchell,” said Commissioner Selig. “That and his impressive charitable endeavors convinced me it was unnecessary to take further action.”
In a letter to Giambi, the Commissioner wrote: “In the days since your interview, your representatives have discussed with my office your commitment to off-field charitable activities. For example, your agent has informed my office that you intend to donate $50,000 to the Partnership of a Drug Free America. You have also committed to make an additional donation of $50,000 in cash or equipment to the Harlem RBI. You also have agreed to make an appearance at the Major League Baseball Academy in Compton, California during the 2007-2008 off-season. Finally your representatives have notified the Baseball Tomorrow Fund of your willingness to participate in a check presentation ceremony.”
Bob Graham says:
I prefer the headline in the Boston Globe:
“Giambi Escapes Punishment from Selig”
Presidential pardons: it not just for White House cronies anymore!
ps. Go Sox
Bob Graham says:
Almost forgot. Has everyone seen the great new Clemens dropped-call commercial for Cingular. Roger is on the golf course and calls his wife asking if he should go back to the Yankees. At that time, the sound cuts out and Debbie Clemens is seen yelling “No!NO!NO!” with no sound coming out of her mouth. Roger then says to his golf buddies: “Hey guys, I can come back. She’s sppechless!” Really funny stuff!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Bob,
I haven’t seen the commercial. Any chance you can find it on the web and we can post it on the site. Thanks for your comments.
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
Here is the Roger Clemens commercial:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1749498531571522718&q=clemens+at%26t+commercial&total=1&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0
Very funny!
Merrill
Bob Cecil says:
Jennie: still think it’s possible now? (moral: it’s fine to root with your heart, but please learn to bet with your head - this game is streak-y, and 23 games is a long time …)
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Absolutely! ANYTHING is possible! I can see dropping one in LA, although I think they’re probably a little over confident after their series win over the BoSox. …then sweeping Detroit and the BoSox. It’s ok if no one wants to admit how well the Yankees are playing right now. Even if I had said 17 - 6 or 16 - 7, the same people would say they couldn’t do it. Would it look as “impossible” to you if they hadn’t lost that fluke last game in the Baltimore series? The bottom line is that they are not only playing better than LA, Detroit and Boston, they are playing better than EVERYONE right now! So, CAN they do it? Yes! WILL they do it? We shall see! They are improving with each and every game…playing with momentum! Everyone else is fighting to keep up and stay ahead!
GO YANKEES!
Bob Graham says:
Dearest Jennie,
The Yanks are playing better than “anyone” right now and “everyone” else is “fighting to keep up and stay ahead”? Earth to Jennie:they are 6-4 for the last 10 games; the same as Boston, the LA Angels, Oakland, the Mets, Arizona, Pittsburgh (last place, NL East) and SF (last place NL West). They are in second place in the AL East and second place in the Wild Card race. Don’t you think a touch of humility is called for?
Chances are good that you will need a new wardrobe soon and I have just the place for you to go shopping:
http://www.chowdaheadz.com/antiyankeegear1.html
Jennie says:
Yup, that’s exactly right…since the all-star break they have the best record in baseball.
I’ll give up a touch of humility in that we have an uphill battle tonight, seeing how we’re already down 6 runs, and it’s only the second inning. Still too early to count them completely out, though. In any case, if I have to change the duds, so be it. I’ll have them back in time for the playoffs! The Yankees WILL be in the playoffs!
Bob Cecil says:
Dearest Jennie,
Well, you were right about dropping one in L.A.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-BBA-Yankees-Angels.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
Now 5 games back with a 6-5 past-11-game record? They’ll need to play a little better than anyone to get in the playoffs, or build momentum. For the record, 16-7 would be a 70% winning streak - very high, but historically possible. When you’re talking 20+ games, however, a 78% record (18/5) is over the top.
C’mon now, don’t tell me a researcher can’t calculate odds. You can do better than this. Or perhaps we should say shame on Merrill for taking advantage of a passionate young lady.
Owen Jenkins says:
Let me summarize
1. The Reds Sox have the second best record in the AL since the all-star break.
2. This year they are a better, more balanced team than the Yankees.
3. The lead is 6 games right now.
4. The Reds Sox will match whatever the Yankees do from now on to end of season.
5. The best the Yankees can hope for is a wild card berth followed by a west coast trip and defeat by LAA in a five game series- a preview of which is now showing at 10pm tonight.
6. The Red Sox meanwhile will have time to getting the pitching rotation sorted, have home field advantage and a short trip to the central zone- probably Detroit
7. Which team would is better placed in your opinion?
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Ahhh, the Angels…with pitching like we had last night the Bad News Bears would have beaten us up. Go figure. That’s not going to keep happening though. Not with the youngsters as hot as they are. They can’t help if they don’t play, though. They will fix that!
No, Merrill didn’t take advantage of anyone. He gets WAAAY more grief than he dishes out. This little bet is NOTHING!
I LOVE this! Always resorting to stats, history and odds. None of which can take away the nervousness and nail biting that each and every Yankee win provides. Their losses, at this point, only provide more dialog and a little hope. When and IF they are eliminated from the playoffs will be the only time you can relax, and by the time your nails grow back it will be time to start biting them again.
GO YANKEES!!!
Bob Graham says:
Owen,
One thing you forgot from your summary: The Red Sox currently have the best record in baseball. I know Jenny would like to ignore the first half of the season, but facts is facts.
Dearest Jenny,
In the first place, my nails are intact as is the Red Sox ban on Merrill’s arm. I don’t fret the possibility of losing the AL title to the Yanks, because the Yanks themselves have show just how irrelevant it is in the grand scheme of things. All those AL titles you’ve managed to win in the past few years haven’t translated to WS titles have they? WS Champ T-shirts sell better than Divisional Champ t-shirts, I’m sure Mr Steinbrenner will verify that (or maybe it’s been so long he’s forgotten…).
Anyway, I’m glad you like our citing of statistics, history and odds. I’m amused by the way you keep ignoring them. Tell me again, exactly what position do you hold in the Bush Administration?
Boston Bob
Jennie Lovejoy says:
George hasn’t forgotten anything…he doesn’t have to count championships in 86 year increments. It’s somewhat true though I guess about the AL titles. We only have 16 of those to go with our 26 WS titles. I guess ya can’t leave out the 39 League championships since we’re all about history and such. Facts is facts, right? So if we use those statistics, it sounds like we have more trophies and banners than we do empty space. Hmmmm, 26 championships in 84 yrs to 6 championships in 104 yrs…I like those odds. Or, is it ok to ignore those?
Bush?? Didn’t he play for the Boston Bees in the 30s???? Sorry, I wasn’t around back then but, even if I had been I still wouldn’t have been a Boston fan!!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
Greetings from vacation - I have lots to say BUT I will be brief today. I respect you standing behind your team and love your passion for the NY Yankees. Yes you lost the bet and thankfully I don’t have to cut off my Red Sox bracelet. I must say there was little chance of that happening - your Yankees really aren’t that good. Yes they have scored lot’s of runs but their pitching is weak….. very weak… yes they have experience but they are old…. very old… Mussina might be dropped from the rotation.
The thing you need to realize is time is running out - there is not alot of games left and the Yankees margin of error is very, very slim!
I look forward to seeing your smiling face over the next 30 days since you won’t be wearing any of those Yankee shirts.
See you Monday.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Merrill!!!
It’s about time! I’ve actually missed ya this week!
So, does the entire RSN read from the same script? It differs a bit from the rest of baseball you know. (ex. foxsports.com has us 3rd in power rankings this week) But, whatever makes you guys feel better!
I look forward to you seeing me to over the next 30 days! BUT, let me say right now before anyone gets crazy, again…I myself WILL BE ON VACATION NEXT WEEK 8/27 - 8/31 WITHOUT ACCESS TO A COMPUTER!!! Rest assured that no matter what happens, I won’t be hiding from, avoiding or afraid of this blog!! I WILL be back, so everyone RELAX!!!
GO YANKEES!!
Bob Graham says:
Jennie,
RSN reads from the same script? All we seem to get out of Planet Yankee is “86 years…Bucky…Buckner…Steinbrenner isn’t a sleaze ball…Yankees are loved all over the world…zzzzzzz Well in the first place, anybody can have a bad century, and in the second place those ghosts are gone, exorcised in 2004, despite Yankee fans’ tiresome obsession with living in the past.
Merrill,
Congrats on being able to keep your bracelet, but you’ll need a new one in October: One that says Boston Red Sox: 2007 World Champions.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Bob,
I love the way you are thinking. I was watching the Sox game tonight and actually saw Manny hustling……… the announcers actually said that Manny thinks they have a great shot at the trophy again this year!
Sounds like a strong possibility of a parade in late October!
I can’t wait!
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie & Yankee fans,
Good morning. For some reason the sun is shinning a little brighter, the birds are singing a little louder - why you ask? I will get back to that in a minute.
In the last three weeks this is what has happened:
As predicted here - the Yankees would struggle during the hardest part of their schedule. They needed to step up and didn’t going 11-9 in their last 20 games. During that time the mighty Red Sox have expanded their lead by going 12-8.
The Red Sox became the 4th team in the last 110 years to score 10+ runs in 4 straight games. During their sweep of the White Sox - the Red Sox outscored them 46-7.
Oh yeah and I forgot the Yankees just suffered their WORST road loss (16-0) last night in the history of their franchise.
The reason that today the sun shines a little brighter and the birds are sining a little louder is my beloved Red Sox have an 8 game lead over the Yankees and the next three game DON’T MATTER - even if the Yankees sweep it still won’t matter.
Yesterday I got my 1st call from a Yankee fan conceding the American League East title. Mark Sutin said the east is done but maybe the wild card is something that they can win.
With 31 games to go - how much drama is their really left?
Jennie - enjoy your vacation.
Merrill
Bob Cecil says:
Sad headline from today’s NYTimes:
“Ugly Outing by Mussina Casts Cloud on Future”
Bob Graham says:
How is that headline sad, Bob?
Merrill Dubrow says:
It is simply amazing that the Yankees continue to waste MONEY! Apparently nobody cares!
Agent Scott Boras announced Sunday that first-round pick Andrew Brackman has decided to undergo Tommy John elbow surgery.
Brackman was told by Dr. James Andrews earlier this month that surgery wasn’t required immediately, but Andrews is now scheduled to perform the surgery. The Yankees knew of Brackman’s arm problems and likely surgery when they drafted him, yet he received $3.3 million in signing bonuses anyway. He’ll miss most or all of next season and attempt to come back at full strength in 2009.
Jim Quilty says:
So why did Chamberlain throw at Youkilus not once but twice?
