Frayed Knot

I'm not usually too quick to get on the 'umpiring is worse every year' bandwagon. First of all it makes no sense that it would degrade as time goes on and if it were the case by now we'd have the equivalent of 6 year-olds with ADD out there. But man it really has sucked so far this post-season and this series most of all. - McClellan at 3rd (who I think is the senior ump in all MLB) has blown two all by hisself. Not only was he not looking at Swisher tagging up but he was too close to him to do so and see the catch. Sometimes a little distance gives you a better view. Same with the two runners on call - he just looked too lazy to notice that Cano wasn't on the base. - Then the pickoff at 2nd was blown, plus a bunch of ball/strike calls - like more than usual. Between these and the blatant missed call on the Mauer double by the ump whose only job it is to call fair/foul calls on the line and these guys should be embarrassed.

And the umps are having a worse night than anyone.

Kazmir sucks, glad we got rid of him. OK I'm not really, but he's a pain to watch sometimes and isn't consistent enough to make the step up from good to great, or even to real good. And we're already on pace for another 4+ hour game.

Japanese actor Ken Watanabe says hi!

btw, Mike Vaccaro's Sunday column (NY Post) about how the Yanx are winning these days via some sort of small-ball opportunism isn't looking too good right about now after yesterday's 4 runs/4 HRs output. Not that it ever really was all that true to begin with, it's just that when a game like that comes up the very next day it makes it look extra silly. For some reason a certain segment of fans & scribes consider it sexier to claim to have won through little ball and are loath to admit to being a power-laden lineup. I mean, jeez, the Yanx just set [u:173j0eu7]an all-time club record[/u:173j0eu7] for HRs in a season and scored (along with Philly) the largest pct of their runs via the HR in the league this year. So how exactly does that make them NOT a power team? But in an effort to somehow shoe-horn them into an under-dog status, Vaccaro cites that they're scoring runs in late innings via opponents' errors (although not as many as they've scored via HRs) as if it's some quality of theirs that's making those miscues occur instead of just having runs handed to them on a silver platter that any team could & would take advantage of. And, oh yeah, they suck hitting w/RiSP so far in October - so this opportunism seems to be a very selective trait.

I'm sure every org claims bloodlines as an asset when drafting/signing an ML legacy. Even if they don't believe it's a real difference maker they're going to say so anyway.

I like how all the moves basically backfired on Girardi last night. All of his choices - except the last one IMO - can be justified by themselves, but none of them gave them the advantage they hoped for and several wound up putting them in a worse spot in the long run. - he pinch-runs for Matsui but that runner (Gardner) gets caught on a pitch out so the added speed never comes into play and the runner is erased as Posada HRs one batter later - he then pulls Damon because of his weak arm in favor of the guy (Hairston) who replaced Matsui in the DH slot, but they get out of the inning without a ball hit out of the infield. Damon's spot is then due up in the next inning and they've lost the DH - he then needs to PH for Rivera on account of the above DH thing, holding him to just 1 inning and leaving the game in the hands of Robertson, Aceves, and, if necessary, Chad Gaudin - he then gets two quick outs out of Robertson but inexplicably chooses to replace him w/2 outs and none on based on nothing more than Kendrick's supposed fastball hitting ability and even for good measure there was the conference at the mound just before Vlad's game-tying HR. on edit: and Damon's defensive replacement didn't exactly do a great job in tracking down that game-winning hit either

I'm not sure whether two draftee sons qualifies an organization as "big on bloodlines" or not. Speaking of which, does anyone remember Jamie McAndrew playing? I remember that he was drafted but never heard of him after that. Of course his career was such that if you blinked you missed it. Born in Williamsport, PA in 1967 whilst papa Jim was there in the minors. Not sure if Jim was still hanging his off-season hat in Lost Nation, IA at that point.

