Sports Writing

So, September begins as August ended: amazingly, we put our bullpen against the Angels’ and came out on top. Even more amazingly, we put Mike Myers and Terry Adams for 3 1/3 innings (!) and topped the Shields-Gregg combination. Bronson Arroyo ended the run of 41 games of a starter going 5, but to heck with it: Bronson too often this season pitched well in losses, time for the team to get a win in a poor start. I still think he’s the team’s #3 pitcher, but the playoff rotation (fingers crossed) should be very interesting. Hub of the universe, thou art my town of residence…

Who needs Angels in the outfield? We’ve got Jesus! Or at least, Johnny Damon, whose ability to get on base this season is preternatural. (Incidentally, a thought about Damon’s concussion: if Grady Little had not brought in Damian Jackson as a 6th-inning defensive replacement, none of that might have happened.) Mike “So I Pitch Like an Axe Murderer” Myers coughed up enough runs that Dave Roberts’ 3-run bomb had to be the difference, but a win is a win is a win.

Oops. Somehow my blogging got crossed and I ended up posting a non-baseball story here, instead of at my main blog. Back to the diamond: if, as they say, Boston fans care more about the Yankees than the other way around, why does the New York Post seem in such a state of panic?

It’s the most wonderful time of the year With Dougie Mirabelli And everyone telling you “This is the Year” It’s the most wonderful time of the year It’s the hap-happiest season of all

Tim Wakefield talks about his golf game on PGATour.com. I guess golf isn’t on the list of banned recreational activities, unlike basketball. Q: Which three people – past or present – would be in your dream foursome?

“It’s never like riding a bike. It doesn’t matter if you close every night, the last three outs are the hardest ones to get.” Curtis Leskanic One of the things I love about the Sox rotation is that it features pitchers with very distinctive styles: Pedro is man of a thousand pitches, Tim Wakefield is the current flagbearer for the knuckleballing cause, and Derek Lowe is, when on, the prime example of sinkerball pitching - all groundouts (his 2.98 groundball-to-flyball ratio leads the majors). This doesn’t necessarily make it the best rotation in baseball (though it’s certainly up there), but it makes it a great education in the different ways a pitcher can get an out. Add B.H. Kim’s sidearm to the list and you’ve got a plethora of looks to give a hitter.

Not much going on in the standings, as the main rivals - MFYs, As, Texas - all won today. But Arroyo looked sharp again, with 8Ks. He’s moved to 13th in ERA in the AL. Seems unfair that even with today’s win his record is still only 7-9. Lots of scoring styles on show today: power in Ortiz’s double and small ball in Roberts’ bunt and Damon moving the runners leading to Mirabelli scoring, even making lemons out of lemonade in Millar’s run-scoring double play. Mmm, mmm, good. One loves that dirty water, one does.

It’s scoreboard-watching time of the year… the wild card is neck and neck, with the Sox, Angels, and Rangers going 8-2, 9-1, and 8-2 in their last 10 games. Good thing Manny and Ortiz seem to be starting a Dominican Chapter of the Bash Brothers. Glad to see Tito use the dregs of the bullpen out there, although seems unfair to classify Ramiro Mendoza under “dregs”, he’s looking like the real deal (although Bruce Chen was the best Panamanian pitcher tonight). Terry Adams looked like he was taking pity on his former teammates…

Keith Scherer has an article on Rob Neyer’s website arguing that the new Baseball Prospectus wisdom that a pitcher is as much responsible for his unearned runs as his earned runs (see Michael Wolverton’s article) is a fallacy. I’m generally on Scherer’s side - I think the evidence does show that defense is more responsible for unearned runs than earned runs - but I was intrigued by Wolverton’s secondary argument that ERA as a stat generally favours knuckleballers. Scherer quotes Tangotiger:

Now this is the bullpen we know and love… Timlin had a HUGE 6th inning coming in with the bases-loaded, no outs and giving up nothing. Mendoza looked sharp in the 8th too. Tito’s bullpen usage has been looking sharper and sharper - arguably Myers should’ve been in at some point in the 7th, but no major disagreements. I thought Hinske tapping his head with the bat (the “stupid, stupid, stupid” tap) when he struck out swinging on Foulke’s very high “fast"ball was hilarious.