Chamberlain is young, and evidently had a problem controlling his nerves as he assumed the enormous burden of rebuilding The Curse.
That’s the party line.
Confidentially, it was heard and seen in the Yankee locker room that as Chamberlain picked up the wager against A-Rod, he said “I told you told you those BoSox were nothing but big babies.”
Pinstripingly yours,
Q.
Bob Graham says:
Time to take a cue from Liverpool
“…When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Tho’ your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone…”
Besdies, we still lead by 5 games.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jim,
The sweep meant nothing to the Red Sox - Manny got hurt if AROD or Jeter was out the outcome would have been different.
No question that Chamberlain was throwing at Youk - don’t be surprised or upset when he is suspended. Clemens was throwing at Pedroia but didn’t get tossed because he is a veteran.
All foolish considering your Yanks visit Fenway Park very soon. Enjoy it now because IF you make the playoffs - the Angels will beat you 3-1.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
What a great welcome back the Yankees homepage was! I had no idea about the latest sweep of the BoStockings until I got here this morning! NICE!! But of course, now “it doesn’t matter!” How typical is that?!?!? When the Yankees lose, it’s “I told you so”…when they win it’s “they played a crappy team - they can’t beat a GOOD team!!” Hmmmm, so what does that say for Boston?? I LOVE IT!!! The excuses never cease to make me smile!
Dubes, keep hoping that the Angels boot the Yankees in the playoffs!! That’s about the only way that your boys won’t get sent home by the Yankees, AGAIN…you know, assuming the BoSox make it that far!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
Welcome back from vacation. It is such a breathe of fresh air to see you wearing anything back a YANKEE shirt! I actually think it brightens up your face. I would be surprised if others in the company don’t notice it as well.
Every time goes through a dry spell and come up short - Seattle has lost 6 in a row - are they a horrible team…. no. The ox were swept and they were outplayed but they still have the best record in the American League and the majors and unfortunately you can’t argue with that.
Have a great weekend. I believe when I see your smiling face on Tuesday the lead will be cut further to 4 games because the Yankees will sweep Tamp Bay while we take two of three from Baltimore.
Merrill
H8RSOX says:
How Many Games Back?
Jim Quilty says:
As long as we stumble into the playoffs…we get to sweep you again.
Post that to your blog.
Bob Cecil says:
Well, if the Yanks can’t take Tampa Bay, (one out of three is a sweep?? - Merrill, where’s the faith?), it figures that they lose the first one with Seattle.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Bob,
I know I was wrong - I thought they would sweep Tamp Bay and than lose two out of three to Seattle. I was right about Chamberlain getting suspended - he was throwing at Youk - I just don’t know why.
I am not sure why Joe Torre is playing games by checking the bat of Iwamura over the weekend. Of course Madden would check AROD’s bat a few innings later. All that does is fire up a team. I can’t wait until the fireworks next week at Fenway.
The Yankees have no shot at the AL East and better pray their thin pitching holds up over the next few weeks.
Merrill
Bob Cecil says:
H8RSOX- the Yankees are now 7 games back, with 22 remaining. They have gone 5-5 over the last 10 games, where the Sox went 6-4. The only thing that still makes it a little interesting is that these numbers include the recent 3-game home stand where the Yankees swept the Sox. The Sox have an opportunity to even that up with a 3-game home stand against the Yanks on Sept 14, 15, & 16. That would give them huge momentum going into the playoffs …
Bob
Merrill Dubrow says:
Attention Yankee Fans - I am sure all of you are holding your breathe.
A-Rod to Have MRI Exam of Ankle
Sep 5, 4:11 PM (ET)
NEW YORK (AP) -Alex Rodriguez was limping in the New York Yankees’ clubhouse Wednesday, and the team sent him to get an MRI exam of his right ankle.
Despite leaving the ballpark a little more than three hours before the Yankees were to play Seattle, the slugger was listed in the starting lineup when it was posted. He was batting in his regular cleanup spot and playing third base.
Rodriguez was injured in the seventh inning of Tuesday night’s 12-3 victory over the Mariners when he slid into Adrian Beltre and the third baseman toppled onto his right leg, rolling A-Rod’s ankle. Rodriguez came out at the end of the inning, and postgame X-rays were negative.
While the ankle was more sore Wednesday, Rodriguez thought he would be available for the game.
“I don’t understand. You’ve got to talk to Dr. (Stuart) Hershon,” he said. “I thought I was ready to roll, but I’ve got to go downtown.”
Rodriguez was in workout clothes when he got ready to leave Yankee Stadium about 3½ hours before the scheduled first pitch.
“I was ready to play, but they’re sending me to get an MRI,” he said.
Rodriguez leads the major leagues with 46 homers and 131 RBIs. He is batting .310.
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Nope, no breath holding here…at least not from Yankees fans!
A-Rod smacks two homers in Yanks’ win
09/06/2007 12:12 AM ET
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
NEW YORK — Alex Rodriguez insisted that he could play, even as his sprained and bruised right ankle had him limping through the Yankee Stadium clubhouse corridors.
And as manager Joe Torre searched into the All-Star’s intense stare, looking for hints of uncertainty floating about the trainer’s room, he listened. Good thing.
Rodriguez jumped out of an MRI tube and onto a pair of pitches in the Yankees’ eight-run seventh inning on Wednesday, as his Major League-leading 47th and 48th blasts of the season comfortably helped the Yankees to a 10-2 victory over the Mariners.
“There’s not much time left,” Rodriguez said. “I guarantee you that if it was April or May, I probably would have taken a day, no question. Every game is so important.”
Habitually one of the earliest reportees to the stadium for games, Rodriguez arrived on Wednesday ready to go through rigorous regimen paces, despite having injured his right ankle in a headfirst slide on Tuesday.
The Yankees, as cautious as would be expected with the probable American League MVP, had different plans. Instead of running sprints in the outfield and taking dozens of cuts in the underground batting cages, Rodriguez found himself grumbling his way to a Manhattan hospital, where tests revealed injuries that left him at an estimated 60 percent.
“You’ve got to be smart about it,” Rodriguez said. “Going to the hospital at 5:15 [p.m.] is something that you’re not very excited about. You want to play, you know your body, and you certainly don’t want to get into an MRI machine.”
While Rodriguez was in transit, Torre ripped up his original lineup card, on which he had optimistically filled in Rodriguez as New York’s third baseman and cleanup hitter.
Another version briefly filtered through Torre’s mind, showcasing Jorge Posada as the designated hitter and Wilson Betemit at third base, but Rodriguez wouldn’t have it — going through an abbreviated pregame workout at the stadium, he charged past reporters and into the trainers’ room, where Torre asked him to prove that a third revision was necessary.
“I know you want to play, but are you going to be able to apply yourself and not be tentative?” Torre recalled asking Rodriguez.
“He wanted to look me in the eyes and make sure I wasn’t lying to him,” Rodriguez said.
The truth came through in the seventh, as Rodriguez — the DH, batting fourth — erased a one-run deficit by turning on a full-count Jarrod Washburn fastball, instantly spoiling six innings of work in which the Seattle left-hander had limited the Yankees to little but Jose Molina’s solo homer.
After an error, the Mariners turned Washburn’s game over to their September-swelled bullpen, and from there the Yankees took control, sending 12 men to the plate in the inning. After Rodriguez’s homer, George Sherrill offered two walks before pinch-hitter Posada looked at a 3-1 Sean Green pitch to force home the go-ahead run. Johnny Damon bounced into a RBI fielder’s choice, and Melky Cabrera singled through the right side with Damon in motion. Derek Jeter’s two-run double off the wall in right-center preceded Rodriguez’s second homer of the inning, a blast to left field that earned him a curtain call from the crowd of 52,538.
“I can’t relate to it. It’s unbelievable,” said Jeter, who stood at home plate applauding Rodriguez’s memorable feat. “I haven’t seen anything like it in all my years playing. It’s not that easy.”
The home runs gave Rodriguez 512 for his career, moving him past Mel Ott and tying Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews for 17th place on the all-time list.
Even though Rodriguez said this is no time to ponder his place in history, Torre didn’t hesitate to marvel once more.
“His whole career is something special — the numbers he’s put up at his age, and how he takes care of himself,” Torre said. “Sometimes how important this game is to him gets in the way, because he needs to do so much. This year he’s been a gamer.”
The big inning left 21-year-old Joba Chamberlain in line to earn his first Major League victory, having pitched a scoreless seventh in relief of starter Phil Hughes. Chamberlain said that he didn’t realize how the official scoring worked until Mariano Rivera congratulated him after the game; crediting Rodriguez with helping him get win No. 1 would be no problem.
“The man’s incredible,” Chamberlain said. “He’s one of the best in the game, and he still works every day to become better. That’s a tribute to him and his workout. He understands that it takes hard work. You can’t get at the top and stay there. You have to work even harder.”
Raul Ibanez reached Hughes for a two-run homer in the fourth, but otherwise the right-hander appeared in command, tying a career high with six strikeouts, and scattering five hits and walking two in a 97-pitch effort.
“Especially coming off three not very good starts, it’s definitely one that I can work off of,” Hughes said. “And it also feels good to know that I didn’t just go out there and [not] know what I did differently. I know where I need to be right now, and that’s a good feeling.”
The outburst helped the Yankees bookend their nine-game homestand with high notes. A sweep of the Red Sox was followed by the doldrums of dropping two of three to the Devil Rays, a luxury the Yankees can ill afford. But picking up two wins against the AL Wild Card-contending Mariners provides a springboard to an important trip to Kansas City, Toronto and Boston.
“We have a lot of work to do here,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve talked about how, from July on, every game for us is a postseason game. We just need to take small bites.”
The last 2 games against Seattle made up for the first one!
And btw Dubes, NO WAY was Chamberlain throwing at your boy! Of course they made an example of him with the suspension, but he was absolutely NOT throwing a 98 mph fastball at his head!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
Welcome back.
AROD did well for sure…. The question really isn’t is he great – he is…. But his teams have never WON anything and he doesn’t show up in October…… For the record yesterdays game was in September.
THERE IS NO QUESTION CHAMBERLAIN was throwing at Youk. I have watched him pitched 7 times and he has pin point control. Maybe one slips but not two in a rown At the same spot, Chamberlain also was seen nodding at AROD prior to doing it. MLB did the right thing - stay tuned to see if the Red Sox retaliate - by the way when beckett of Schilling throw at a Yankee - I WILL ADMIT IT…..
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
I know, I know…always SOMETHING! We shall see!
Not a chance, man! TA, do you believe this guy?