Just a small note in 'Baseball America' ranking the up-and-coming sons of big leaguers (and a lame excuse on my part to get in a semi-clever subject heading) I had to look up some of the daddies cuz I don't remember them 1. Kyle Drabek, rhp, Phillies (son of Doug) Philadelphia refused to part with him in a potential Roy Halladay trade. 2. Casey Kelly, rhp/ss, Red Sox (Pat) Even more advanced than expected on the mound, which is his future. 3. Ike Davis, 1b, Mets (Ron) After going homerless in his pro debut, he bashed 20 homers and reached Double-A. 4. Dee Gordon, ss, Dodgers (Tom) Still learning the game, but he hit .301 and led Midwest League with 73 steals. 5. Austin Romine, c, Yankees (Kevin) New York's catcher of the future has solid tools across the board. 6. Brandon Snyder, 1b, Orioles (Brian) It took him a while, but he's showing why Baltimore took him 13th overall in 2005. 7. Peter Bourjos, of, Angels (Chris) Speedy center fielder is Torii Hunter's heir apparent in Los Angeles. 8. Michael Brantley, of, Indians (Mickey) Part of the C.C. Sabathia trade, he's a line-drive machine. 9. Eric Young Jr., 2b/of, Rockies (Eric Sr.) Has stolen 303 bases in 568 minor league games. 10. Beau Mills, 1b, Indians (Brad) Needs to tighten his strike zone to achieve his big power potential. Also mentioned are: Dodgers shortstop Ivan DeJesus Jr. (Ivan Sr.), who missed most of the season after breaking his leg in spring training; Astros third baseman Chris Johnson (Ron); Orioles right-hander Steven Johnson (Dave); - not Davey Red Sox infielder David Renfroe (Laddie), the best such prospect from the 2009 draft; Astros catcher Koby Clemens; Blue Jays righthander Josh Roenicke (Gary).

Back to the original topic of discussion, the two LA teams came within one out of crapping all over the pessimistic predetermination theme of this thread. As it is they half made things more interesting and count me among those who'll have no reservations pulling for the NL side if this is indeed the final match-up so I consider last night's outcome to be the better half of what could have been. MFY fans were already talking about the possibility - the probability in some cases - of an 11-game clean sweep to the crown.

And now add Jonathan Broxton to the list of post-season closers with a blown save. Every one of them so far except for Rivera.

Well, that inning got rid of Rivera anyway, plus all the maneuvering cost Girardi not only his closer but Damon and his final backup catcher as well (leaving him only that spare OFer Guzman I think). And Scioscia gambled and was able to keep his big catcher. Now all they gotta do is get a big fucking hit.

I don't trust Toriiiii in these situations. Too hit or miss.

Ooooh, I've seen this movie before (early November 2001) and I liked how it ended!! btw, NOW I'd pinch-run

Rivera fields real well so a bunt is no sure thing here.

Between the Twinkies and the Angles that's not only about 6 or 7 dumb plays so far but it's 6 or 7 [u:1tjbjisl]REALLY[/u:1tjbjisl] dumb plays and most of them at brutally crucial times.

Good God, if these series were fixed these teams couldn't make a bigger fuckup of things than they are!!!!

The problem with the DH theory is that for the first 7 or so years of IL play it didn't seem to show up, same with all those years of the 70s & 80s when, just by fan consensus, many considered the NL to be the better league. The DH had long made the AL a better hitting league but that's not the same thing as being tops overall. Derek Jeter makes the league around him better. Well everybody know that.

Game 3: Leadoff HR by Jeter, rest of lineup goes quietly. First pitch at 4:14 -- what are the odds of 'House' Not being delayed tonight? - (iow, the game running less than 3:46)

I think the arm$ race in recent years between the Yanx & Sawx may have something to do with it with those two setting a standard and the rest trying their best to keep up. But mostly I think it's just something that's cyclical, but neither a long-lasting trend nor a huge difference that should be expected to continue for the foreseeable future.