When you woke up this morning everything you had was gone. By half past ten your head was going ding-dong. Ringing like a bell from your head down to your toes,

When even a mass-market publication like the NY Post questions the value of small ball as played by Jeter, it seems like Yankee fans are panicking again. Like why would Derek Jeter, struggling again on offense, sacrifice with Bernie Williams on second, one run already in and no outs in the third? Jeter said because he felt the team needed to build toward another run and that Kelvim Escobar’s 95 mph fastball tails into righties, and he did not feel he could shoot the ball to right field. But he also disputed he has sacrificed more this season, though the 12 he has are one more than he had produced in the three previous seasons combined.

A lot can happen in under 5 pitches. 2 pitches and Manny and Ortiz restore the lead, boom-boom. 4 pitches and Troy Percival gets the save. And just like that, the phrase “5 in the loss column” starts to resonate. As Eddie Floyd and Amii Stewart sang, better knock… on wood. (Cue horn section.)

Alan Schwarz has a piece on ESPN on how Ichiro is on pace to break George Sisler’s record of 257 hits in a season. Schwarz notes that this could be because of sheer volume - because he doesn’t walk (doesn’t matter, the man still has a .413 OBP), Ichiro’s on pace for 708 at bats, which itself would be a record - and adds that this is one bright spot in the Mariners’ dismal season. But actually, thinking about it, isn’t it the Mariners’ dismal season that’s giving Ichiro a chance to rap out 257 hits? If your home record is lousy, it creates more chances for you to bat in the 9th inning…

My thanks, incidentally, to Boston Online for the shout-out. I miss living in Boston. Anyone there have a nice job for a baseball fanatic graduate of a certain Cambridge college? :)

That’s Entertainment: the folks over at Replacement Level Yankees Weblog, a Yankee website that actually has decent, well-considered analysis, were talking about Derek Jeter’s value as an entertainer. It’s a question I’ve often pondered too: sure, everyone loves a winner, but besides the winning aspect, is some element of the much-derided “intangibles” factor really a tangible in terms of ticket sales, merchandise and souvenir sales, and the like? It was said in the world of football/soccer that when David Beckham signed for Real Madrid, the value of having the David Beckham brand on board (well, before he tarnished it with those revelations of tawdry affairs) made him well worth the transfer fees.

Haven’t posted in a while. Was in Chicago the last few days, and, maddeningly enough, couldn’t get to the Sox-Sox game. (Millennium Park is beautiful - that new Gehry building is stunning.) However, I was ecstatic to see all the (Red) Sox fans running along Michigan Avenue. (If you were part of a big group of women wearing Sox t-shirts or was bringing along a kid with a Sox baseball cap on around 7pm last night near the Water Tower - well, just wanted to say it makes me really pleased to see fellow Sox fans around.) Bronson Arroyo seems to have learnt from the Derek Lowe playbook of winning despite giving up 5 runs, but there’s a lot of good things to be noted - Sox have been murdering the White Sox in the South Side in this series, Tek’s homers today were long long long bombs, the OC is a stud on defense, and… MANNY’S BACK!!

Wow, the OC came up with the game on the line and came up with a walkoff double. Brilliant. And Tito’s bullpen management is looking more promising - I really like this new use of Foulke in high-leverage situations (i.e. tie games and 1 run down, not just ‘save situations’). Moment I saw him come in at the top of the 9th I was convinced we’d win. The use of Timlin and Myers in the 8th was great too.

Bad Sox 5, Good Sox 4. I guess Carlos Arroyo had a good day. Bronson, on the other hand, still gets shite for luck. In 2 games in this series - the first and the last - we’ve almost, almost clawed back, then, on the cusp of success, the OC comes on. Clearly a rerun.

This is a really sad reason to keep playing the OC: Manager Terry Francona has no intention of sitting shortstop Orlando Cabrera as he battles through an early slump with the Sox. Cabrera, 0 for 3 last night, is batting .151 (8 for 53) since he homered in his first at-bat with the team. But Cabrera played in his 284th consecutive game, a streak Francona plans to honor. Francona cited Cal Ripken’s consecutive-game record as “the single most fantastic streak in baseball.” (from Boston.com)