7 times, huh? Well, he’s only pitched against the BoSox 2 times!!! Thanks for your help in keeping those Yankees ratings at the top!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
When you have the baseball package, the Red Sox have already won and nothing else is on TV you watch The Yankees - usually I am multi-tasking but he throws hard and is very accurate. He knew what he is doing. Yes TA is on your side and the guys at PTI as well - they don’t believe he was throwing at Youk - for the record I strongly believe you are all wrong!
MLB made the right decision suspending him.
Merrill
Owen Jenkins says:
End of a long season: Matsuzaka and Okey Chokey are out of gas- the regular Japanese system would have been over 7 games ago. Manny is hurt . Meanwhile Rocket is having ‘cortisone’ injections which he has to go to Texas to get- and after only playing half a season!! Johnny Damon is falling apart . Mussina is done. The only player punching his weight is A-Rod who chokes in the playoffs.
Both teams will have similar records till the end of the season when the Red Sox will limp into the playoffs as the number one seed and get a charge from the young members of the farm system such as Buckholz and Ellsbury. Plus home field advantage and less travel.
Watch out for the Central Division. Cleveland have won 12 of 15 and Detroit are only 3 back in the wild card.
PS: Clever of the the Red Sox to let the Blue Jays win the last game of the series. Keeps them interested in the playoffs. They are only 6.5 out of the wild card and have 7 games against the Yankees.
PPS: 19 of last 22 NYY games are against AL east . So far they are .500 in the Division. They will have to do better to make the playoffs.
Bob Graham says:
Ya gotta love Jennie. She reminds me of the Black Knight in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. Hack off a limb, blood comes spurting out and she yells “Only a flesh wound!”. I figure right now she’s lost both arms and is hopping around on one leg. Next week, she’ll be at the “Come back, I’ll bite you to death!” stage.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
You look GREAT in your new wardrobe! You have been very quiet - how about a prediction from you regarding the Red Sox / Yankee Series this weekend?
All of Red Sox nation look forward to hearing from you.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Why thank ya! The good stuff will be a little less faded and worn for the playoffs! All good!
The Yankees will win the series! How’s that?
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
Not sure any Yankee shirt considered “good stuff.” We will see if you are right. I am looking forward to seeing Clemens pitch this weekend. My prediction is he won’t last 4 innings. Also it will be interesting if the Red Sox retaliate for Mr. Chamberlain’s sudden bout of wildness. My guess is a few guys get hit this weekend.
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
Good morning - two words for you BIG PAPI!!!!!
Wow.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Good morning!
Yeah, fortunately for you, he saved your night!
Only 3 HRs in 57 ABs against the Yankees this year, though. He and Pedro must have the same Daddy!
Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow!
Bob Cecil says:
Merrill, your initial premise is holding up well: the script continues. Both teams hot (9-3 Boston versus 8-4 Yanks over the last 12 games) heading into this weekend’s showdown. Boston needing to avenge the Yankee sweep last time they met. With another sweep, the Yankees might pull out a miracle finish (only 2.5 games back). With a sweep, Boston deflates the Yankee momentum & goes into the playoffs confident. Stay tuned …
Merrill Dubrow says:
Bob,
I am glad it worked out that way and frankly not surprised at all. If I was Terry Francona I would have flip flopped Beckett and DizK this weekend. With the Sox day off yesterday Beckett would still be on schedule and DizK could have used the extra day off.
I doubt either team will sweep this weekend. No matter what happens the Red Sox will finish their last 15 games 9-6 so even if the Yankees get closer over the next three days they would need to go 15-1 to tie. Somehow I doubt that will happen.
Should be some fireworks this weekend. The teams will probably throw at each other. With Chamberlain pitching two innings on Wednesday the only game he could pitch is Saturday - the yanks might get desperate and need to change that.
Enjoy!
Merrill
Jeffrey Lorber says:
Merrill:
Nice call:
“I am looking forward to seeing Clemens pitch this weekend. My prediction is he won’t last 4 innings.”
Clemens held the Red Sox to just one unearned run and two hits over six innings.
Last night -Big Papi = Big Floppi (I’ll admit it now that Mo was pretty wild, but he did the job.)
Yanks Rule!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jeffrey,
You are 100% correct I said it and I was wrong. I also predicted that one team would win 2 out of 3 and I was right and that guys would get hit. AROD got hit in the 1st inning Friday night - I believe it was intentional and even though Wang hit Youk I don’t believe it was on purpose but Beckett drilling Giambi was for sure.
None of that mattered over the weekend - The sox will win the East for sure. Amazing that none of the Yankee fans are complaining that Hinske’s running over Posado (who I like) was dirty. very clean play and he was out.
Two weeks until the playoffs.
Merrill
Bob Graham says:
Jeffery,
Sounds like you’re still smarting from Papi’s homer in the 2004 ALCS. Last night’s blooper notwithstanding, there’s no one else I’d rather have hitting in the clutch than Ortiz. And with the bases loaded and a full count, you’re lucky Rivera (my favorite Yankee) didn’t walk in the tying run.
As far as the Yanks “ruling”–wake up and smell the Chock Full ‘O Nuts, you’re in second place in the AL East! If I were you, amigo, I’d pay more attention to the Tigers than the Sox at the moment.
Jennie Lovejoy says:
well, well, well…what an interesting turn of events, huh? “No matter what happens the Red Sox will finish their last 15 games 9-6″ well, now there are only 10 games left, and they’ve only won 1 of these 15…just in case you are still counting. will they finish 8-2?? come on RSN, inquiring minds want to know! also, feel free to list all of the excuses as to why they won’t, ahead of time like you normally do.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
I for one will take the high road this morning. Congrads the Yankees are very hot - sizzling. The Sox are certainly struggling. There are ten games left and yes I am amazed that most if not all will matter. We will see what happens - it has been a great year and even though The Yankees will be playing at least a few games in October the real question for me will AROD show up? He is in another slump 3-24 I believe.
The rivalry is the best - that’s for sure!
Merrill
1978 Revisited says:
uh-oh…I was looking for Red Sox/Yankee images on google and came across yours with the two kids…the kid in the Red Sox hat saying “13 1/2…I can’t even count that high”. You think he can count to 1?!
kath says:
Well, I stopped by to post a comment about how the Yankee fans who frequently post to this blog are handling themselves with aplomb considering how well their team is doing in the wake our team’s apparent suicide mission; but….
Merrill Dubrow says:
I love getting posts from total strangers.
1978 Revisited - you are correct it is done to one. emails like yours are another indication why this rivalry is the best in sports by far.
The longevity alone should win hands done - not to mention they play each other 18 times a year - each game has it’s on drama.
Thanks for your comments - even though I didn’t like them.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
I have been confident from the start of this blog and have taken a beating for it. That’s OK though, that’s why this is the best rivalry in sports!
Just ran across this article and found it interesting enough to post! Hey, it’s not my words. Here you go…
10 reasons why the Red Sox will collapse
By Anthony Olivieri
PA SportsTicker Staff Writer
The sky is falling on Red Sox nation - again.
The Boston Red Sox celebrated their first World Series title in 86 years in 2004. Just three years later, they are conjuring up memories of another historic campaign - 1978.
The Red Sox have lost five of their last six games - many in excruciating fashion - to see what was a 14 1/2-game lead on May 29 shrink to just 1 1/2 over the rival New York Yankees in the American League East.
Boston squandered a 14-game advantage to New York in late July 1978 en route to the Yankees’ second straight championship. Granted, this campaign, the Red Sox have the wild card to fall back on.
But as the noose tightens in New England nearly 30 years later, here are 10 reasons why it will be deja vu - all over again.
10. Big Papi’s health - David Ortiz has been limping around with a myriad of injuries to his shoulder, knee, quadriceps and hamstring. With his team needing a lift, the clutch slugger may not be able to provide it. Ortiz had his chance to knock out the Yankees with the bases loaded in the ninth inning against Mariano Rivera on Sunday, but the aching All-Star just could not get around on the fastball.
9. Earth to Manny - Manny Ramirez is a surefire Hall-of-Famer, an RBI machine and one of the best pure hitters in baseball. But his space-cadet routine finally may be wearing thin in Beantown. He has a strained left oblique muscle, which has sidelined him since August 28. But prior to the injury, the 35-year-old Ramirez was in a fog. Without him in the lineup or with his head in the clouds, Boston’s lineup becomes easier to attack.
8. Hideki Okajima’s arm - Okajima was a Rookie of the Year candidate and one of the best relievers in the American League. His unorthodox delivery - specifically his head motion - confused hitters, making him the perfect bridge to star closer Jonathan Papelbon. But Okajima’s arm is tired, and he will be shut down for five days. It’s September, the AL East is on the line and one of your best relievers is not available? That’s the real head-turner.
7. The Smug Race - There is no doubt baseball fans in New York and Boston border on the intolerable, wearing cockiness on their sleeves. But Red Sox nation has taken it to a new level after the 2004 World Series title. However, the Red Sox have done nothing since their historic championship to warrant gloating - failing to make it past the division series in 2005 or even into the postseason last campaign. Maybe Boston’s rabid following is getting just a bit ahead of itself. Could it be that the Red Sox just are not that good?
6. Fall of the Dice-K - Daisuke Matsuzaka has just two wins since July 29 and looks to be out of gas. If you listened to the hype machine prior to the season, the much-heralded former World Baseball Classic MVP was somewhere between Tom Seaver and a righthanded Sandy Koufax. In fact, he was supposed to be better than that. But in reality, he has been John Burkett with a little more velocity. In the final days of the season, Matsuzaka - and his golden arm - need to show what all the fuss was about.
5. Papelbon - The luster is off one of the best young closers in baseball. There is no argument here that Papelbon will be a force in the AL for years to come. But in 2007, the mystique is lost - mainly against the rival Yankees. The 26-year-old has a miniscule 1.96 ERA and just 15 walks in 55 innings. But as Rivera’s past exploits have shown us, a closer’s season is defined by the big moments. Papelbon is 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA and five walks in seven frames against New York this season.
4. The Pink Hat Factor - The Red Sox always were the loveable losers, but not anymore. With a swelling fan base, they have become the chic club to root for with fans sprouting up all over the country. Red Sox nation has an immigration problem with most newcomers not knowing Johnny Pesky from Johnny Damon. All the good will built up from the baseball gods? Gone.
3. Eric Gagne - The newly acquired reliever would be higher on the list, but his effect on the Red Sox will diminish - simply because he will no longer pitch in big spots. Or will he? General manager Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona seem insistent on throwing Gagne into the fire. He is responsible for at least five of Boston’s losses since joining the club at the July 31 trade deadline. And Epstein may continue to try to prove Gagne’s worth - and himself right - at the team’s expense.
2. The Yankees - Holding the best record in baseball since the All-Star break, it is all coming together for New York. The Yankees have steamrolled through the competition, including taking five of six from the rival Red Sox since late August. Boasting the league’s most dangerous lineup, New York also has fixed its bullpen problems with the addition of rookie phenom Joba Chamberlain. Robinson Cano has broken out of his first-half slump, and Alex Rodriguez continues to post MVP-caliber numbers. If New York continues to play like this, Boston’s play is irrelevant.
1. Harsh Reality - Simply, they are the Red Sox and these things happen. History does not lie. As much as the 2004 World Series title was supposed to erase all the bad memories, 100-plus years of suffering just does not disappear. Ask any die-hard Sox fan. It is never easy. Get used to it, Boston.
Jeffrey Lorber says:
Merrill - Hinske’s hit was totally clean and he was tagged out cleanly by Posada. A terrific play. Posada was obviously loopy when we missed the next tag by about a mile and a half. Hinske creamed him. Yankees secret weapon? Jose Molina! Had a great game yesterday and offers relief for Jorge.
1 1/2 out - stopped looking in the rear view mirror yet? Don’t think so. Probably all moot when LAA takes it all! I hate the Halos for being so good this year.
Bob - Detroit? Stick a fork in them. More on Papi - he’s great - but looking tired. As I said, Mo looked pretty off too, but he did the job this time. It is my favorite match-up in baseball. I have no fingernails left when those two go at it.
Bob Graham says:
I’ll admit it Jeffery, Detroit is done. Of course, It’s been 9 days since my post about them, so welcome back to the bandw…I mean forum. I’m sure that this tight final week was acutally planned by the Red Sox. You see in this all-American game, if there is no drama or suspense in the week leading up to the post season, then truly the terrorists have won. God Bless America and the Boston red Sox!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie, Jeffrey and all Yankee fans - the end is getting closer. 5 games to go and a 3 game lead for Red Sox Nation.
Mark Sutin conceded the division weeks ago. Maybe it is time for the Yankees to forget about the east and concentrate on getting their pitching in order for the playoffs.
Next week will be lots of fun!
Merrill
Bob Graham says:
“When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me,
Singing ‘The BoSox’ Magic Number
Is 3…”
Merrill, when you talk about the Yankees getting their pitching in order, don’t you mean their pitchforks, as well as their horns and pointy tails?
Welcome back, Manny and Youk! Go Sox!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Bob,
I can’t wait to see Red Sox Nation celebrating when the win the east. Boston is putting together another nice sports run with the Sox/Patriots making the playoffs for sure and with the Celtics big trades who know how far they can go.
We probably will face the Angels in the short series which wouldn’t be my first choice.
The Yankees are in deep trouble if their starters don’t get into the 6th inning. Yes they are covered for the 8/9 but anything else is a fiasco.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
oh boy! here we go with the rsn stuff again! first they said, we’re going to win everything and there’s no chance the yankees win anything…to - well, the yankees won a few games but only because they played crappy teams, they still won’t go to the playoffs…to - yeah, the yankees are doing pretty good, MAYBE they’ll make the playoffs, but they won’t make it past the first round because their pitching sucks…to - yeah the yankees are hot for sure, pitching is much better, and well who cares if the red sox win the east anyway. we’ll still make the playoffs…they win a couple more games and now you’re back to the whole “we’re definitely going to win the east” thing again! Geez! i guess it IS that hard always looking back over your shoulder and feeling all that pressure the Yankees provide you with year after year! I LOVE IT!!!
dubes, are you putting the bosox in the same category with the cheating patriots??? that’s interesting!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
You may not admit it but you are worried -I can sense it! You have lot’s of questions that you are thinking about:
1. Will AROD hit in October?
2. Has Clemens pitched his last game for the Yankees?
3. Can any of our relievers get anyone out in the 5/6/7/inning?
The Yankees got close mainly because the Red Sox had a bunch of injuries. No excuse just a fact. Now that Manny and Youk (who the Yankees have hit how many times this year) are back our offense should be great.
As to the Patriots - my take is they did something illegal and should be punished. Even though many teams try and bend the rules they were told to stop and didn’t. They are still a class organization and Bob Kraft is a GREAT owner. They made a mistake and need to pay the price.
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
Here is an update on one of your young arms:
Ian Kennedy (back) won’t be able to participate in the first round of the playoffs.
Manager Joe Torre didn’t rule out the possibility that Kennedy could be added to the roster for later rounds, should the Yankees advance. Kennedy will test his back today by throwing off flat ground.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
no, no, no…actually, i’m not worried about either of those points.
a-rod? he’s only had 9 home runs in september so far. our record is 15-7 during that period and that includes a bosox series win. oh, and btw, only 26 rbis. we can win without him.
clemens? has a total of 10 ip in september. ’nuff said.
5/6/7th innings? happens all the time when we’re not resting guys and using “2nd stringers”
IAN KENNEDY??? pitched only 3 games…a win and 2 no decisions.
what about wang, ramirez, vizcaino??? they’ve been playing well…and well, let’s not forget hughes and chamberlain. not to mention, wang and pettitte both have better records than schilling.
i don’t have a reason to be worried.
Jennie says:
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Yankees 12 - Rays 4
“The blowout win finalized a memorable climb out of the Yankees’ early depths of desperation. New York sat a season-low eight games under .500 on May 29 but morphed into the best team in the Major Leagues after that point, leading all clubs in wins and winning percentage to rally back into contention.”
Bob Graham says:
As a Red Sox fan, I would like to acknowledge and congratulate the Yankees on their historic climb into SECOND PLACE. How’s the view from down there? Thanks for the “fair and balanced” opinion, Jennie.
Assuming some of you, like me are fans of the TV show “The Office”, as well as baseball, here’s an interesting little link that casts baseball teams as characters on the show:
http://www.wbrs.org/2007/09/i-hate-so-much-about-things-that-you.php
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
Congrads! Shouldn’t ever team who has the highest payroll in Baseball make the playoffs?
For the Yankees to go anywhere they will need to solve their bullpen issues. Once their starters get knocked out you better hope and pray that there isn’t a big gap before the y get to Chamberlain and Rivera. Without them the bullpen ERA is almost 9.00. Translation they give up alot of runs and blow plenty of leads or if the Yankees are losing the other team pulls away with even more runs.
AROD Stats are meaningless going into the playoffs in the last 16 post season games AROD is hitting .183 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI’s. Jennie I know you are a huge fan and very creative but how do you explain that?
Your friend.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Bob,
It’s not too bad, I’m guessing.
Having spent more time there, looking up at the Yankees, than just about anyone, all of RSN knows exactly how the view is from 2nd place!
My friend Merrill,
I know, I know. For the last 4 months (AT LEAST) you’ve been telling me that the Yankees aren’t going anywhere. Yet, article after article explains otherwise. (Bob, that wasn’t my opinion before, btw. That was Yahoo Sports.)
As for AROD, I don’t understand the fixation you have with him. Is it that the RSN is still bitter because he signed with the Yankees after all of the BoSox effort to get him signed with them?? He’s just one guy. As I said before, he’s been in a “slump” for most of September, but we’re still winning ballgames. It doesn’t matter who scores the points. If they put the batboy in and he gets the job done, then so be it.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
Slumps in September are meaningless - slumps in October hurt alot - especially since there is no tomorrow. If his 16 game slump in October continues the Yankees go home early….. again.
Also Jennie if you have a minute please let me know how many home runs AROD has in the world series? Or hits? Or at bats? No need to look - the answer is zero! Maybe there is an AROD curse - since he hasn’t won anything!
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
The point is that WE STILL WON BALLGAMES! Ya gotta love slumps that include hitting grand slams!
And that’s a very good point!! He hasn’t even been to the world series…BUT, the Yankees still have 26 championships! AMAZING!
And before you say it…again…Seattle didn’t go to the World Series before OR after AROD, and the same goes for Texas.
Merrill Dubrow says:
when you are the best player in baseball you need to be a winner and always make things happen. Until he wins a ring I believe he has a curse on every team he plays for………
There aren’t any pitchers from KC, Tampa Bay or Baltimore in the playoffs - so lets see what AROD does against great pitching in the month that comes after September.
Jennie Lovejoy says:
LOL, i know you do!
but, if he’s not a winner and can’t make anything happen, how can he be the “best player in baseball”? in any case, i don’t care if he sits on his cute lil’ tush and counts his money for 9 innings straight, as long as we still win the game!
Jeffrey Lorber says:
Leave it to a Red Sox fan to talk about curses. Merrill - you are a college-educated, intelligent guy - and you sound like a yahoo from the Everglades. Ooo the hex is on A-Rod. Let’s stick pins in the doll and watch him scream. He is the best player in baseball, this year’s AL MVP, and yet could still let his team down, but not because the voodoo woman cast a spell.
He’s not a clutch player. He’s proven that. But that doesn’t mean it has to be forever. Sometimes you just have to become better prepared mentally. I believe the Yankees have an extraordinary team and A-Rod will feel secure that this year it’s not all on him. And if he feels less pressure, he will rise to the top. He is a player of legendary proportions and will eventually (maybe not even this year) win the respect he deserves from all baseball fans.
Ring or no ring, they will be talking about A-Rod for a long long time to come. Do not count him out for this post-season.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
Even though I don’t get a vote for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award I know how it works. It is given to the player who has the best season from April until September. It has nothing to do with the post season. If it did AROD would probably come up short in the past and perhaps this year as well. In fact I think he won the MVP with the rangers and they didn’t make the playoffs. My point is the best player doesn’t always make everyone around him better and the teams he plays on are CURSED!.
Merrill
Bob Graham says:
I don’t necessarily believe that A-Rod is “cursed”; I do believe that he is ‘clubhouse poison”; that his immature, showboat attitude does not contribute to the “we’re all in this together” atmosphere that you see in the great teams, like the 04 Sox or the Patriots. I think that if Larry L continues to try to secure A-Rod for the Sox, we will see the same fan uprising that took place a few years ago when the Sox were ready to sign Darryl Strawberry.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie/Jeffrey,
Good morning. Even though last nights game didn’t mean anything you have to admit you were a little annoyed at Rivera blowing not only a save! But a 3 run lead in the 9th. Three more wins by each of our favorite teams and than it is what we want, what every baseball fan alive wants and certainly what Major League Baseball wants!
The question is will they both make it?
I wasn’t surprised when I looked at AROD’s stats this morning to see that he is only hitting .254 against the Red Sox this year. Actually I would have thought it would be a little lower. Interesting stat Derek Jeter is hammering the Red Sox with a .388 average and get this 6 home runs against them - half of his home runs this year he hit were against the Red Sox. Wow! He is a great player.
Another few days until October. I love this time of year!
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
I personally think the game would have turned out a lot differently if they actually cared about winning it. I’m way more annoyed by the whole resting of starters and putting in rookies after playoff spots are secured. I don’t care what their reasons are…good, bad or indifferent. But, it happens in every sport. Oh well!
Oh geez, more AROD rumblings. This is just more proof that whatever he does, doesn’t decide the final result. We did win the season series against the BoSox, you know. So, whatever.
On another note, I’m glad we’re not playing the Angels in the first round! I really, really, REALLY hope both teams…the Yankees and BoSox…make it to the ALCS! That would be FANTASTIC!!!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Here are my predictions for the American League:
Red Sox in 4. Sox should hammer lackey like they always do and the home field advantage means the most to the Red Sox of any of the four playoff teams.
Cleveland in 5. Maybe I am saying this because I dislike the Yankees however it would be fun to face them again this year. I believe that CC (who they didn’t face this year) will pitch a gem on Thursday. Carmona might be the best number 2 in baseball. Yes the Yankees beat Cleveland 6-0 this year but this is the playoffs. Th Yankees might win but that would be a little bit of a surprise.
For the record I believe Cleveland has the best team going into the playoffs followed by the Yankees, Red Six and Angels.
SOXtober is here!
Jeffrey Lorber says:
Mo-mentum. Rockies have the most and maybe the Yanks second most.
Yanks might lose to CC once, but not twice. Halos are fading and we own the “Six” (Sox?)
Series: Yanks - Rockies - Yanks sweep! (Might as well dream BIG!)
All other bloggers, make your World Series calls now or forever hold your etc…
Let’s check back in a few weeks and see who the prediction king (or queen) is!
Good luck all.
Jennie Lovejoy says:
…and here’s mine:
bosox in 5. (just because i’d loooooooooove to play them in the alcs, as i said before!) lucky for them the angels have some ailing outfielders, because outside of beckett the pitching aint all that! your 52 million dollar man is walking around with his tongue dragging the ground and schilling is very, very “hit-able!” and, we’d kill the server if we listed all that is wrong with gagne. igawa and his poor, little tired arm…ahhhhhhhh we’ll just stop there!
yankees in 5. they haven’t let up since the end of may, and they won’t now!
i actually ALMOST agree with those rankings!
cleveland and the yankees are pretty much a wash. then yes, the bosox and then the angels.
let’s get ready tooo ruuummmmmmbllle!
Michael Halberstam says:
ALDS—Yankees over Cleveland in 5.
ALDS—Bosox over the Halo’s in 5.
ALCS—Yankees sweep the Sox in 4 with Arod batting .400+ in the series. Jeter will hit close to .350+.
World Series—Yankees will play the Phils or Cubs in an historic World Series going 7 games with the Yankees taking it.
Jeter gets ring #5. Yes, Merrill, he is good.
Yes, I dream in color!
Mark Sutin says:
Yankees over the Phils in 6
Sorry Merrill….sox eliminated by LA
Bob Graham says:
I think both ALDS series will go 5 games: Sox Over the Angels; Cleveland sends the Yanks home.
Sox take Cleveland in the ALCS (5 games) and face the Cubbies in the WS. Sox win in 6. New England rejoices. UMASS faces App State again in the 1-AA Championship this year. The Minutemen take home the Trophy (but I digress…)
Owen Jenkins says:
ALDS- Cleveland in 4
ALDS- Sox in 4
ALCS- Sox in 6
World series- Sox over Cubs in 5
Willie Martin says:
Although we have a couple of possibilites of rematches from years past, I believe the following will occur…
Tribe in 4 Cubs in 5
Sox in 5 Rockies in 5
ALCS-Red Sox in 6
NLCS-Cubs in 6
World Series-Cubs over Red Sox in 7.
I DO NOT want to see a rematch of 2001 or 1950! I know the wild card has been the most successful since this decade began. I am hopeful that this trend gets bucked this time around.
It would be thrilling. it would generate HUGE ratings, and even huger business for my line of work as a restaurateur. Count me as the many who want to see ‘The Destiny of 2003′ completed full circle. Then again Boston Philly has a Terry Francona connection as does a Cleveland Philly matchup with the current Phillies skipper. Kerry Wood will be the story of the offseason, and Mark Cuban gets a new team to own …
Happy Viewing everyone! Anyone notice how an Ex-Met skipper didn’t let his team collapse in stretch time, doing 14-1? Yes I refer to Clint Hurdle!
Kenyon says:
I like the Phillies and Red Sox to make it to the Series. The Phils are stinking hot and have a ton of bats with the reigning MVP. The only big question mark for them has been pitching and they’ve come through as of late. I think the Bosox are really the better team, but the Phils are hotter. The other team I like is the Angels, but I don’t like their starting pitching enough.
Merrill Dubrow says:
In case you missed it here is what the NY Mets sent to their fans after their collapse:
Dear Mets Fan:
All of us at the Mets are bitterly disappointed in failing to achieve our collective goal of building upon last year’s success. We did not meet our organization’s expectations — or yours. Everyone at Shea feels the same range of emotions as you — our loyal fans — and we know we have let you down. We wanted to thank you for your record-breaking support of our team this year.
Equally important, Ownership will continue its commitment in providing the resources necessary to field a championship team. Omar will be meeting with Ownership shortly to present his plan on addressing our shortcomings so that we can achieve our goal of winning championships in 2008 and beyond.
You deserve better results.
Many thanks again for your record-breaking support.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Now that the NL teams are set for the playoffs here are my predictions:
Red Sox over LA in 4
Cleveland over Yankees in 5
Cubs over Arizona in 4
Phillies over Rockies in 5
Cubs over Phillies in 6
Red Sox over Cleveland in 6
Red Sox over Cubs in 7
hopefully I will be right!
Merrill
Pat Savolt says:
Wow, I haven’t been on this blog in awhile and quite a bit has been going on — mostly Merrill and Jennie (as usual). If the playoff games are anything like last night’s game between Padres and Rockies we are in for some exciting baseball. All I can say is GO YANKEES.
PS. Before you read this, I want to preface it with saying I really like AROD and think he is an awesome ball player and on that note —- If you see AROD doing some of that deep breathing he did last year when at bat, I think he’s going to continue in his post-season slump. But if he can get a hit or 2 in Cleveland Thursday (and he is breathing normally), I think he will be, as he was almost all season, one of the key players and assist in winning another World Championship for the Yankees (but as Jennie said, we don’t need him to win!)
Jeffrey Lorber says:
What a game last night! Thank you Rockies for keeping me alive (even before the playoffs!) I think that’s the first NL game I’ve seen in about 10 years! Of course it wasn’t over until 12:30 (EST) so I’m exhausted.
Talk about it “Ain’t over till it’s over!” The Rockies are real contenders and I am happy to stick with my projection, unlike certain people named Dubrow, who felt necessary to wait and hedge before committing!
Anyway, I think Phils and Rockies match-up is going to be incredible. Guess I’ll be watching more NL than I anticipated.
Go Yanks!
Ed Sugar says:
Every year at this time just before post season play, Daryl my Cub friend comes out with the following fact sheet:
You know the drill. Those teams having three or more players on their roster are affected (should I say infected?) and are not supposed to win the World Series. Those with two or less are not. Post-season rosters don’t come out until just before opening game of each series and can change from series to series.
Two teams (1960 Pirates and 2001 Diamondbacks) have defied the ex-Cub factor. Both won the Series in the bottom of the ninth of Game 7. The 2002 Giants were 9 outs (and 5 runs ahead) from winning the Series before they collapsed. Was it due to the ex-Cub factor (Shawon Dunston / Benito Santiago / Todd Worrell) or the future-Cub factor (Dusty Baker’s managing)? It’s always fun to take look at the potential of the ex-Cub every October.
This year is a good year to bet against the PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES. The Phillies appear to have three ex-Cubs (Antonio Alfonseca, Tom Gordon and Jamie Moyer) plus John Lieber (DL) on their roster. It’s too bad. I have many friends who are Phillies’ fans. I actually like the Phillies and will be rooting for them so long as it is not against the Cubs.
Three teams have two active Ex-Cub players.
NY YANKEES – Kyle Farnsworth (50-cent head, million dollar arm) and Jose Molina plus Larry Bowa (coach). I wish the Bronx Bombers had acquired just one more ex-Cub? However, Farnsworth alone could be “worth” three ex-Cubs.
CLEVELAND INDIANS – Joe Borowski and Kenny Lofton. This is Kenny Lofton’s 11th year in the post-season with his sixth different team.
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS – Juan Cruz and Augie Ojeda
The remaining four teams appear to have one active Ex-Cub player.
RED SOX – Julian Tavarez and Matt Clement (DL). Dave Magadan (coach, is a cousin and godson of current Cubs manager Lou Piniella)
COLORADO ROCKIES – LaTroy Hawkins. Glenallen Hill (coach) once hit a 495-foot homer on top of the building across Waveland Avenue.
CHICAGO CUBS – Steve Trachsel (The Human Rain Delay reincarnated) will likely be left off the post-season roster. Ivan DeJesus (coach) was a fan-favorite in 1977.
LA ANGELS of ANAHEIM – Justin Speier played in one game for the Cubs in 1998. His father, Chris Speier, also played for the Cubs. Darren Oliver (played at AAA Iowa AAA one season, but did not get called up). FYI, Gary Matthews Jr is the son of Gary Matthews, former-Cub and 1984 star.
Mike MacLeod says:
Baseball is dead, just like the ability for the Mets to win a game at home against two of the worst teams in baseball.
Go Bills! Err, scratch that. Go Eagles? Nittany Lions? Maple Leafs?
Hmm, I wonder how South Abington High’s football team is.
Jay Wilson says:
Merrill’
How many Red Sox fans committed Hari Kari as the team imploded, losing all but two games of their 14+ game lead over the Yankees? I couldn’t get even one of my Red Sox-fan friends to accept an even-money bet in early August.
You guys just don’t understand–the curse of the Bambino (who took a temporary leave of absence a couple of years ago) is still in force.
The Yankees over the Phillies in five.
Jay
Merrill Dubrow says:
The first one is in the record books for the Red Sox. Beckett was awesome. A 4 hit shutout and only had 108 pitches! 83 for strikes in the playoffs. He kept the Angeles off the base paths so they couldn’t run.
I hope Friday has the same result!
Merrill
kath says:
WhoooHoooo! Good morning from Red Sox Nation -
Josh Beckett was on FI-AH last nite!!!
Go Red Sox!!
kath
Bob Graham says:
Jay,
No one from Red Sox Nation committed Hari-Kari as we still finished the regular season with the best record in baseball. I refer to my post from last summer about letting you Yankee fans get close enough to sniff victory and then pulling it out from under you.
For incidences of Hari-Kari, I think you’d have to look at the fans of another NY Baseball Team (a shame too, as I was hoping to put the ghosts of 1986 to bed, too)
Mike MacLeod says:
My son turns 4 in a week and, like his Dad, is a Mets fan. Pretty much since he could talk, he would say “Yankees stink!” whenever he sees someone with a Yankees hat on.
Now, I’ve taught him how to recognize the big B of a Red Sox hat or jersey. Now he points and says “Buckner!”
My family is full of equal-opportunity offenders.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Mike,
I must admit - that still hurts!
Merrill
Bob Graham says:
Jeff,
Happy birthday in advance to your son.
Please tell him Uncle Bob says the “NY” on the Yankees and Mets hats stands for “Next Year”.
Bob
Truth says:
Merrill,
As a Yankees fan I just want to say thank you for posting your original rant in June. For putting the cart before the horse, for counting your chickens before they hatch, the same as everyone did with regard to the Yankees this year because of multiple injuries and early performance issues…
From your original text: “I know Yankee fans like Jennie, Jay Wilson, Jeffrey, Nicole, Uncle J, Homer, and Jim Q will say,
Merrill Dubrow says:
Truth,
Thanks for posting your comments. Yes, the Yankees did make the playoffs and it sounds like you are a big fan of the Bronx Bombers. Not sure you would call them that after last night’s poor performance.
Congratulations to Wang for getting in the record books. He has the distinct honor of giving up the most runs in 322 Yankee playoff games. The Yanks/Sox rivalry is great and would be great to see but I am not sure that will happen this year. Yes the Yankees have the best record since the All Star game but the Indians (not including last night’s pounding) ended the year 28-10 - FOUR GAMES BETTER than the Yankees over the same 38 games.
You may not say it but you are worried about the Indians. I just got back from NY where I made a bet with a nice man at a restaurant who thought his beloved Yankees would sweep the Indians - he already called and congratulated me for winning the bet.
Truth - good luck!
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Merrill, Merrill, Merrill!
I know you want to be excited about the Yankees loss last night. …and, I know the LAST thing you want is to face the Yankees in the ALDS. You’re all about history and such, so you should know it’s not such a good thing to win the first game of the series.
It aint over yet, Buddy! …and before you say it, NO I’m not worried! Had the BoSox lost Wednesday, you wouldn’t be worried either. It’s all good!
Go Yanks!
Truth says:
I think they should’ve called tonight’s game on account of Canadian Soldiers…
Tough one to lose under those circumstances and the Yankees played like they can getting out of a lot of jams, but I guess you can only let the other team put so many ducks on the pond before one comes across on a legitimate hit.
No sense dwelling on it though, hopefully they can pull it out starting Sunday in the Bronx.
Good luck tonight Merrill, looks like they’ve got their hands full too…
Merrill Dubrow says:
Wow - I am very surprised I just read this…….
Boss of Old: George Steinbrenner Says Yankees Must Win Or Joe Torre Likely Won’t Return
http://sports.excite.com/news/10072007/v5527.html
For the record Torre will probably win MANAGER OF THE YEAR!
He needs to win 3 in a row to save his job!
Good luck Yankee fans.
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
Truth,
We will be waiting patiently for our next opponent. I have already received 3 emails asking me who I would like to face - drum roll please………….
As a baseball fan it would be the Yankees… the rivalry is amazing and this will certainly add to it………and yes I believe the Red Sox would beat them. My real answer is I want to face the Cleveland Indians. With CC and Carmona that would be a big challenge plus if the Yankees lose Joe Torre (who will get Manager of The year) will NOT be back. He is great at handling the press, the players and isn’t afraid of making hard decisions. If that happens AROD could opt out and the Yankees will be in disarray for months. That would put a big smile on my face.
My sense is that Mussina doesn’t see the mound tonight it will be Wang.
Good luck.
Merrill
Bob Graham says:
Earth to Jennie and Truth:
The baseball season lasts from April to September, not July to September. Perhaps someday, one of you will become commissioner of baseball and then you can make the entire first half of the season the new pre-season. In the meantime admit it: The Boston Red Sox won the AL EAST. The Yankees never caught us. Roses are red, violets are blue, we won more baseball games than you. That’s the real truth, no matter how you spin it. Admit it!
And Jennie, there’s nothing wrong with winning the first game of a post-season, ‘cuz if you don’t win the first game, you can’t have a SWEEP!!! And don’t be so sure that we don’t want to face the Yanks in the ALCS. One of the most enduring memories I have of 2004 is the Sox celebrating on Yankee grass.
Tony Pacenti says:
The CUBS were the typical CUBS and the RED SOX were great.I admit when I’m wrong although this is the first time I have EVER had to admit it.
It’s a good thing teams aren’t awarded wins based on looks. The RED SOX , not including MY PAISON Tony C., are by far the ugliest team I have ever seen.It still would be great RED SOX vs YANKEES although your guys should win pretty easily.
CONGRATS
kath says:
Is Jennie alright?
kath
Merrill Dubrow says:
Kath,
Thanks for asking - I just saw her a few minutes ago. It’s funny how Jennie and all of the Yankee fans are quiet today. Perhaps they are speechless for once or just don’t want to wish Red Sox nation good luck.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
ok, no one ever said the bosox didn’t win the al east. all that was said was that it was a blast watching you guys sweat in fear that the yankees would catch and pass you in the standings. it wasn’t until last night when the yanks were eliminated that you could completely breathe easy. the yankees are the team you least want to lose to and until then, there was a chance that you would. you could hear the collective sigh of relief blowing down from boston as soon as posada struck out. …which is still amusing! but yup, we lost and now life goes on.
dubes, i don’t think joe would be coming back even if the yanks won the world series. that doesn’t mean disarray in the bronx. for at least the past couple years they have been grooming and preparing donnie baseball to take over. whether or not he is still willing to take the job remains to be seen. i think he’s the best choice and would be just as good if not better than torre has been. btw, losing this series can’t be blamed on the pitching or on arod. when george calls me up later this week asking what to do, i’ll be telling him to keep arod and bounce jeter. stay tuned!
in the meantime, enjoy your moment. it was good seeing your beaming lil’ face already this morning. if you get past cleveland, you’ll take it all based solely on lack of competition. whomever wins the alcs wins the series.
i look forward to getting this party started early next year and have the bets on the table by opening day! and hopefully, the bosox post season streak can continue past ONE, and you can meet us there again!
Jennie Lovejoy says:
kath, i’m good. thanks for asking!
disappointed for sure but still an awesome season! …and as much as some might hope they will, the yankees aren’t going away!
Jennie Lovejoy says:
merrill, you know better than that! busy maybe, quiet? not a chance! you’re not that lucky!
i can’t help what the rest of these people do!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
I know you are disappointed - and even though you won’t give us a send-off to the next ALCS with a “go get em”, “kick some butt” or even “good luck” I know you want the Sox to win and avenge the Yankees loss.
This will be a very long off season - one with many twists and turns. Lots of players could find new homes including Abreau who I forgot was going to be a free agent.
More predictions in a few weeks after the Sox win the World Series.
Merrill
Bob Graham says:
That’s right, Jennie. Remember, there’s always “Next Year”…
Jennie Lovejoy says:
Exactly, Bob…something else the RSN knows better than anyone else.
Dubes, you’re kidding me right? “I know you want the Sox to win and avenge the Yankees loss.” You must have put something besides milk in your tea this morning! NO WAY! Those messages were all sent straight to Eric Wedge’s office.
Jeffrey Lorber says:
Hey - Anybody paying attention to one half of my World Series prediction (Oct. 1)? - The Rockies are un-be-lievable. Yes, I prayed for a Yankees victory and was disappointed. Now the Sox are down a game and the Rockies will be resting for a week.
I can almost hear John Denver singing…
Rocks in 5 (I’ll give the AL a home game.)
Bob Graham says:
Well, Jeffery. Back after two weeks. At least Jennie returned to take her lumps. I see you’ve found another bandwagon to jump on. Ah, Yankee fans….
Merrill Dubrow says:
Yes I am surprised the Red Sox are down 3-1. I had predicted the series would go 7 games and now it needs to go 7 for the Sox to win. I believe Josh “I love the big stage” Beckett will have a huge game.
After his win it is Schilling for game 6 in Fenway and than I will role the Dice.
I can’t even predict how low the ratings would be for a Colorado/Cleveland series. Lets just hope I don’t need to comment about that.
Merrill Dubrow says:
HOT OFF THE PRESS
10/18/2007 4:10 PM ET
Torre rejects Yankees’ contract offer
Manager walks away, ending 12-year reign as skipper
The Yankees had to know that Joe wouldn’t take their offer……..I believe he will be the Manager of the Year in the AL for this past year……..
Jennie Lovejoy says:
message from manny ramirez to merrill and bob…
“If it doesn’t happen, who cares?” Ramirez said Wednesday afternoon. “There’s always next year. It’s not like it’s the end of the world.”
did he come to you for advise, bob?
now on to torre…
i didn’t think he’d be sticking around. like i said before, all the signs were there. i personally can’t wait to see donnie baseball calling the shots!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Beckett winning game 5 was an easy call. No I wasn’t worried about last nights game with Schilling on the mound. He is a GREAT post season pitcher. I will miss Schilling next year. I wish he would sign a one year deal with the Sox but at his age I understand why he won’t do that.
Here we are at game 7 - I said all along Cleveland wanted no part of a game 7 at Fenway Park. The Sox have the momentum for sure. Now it is up to the Dice Man - can he come through? I believe so. The world Series starts Wednesday Night in Boston - Colorado pack your bags - lets see what you got…
Owen Jenkins says:
Are any Yankee fans still reading this blog?
Jennie Lovejoy says:
there’s 1, occasionally. for what, i don’t know.
cleveland collapses, and who is the real loser here? the fox tv network. what a ratings bust this snoozefest will be…
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
I have a feeling FoxTV was dancing all night with the Sox in the Series - the ratings would have been very, very low if it was The Rockies and the Indians.
Come on be a pal and cheer for our team!
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
What everyone has been waiting for….. my prediction for the World Series…
Game 1 Sox 4-1
Game 2 Rockies 5-3
Game 3 Sox 9-6
Game 4 Rockies 10-4
Game 5 Sox 5-2
Game 6 Sox 9-1
There it is - hopefully I will be right. Go RED SOX!
Bob Graham says:
Sox in 6 (I wouldn’t begin to pick the scores)
Game 1-Sox
Game 2-Sox
Game 3-Rockies
Game 4-Sox
Game 5-Rockies
Game 6-Sox
Go SOX!!! Rock the Rocks!
Jennie Lovejoy says:
the bosox might as well be playing the tri-city valleycats. this is about as lop-sided as it gets. a sweep wouldn’t surprise me at all. and just for the record, no dubes, that’s not what i want to happen!
i like 3 teams…the yankees, whomever is playing the mets and whomever is playing boston! 
no bandwagon jumping here!
Merrill Dubrow says:
WOW - the 2nd game just ended and with the same outcome as game one - a RED SOX victory - I am very impressed! They set the record for runs scored in the 1st game of the World Series and than comeback with a 2-1 win.
SIMPLY AMAZING! THIS TEAM CAN’T BE STOPPED
GET READY BOSTON THERE WILL BE ANOTHER PARADE SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK!
Bob Graham says:
It’s all over now. The Red Sox are World Champions for the second time in 4 seasons. 2004 was not a fluke, but the beginning of a new era (or, dare I say it—dynasty). The Red Sox are the new Patriots! Becket only had to pitch one game; Dice-K not only pitched great, but drove in 2 runs; Schill pitched like the champ we all knew he was. And the rookies! The rookies all stepped up to the plate and delivered performances worthy of veterans! Way to go, Red Sox, way to go!!!
Merrill, I told you, you’d need a new wrist band! Jeffery, it looks like the same thing that happened to your Yanks, happened to “your” Rockies. And Jennie, try as you may to hide your disappointment, I know you are feeling blue. But hey, as you kept saying, the Yankees had the best half-season this year, but ya know… winning the Division and the World Series looks better on a t-shirt!
Ed Sugar says:
Hey everyone, scroll up to my posting on 10/3 regarding the “Ex-Cub Factor”. Guess what, it was right on the money. Both the Rox and BoSox had one ex-Cub in their lineups. The difference? Clint Hurdle blew the world championship by inserting LaTroy Hawkins in 2 games, while Terry Francona decided not to pissed off the “Ex-Cub Gods” by keeping Julian Tavarez’s rear end on the bench. Red Sox Nation, if you want a dynasty forget about signing high-priced, free agent starting pitchers or nurturing your minor league system. Just stay away from “Ex-Cubs”. If you cannot resist the temptation, and have to sign one or two, then just do not play them when it counts.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Yankee fans - get ready for a very bumpy off season ride - filled with turmoil:
HEADLINES LIKE THIS WILL HAPPY VERY OFTEN!!!!!!
Major League Baseball had this message for Alex Rodriguez and agent Scott Boras: Shame on you.
Boras announced during Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday night that A-Rod was opting out of the final three seasons of his contract with the New York Yankees. The timing left baseball officials livid, and Boras apologized Monday evening, just after Rodriguez filed with the players’ association and became a free agent for the first time since 2000.
“We were very disappointed that Scott Boras would try to upstage our premier baseball event of the season with his announcement,” Bob DuPuy, baseball’s chief operating officer, said Monday in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
“There was no reason to make an announcement last night other than to try to put his selfish interests and that of one individual player above the overall good of the game,” DuPuy said. “Last night and today belong to the Boston Red Sox, who should be celebrated for their achievement, and to the Colorado Rockies, who made such an unbelievable run to the World Series.”
Boras said causing a distraction was an unintended consequence.
“I apologize to the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies and their players, Major League Baseball and its players, and baseball fans everywhere for that interference,” he said in a statement. “The teams and players involved deserved to be the focus of the evening and honored with the utmost respect. The unfortunate result was not my intent, but is solely my fault. I could have handled this situation better, and for that I am truly sorry.”
Merrill Dubrow says:
Ed,
I am so happy the Ex - Cub factor was right. I hope the Sox management listens and apply it next year and the year after.
I would like lots of rings in Boston!
Merrill
Bob Graham says:
Dear Scott Boras,
Thank you for your apology. Now eat dirt and die!
Bob Graham
Baseball Fan
Jennie Lovejoy says:
yeah, big surprise…you swept the rockies! just like i said! would have happened no matter who played them.
bob, 2 championships in 90 years does not a dynasty make! but, you’re right, that would look good on a tshirt! the new patriots, huh? what, did they cheat? nice!
turmoil?? you hope, dubes! you hope!
the better article concerning a-rod was the one that came out before this one that you posted. it was minutes after the world series concluded, and was in big bold letters…”A-ROD OPTS OUT OF HIS CONTRACT! A YANKEE NO MORE” …and right below that in teeny, tiny, normal letters…”red sox win the world series!” espn.com, yahoo.com, aol.com, etc. they won and no one cared! no one outside of boston, anyway. boras didn’t TRY to upstage the world series, he DID upstage the world series! sad but true! it’s no surprise that he upset mlb in doing so.
but anyway, those headlines won’t matter, dubes. did you happen to read it? he’s not a yankee anymore! remember what you said months ago…he’s out and lowell is in??? hmmmm, we shall see about that, though!
the bosox have plenty of decisions to make in the offseason as well! should be interesting to say the least!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
I love your intensity BUT not sure what major decisions the Red Sox need to make? You must be referring to Curt Schilling & Mike Lowell. We will be deciding on those players while the Yankees need to decide on Abreu, Mussina, Rivera, Posada, Farnsworth, Clemens. Guidry, Torre, Mattingly and AROD - ooooops those decisions were already made….. and they are all leaving.
I did say that AROD would opt out and Mike Lowell would be a Yankee - I hope that isn’t the case but the Yanks will probably offer him 4 years for 56 million and I am not sure how he turns that down.
Lets agree on one thing - Hank Steinbrenner has been on the job for a week or so and all of us are tired of him already. I miss George.
Merrill
Jennie Lovejoy says:
lowell, schilling, wakefield, gagne (whatever!), mirabelli, crisp….keep him or trade him? decisions…
hmmmm, of all the yankees you listed, posada and possibly abreu are the are the only ones YOU call contributors, so why should it be considered “turmoil” for them to leave???
we shall see!
Will Morris says:
What a great weekend for the Sox. I was able to watch the game last night with two of my boys - nothing could be better. All three of us screamed when they broke into the game to talk about A-Rod. How ironic that they talked about him as the third baseman for the Sox was winning the MVP. I say, “let him go play for the Cubs” and leave the Red Sox alone. He looks good on paper, but he keeps teams from getting to the World Series. He might hit 70 homers in Fenway and drive in 170 runs and help the Sox win 106 games in the regular season, with him batting in between Big Poppi and Goofy Manny. But for $30M you could go find another Josh Beckett and others. The World Series is won with pitching, not hitting.
The Texas Rangers led the majors in home runs, runs scored, and rbis for years and have won only one playoff game in their history. Pitching and defense wins a short series because a # 5 starter never pitches a game and a #4 starter may only pitch one game. Schilling probably isn’t worth $15 during the regular season, but he is worth a lot at crunch time.
The Yankees were idiots for paying Roger Clemens the money they did. I have asked this question of many baseball fans and I have never had an answer — “Tell me a BIG win that Roger Clemens every had?” I know he won a couple of Series games with the Yanks, but the weren’t elimination games and he wasn’t why they won. I can name specific games of Beckett, Schilling, Jack Morris, and other big game pitchers - but I can’t remember one that Clemens won. I remember him leaving games with a lead (1986) and I can remember him getting knocked out of the game - but no big games stick in my mind. To me, Roger Clemens is a great regular season guy with a great career, but is more like A-Rod in that regard.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jennie,
The decisions you mentioned are very small compared to the Yankees and you know that. I am not the GM and can tell you what will happen:
Schilling - playing for the Phillies next year
Lowell - Yankees - (ugh)
Wakefield - Sox have an option they will pick it up for 4 million
Mirabelli - Signs for 1 year
Gagne - Gone
Crisp - Traded for some value
Now Theo can work on getting some additional quality players.
Rivera is still a great reliever and Posada had another great year. The Yankees can’t underestimate their value - if they do they will be sorry.
Keep the debate going!
Merrill
Bob Graham says:
Jenny, Jenny, Jenny
You belittle the World Champion Red Sox for beating the Rockies, but you would have had your shot. All you would have had to do was beat the Cleveland Indians like we did. But once again, your team choked.
It is true that the NY Post put A-Rod on the front page with “Sox Win World Series” at the bottom, but is that your main source for news? The NY Times, one of the most respected newspapers in the world, put the Red Sox win on the front page, front and center where it belongs. (Of course, the Times is read by intellectuals and as John Cheever once said:”All intellectuals are Red Sox fans.”.)
You and other Yankee fans will say that they are not bothered by the World Champion Red Sox, but you are still going through denial, the first stage of grief. This morning’s Boston Globe carries a more detailed report from the streets of NY:
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2007/10/30/sneers_loathing_greet_a_boston_fan_in_nyc/?page=1
I quote some highlights:
“It seems the tables have turned.
Yankees fans have long taken pride in how little attention they paid to the Red Sox and the city they play in. Sox fans were the ones who constantly chanted about how the Yankees, well, stink. They raged about Alex Rodriguez batting a ball out of Bronson Arroyo’s hand in Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series. Boston fans mocked Jason Giambi’s alleged use of steroids.
But now, New York fans are in a position they are unaccustomed to - second-tier city, at least in terms of one of the greatest sports rivalries of all time. And they don’t seem quite sure how to handle it.
“The balance of power is shifting,” said Paul Mills, 20, who grew up in Brooklyn wearing Yankees pinstriped baby clothes and only remembered the good times as he hawked the New York Post outside Madison Square Garden. “The Red Sox win the World Series, Joe Torre leaves, A-Rod options out. Everything is crashing down. I don’t know what happened. It’s really depressing.”
Talk radio here was loaded with Yankee fans lamenting the Red Sox win, questioning how they would replace Alex Rodriguez at third base, and asking whether new skipper Joe Girardi could steer them back. In a column headlined “Baseball as we know it is over,” Mike Vaccaro yesterday in the New York Post called the Sox “cold-blooded World Series assassins.”
That’s OK, Jenny, let it out. Move on to the next stage, anger. We are here for you. As a matter of fact, I’ll call the oldies station in St Louis and have them play “Living in the Past” in your honor.
Jennie Lovejoy says:
More on the snoozefest…
Sweep draws second-lowest ratings ever for World Series
October 29, 2007
NEW YORK (AP) — Boston’s sweep of the Colorado Rockies drew better ratings than last season’s World Series but fell short of previous years.
The four games averaged a 10.6 rating, the second-lowest ever, ahead of only the 10.1 in 2006 for the St. Louis Cardinals’ five-game win over the Detroit Tigers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rivera and Posada will stay in New York. Abreu and Pettitte probably will as well. Mussina, Clemens and Farnsworth need to go no matter what.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Don’t laugh but here are some of the odds to win the 2008 World Series:
RED SOX 5-1
YANKEES 7-1
INDIANS 9-1
METS 10-1
ATLANTA 30-1
WHITE SOX 50-1
NATIONALS 250-1
Merrill Dubrow says:
As predicted the Red Sox picked up Tim Wakefield option yesterday. Mirabelli signing can’t be far behind.
Bob Cecil says:
Good photo-summary of BSR’s post-season march in the NYTimes slide-show section. For those interested, paste in: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/10/29/sports/20071029SERIES_SLIDESHOW_index.html
Not to rub it in. The Post? Puh-leeze
Bob Cecil says:
One more post-script. We should all give Merrill some credit for the title of the blog. He may have blown the NL predictions, but did pretty well on the AL side.
Bob Graham says:
Closing out the year, I wanted to leave you all with my all-time favorite quote about baseball.
“It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops. ”
A. Bart Giamatti
Poet, Scholar, Former Commissioner of Baseball, Red Sox Fan
Merrill Dubrow says:
Bob,
Great quote. Bart is a great writer i read a few things he did. I had the chance to meet Bowie Kuhn (baseball’s fifth commissioner — from 1969 to 1984) a few times and wished I had a chance to meet Bart.
Thanks for sharing.
Merrill
kath says:
Wooo Hooooo Mike Lowell is staying in Boston!!!
We get the good guy and the NYYs get….
AROD.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
kath
Merrill Dubrow says:
Kath,
I just landed in Atlanta to 5 emails from friends sharing the GREAT news! Now we can concentrate on getting Santana from the Twins and bullpen help.
Happy holiday’s!
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
Just read this online:
Yankees manager Joe Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland both stated that if the season opened tomorrow, the Yankees would likely use a rotation of Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy.
I hope that is the case - Jeffrey, Jennie sorry but this staff won’t scare anyone.
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
This was sent to my by my Uncle John and I thought I would share it:
On Disabilities Awareness Day, in a baseball stadium (Fenway Park - Boston), on what I can only describe a perfect day, is an excellent example of the old saying “It takes a Village”.
This man with autism, who was chosen to sing the national anthem, got a case of the giggles half way through.
Listen to what the crowd does to support him.
http://www.youtube..com/watch?v=NhcZRFcjbhw
Merrill Dubrow says:
SMART MOVE BY THE RED SOX!
Eric Gagne-R- Red Sox Nov. 30 - 10:59 am et
According to the Boston Herald, the Red Sox are expected to offer arbitration to Eric Gagne and Mike Timlin.
Both pitchers are Type B free agents, meaning that the Red Sox would then receive a compensatory draft pick if they sign elsewhere. However, it’s possible that Gagne could accept arbitration and remain with the Red Sox if the free agent market for him is limited following a poor second half.
Merrill Dubrow says:
AND THE WINNING TEAM WILL BE…………
Things appear to be heating appear for Mr. Santana….. Go Red Sox go!
Johan Santana-S - Twins Nov. 30 - 9:55 am et
The Mariners have talked to the Twins about Johan Santana, according to the Seattle Times. They certainly have the young talent that the Twins are seeking, with the newspaper mentioning Adam Jones, Brandon Morrow and Jeff Clement as possible targets for Minnesota. Given the Twins’ reported interest in Jacoby Ellsbury, Jones would seemingly be an especially good fit as Torii Hunter’s potential long-term replacement.Source: Seattle Times
Johan Santana-S - Twins Nov. 29 - 10:18 pm et
The New York Times reports that the Yankees are sticking to an offer of Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera and at least one minor leaguer for Johan Santana. The Times believes Jose Tabata could be the minor leaguer. The Twins are holding out for Phil Hughes over Kennedy. Unless the Yankees put Robinson Cano in the deal, it’s hard to see them getting Santana without trading Hughes. Joba Chamberlain is completely off limits.Source: New York Times
Johan Santana-S - Twins Nov. 29 - 5:58 pm et
The Boston Globe reports that Johan Santana’s agent has yet to begin negotiations with any team looking to acquire the left-hander.
That can’t happen until a deal is agreed to, and it already seemed clear that nothing had gotten done. Still, it’s nice to have some confirmation. The Globe repeats the Jon Lester-Coco Crisp-Jed Lowrie-Michael Bowden package mentioned earlier and makes it sounds as though Bowden over Justin Masterson was a move by Boston to increase its offer. The Globe believes Robinson Cano is still in play in talks between the Yankees and Twins.Source: Boston Globe
Johan Santana-S - Twins Nov. 29 - 3:36 pm et
Adding weight to report in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Twins and Red Sox are discussing a trade that would send Johan Santana to Boston for Jon Lester, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie and a fourth player. Charley Walters said the fourth player was Justin Masterson. Olney says it could be Michael Bowden, though that’s still in flux. Bowden was viewed as the superior property a few months ago, but Masterson has since overtaken him in the eyes of many. This doesn’t sound as good for the Twins as a Phil Hughes-Melky Cabrera-Austin Jackson package, though if the Yankees are trying to sub in Ian Kennedy for Hughes, then Boston’s offer is clearly better. The Twins would use Lester in the middle of their rotation and Crisp in center field. Lowrie could use another half-season in Triple-A, but he might get a chance to battle for a starting job at short or at second base in spring training.
Johan Santana-S - Twins Nov. 29 - 1:43 pm et
According to the Boston Herald, the Red Sox have made it clear to the Twins that they’d be willing to part with one — but not two — from a group of Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury in a Johan Santana trade.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that the Red Sox have offered
Merrill Dubrow says:
Yankees - don’t have a choice they NEED to keep Santana away from the Red Sox.
Yankees, Twins working on Santana trade
FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal says the Twins informed the Yankees they were prepared to deal Johan Santana to the Red Sox unless Phil Hughes was part of the deal.
Whether they were being serious or just improving their negotiating position, the tactic appears to have worked, with the Yankees deciding to offer Hughes in place of Ian Kennedy on Friday afternoon. The two sides haven’t agreed upon a third player in addition to Hughes and Melky Cabrera. Austin Jackson, Jose Tabata and Alan Horne look like the candidates, though the Twins could always push for both Hughes and Kennedy. It’s expected that the Red Sox would have to improve their offer to include Jacoby Ellsbury or Clay Buchholz if they’re going to land Santana.
Dec. 1 - 12:32 pm et
Merrill Dubrow says:
Johan Santana-S- Twins Dec. 2 - 12:11 am et
According to the New York Times, the Yankees have declared five prospects off limits to the Twins: Dellin Betances, Alan Horne, Austin Jackson, Ian Kennedy and José Tabata.
The Twins are reportedly requesting Horne or Jackson along with Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera in a Santana deal. The Yankees’ best prospect not on the list is probably the rehabbing Humberto Sanchez. Healthy alternatives include fellow right-handers Jeff Marquez and Daniel McCutchen, “catcher” Jesus Montero, speedy center fielder Brett Gardner and first baseman Juan Miranda. Shortstop Alberto Gonzalez doesn’t rate with the rest, but he’s still someone the Twins might have their eyes on.
Source: New York Times
Related: Yankees
A Yankees official told Newsday on Saturday night that he is optimistic about the team’s chances of acquiring Johan Santana.
Newsday didn’t have any additional info on who might be included along with Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera.
Source: Newsday
Related: Red Sox, Yankees
Johan Santana-S- Twins Dec. 1 - 10:33 pm et
SI.com’s Jon Heyman reports that the Twins are holding out for either Alan Horne or Austin Jackson as a third player along with Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera in a Johan Santana deal.
Might as well. The Yankees aren’t exactly known for their ability to draw a line in the sand, and why should they start when it’s the best pitcher in baseball they’re bartering to acquire? We’d part with Horne first, though he emerged as a fine starting pitching prospect last season. Heyman also says that the Red Sox may consider including Jacoby Ellsbury in a deal with the Twins if Minnesota was willing to include another player or two. He goes on to write, “Boston and Minnesota have remained in contact, but it’s believed the Yankees have come closer to meeting the Twins’ asking price to this point.”
Source: SI.com
Merrill Dubrow says:
Lots of twists and turns - I hope this is true!
Report: Twins, Red Sox turn in with deal near
The Twins and Red Sox have concluded trade talks for the night with a deal likely within reach, the Boston Globe reports.
The Globe says there are indications that the deal would be Jon Lester, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie and Justin Masterson for Johan Santana. ESPN’s Buster Olney also believes that’s the package. Crisp doesn’t seem like a great fit for a Twins club that figures to have little chance of contending next year, though as outstanding as he is defensively, he is being undervalued as a trade property. The Twins would also be getting a potential No. 2 starter in Lester, a possible No. 3 or a closer in Masterson and a likely starting second baseman in Lowrie. Phil Hughes is a better bet than all of them, but the Twins must not rate him as highly as many do.
Dec. 4 - 3:34 am et
Merrill Dubrow says:
ANOTHER SMART MOVE BY THE RED SOX!
Doug Mirabelli-C-Red Sox Jan. 10 - 1:29 pm et
he Red Sox will re-sign Doug Mirabelli to a one-year deal worth about $550,000.
Incentives could bring the value of the deal up to $1 million or so. If the Red Sox seriously contemplated any other free agent backups this winter, they kept it quiet. Mirabelli has pretty much lost it offensively, but he still does a nice job of handling Tim Wakefield’s knuckler. If Jason Varitek stays healthy, the Red Sox should be fine
Earl says:
Just came across this site today. You suggested that the Yanks staff wouldn’t scare anyone……..from what I’ve seen thus far, you may be right, but nor are the Sox frightening hitters. Their rotation and bullpen is just as bad and perhaps worse than that of NY.
15 runs last night! 3-10 vs the Yanks last year after starting 5-0. Sounds like someone has the Sox number!!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Earl,
Appreciate the comments. The Yanks and Sox have pretty much played even over the past 5 years. Not sure either one has either’s number. You are right both teams have been spotty for sure. I still like the Sox pitching better than the Yanks - only time will tell.
Good luck.
Merrill
Zach Auger says:
haha wow this was a long time ago. and though it is great to remember how dominant the BoSox were, I’m just looking forward to 2009. While the Yankees went out and ruined the economy on 3 guys, Boston went out, spent very little money, and picked up battle tested veterans that add a ridiculous amount of depth to the roster, especially down the road into september and october. CC WILL be a BUST. Burnett will probably get hurt. Texeira will do good but what good is that when he’s hitting against the now dominant pitching staff of the Red Sox? The only pitchers in the Yankees bullpen are Joba and Mariano. Red Sox now have two closers, and like 5 setup guys in the pen. haha good times are ahead for the Beantown BallClub.