Thursday, August 04, 2005
Absence Terminated
There have been many reasons I haven't posted in a few days, mainly, because of laziness. Another major contributor is the death of the Mets playoff hopes on Friday, which has a major emotional impact on someone like me. Yet, I've sucked it up and continued to enjoy life, and now return.
It would be maddening to write article-length entries on everything that's happened since July 30, so I'll go with the bullet-style format. Enjoy.
-Willie Randolph can't manage a ball game. He's a nice guy, but managing isn't his field. After using Robbie Hernandez and Braden Looper for 2 innings apiece and 34 and 35 pitches respectively in the Tuesday night game, Randolph summons the two once more on Wednesday and predictably, the plan fails. Hernandez gives up a game tying homer to the impressive Carlos Lee in the eighth, and Looper allows a two-run single to Lyle Overbay in the ninth that puts the Brewers up for good. Looper's been very solid as of late, but his inability to retire lefties is a liability in a closer; their .293 average against him is not acceptable and although he makes a serviceable closer, he's better in a setup role.
-Willie Randolph can't manage a ball game, part two. After running Hernandez out there on Wednesday off of a 2-innings performance, you think he'd realize his 40-year-old fireballer needs a day off. Not! Willie once again calls on Robbie, and poor Robbie labors to the tune of five earner runs in one inning. Instead of staying with Danny Graves, who had retired three batters in a row in a sharp eighth inning, Randolph goes to the overworked righthanded once more and once again it costs him a game.
-The Red Sox are red hot, winners of eight straight. It's a great move for them that they didn't move Manny Ramirez, who's been tearing the cover off the ball since the trade rumors died down. Boston, now 17 games over .500, looks to be putting together a second-half run reminiscent of the torrid streak they went on last year.
-The Yankees can't pitch. They got away with bad outings on Saturday and Sunday due to an overworked Angels bullpen, but have paid for their poor starting pitching in Cleveland. Al Leiter and Mike Mussina each gave up six earned runs, and the Yanks lost both games. They enter tonight at Cleveland 5 back of Boston and fadin' fast.
-Baltimore fired Lee Mazzilli today, which isn't entirely justified, but it probably had to be done. New York idol Maz had that team playing over their collective head for three months, and now pays the price with his job as they come back to earth. If they played consistent .500 ball the whole year, he'd probably still have his job. That said, the Orioles have lost 16 of 20 and if they don't make a move now, they'd give the impression to the public that it's okay to lose games and therefore suffer in the box office.
-Rafael Palmeiro is a lying liar. You all know the story by now and I won't recount the details, but I'm tired of these athletes and their phony little excuses for cheating. At least have the class to fess up when you get caught, but class is likely a concept that eludes Palmeiro.
-Zach Duke is the man. He's now 4-0, 0.92 in 6 starts, most recently an 8.1 inning, 1 run performance in a victory over Atlanta. It may be early to be breaking out the Steve Carlton comparisons and the Hall-of-Fame ballots, but it's pretty hard not to at this stage of the game.
-The NHL free agent season has been entertaining. The Isles brought in a few guys that I like, but I won't bother trying to spell their names. With everybody in a different place and a vastly different game in the offing, the 2005-6 NHL season threatens to be mildly entertaining.
-I went to Jets camp a few days back. Chad Pennington looks rusty, Jay Fiedler looks terrible, and Laveranues Coles looks like he's hurting. Other than that, all's well. The wonder from down under, Aussie punter Ben Graham, looks to be an asset, and Mike Nugent is somewhat impressive as well. So, we can kick but we can't score.
-I'll be at Shea tomorrow, to see Tommy Glavine once more. I hope it isn't brutally hot out, but it threatens to be just that. I can gut it out, no worries.
-Yankees @ Cleveland tonight, Chacon and Millwood. Chacon tries to give a second consecutive strong start to start his Yankee career, and Millwood tries to turn his impressive ERA into a W. He's getting no run support, as evidenced by his 5-9 record despite a stellar 3.18 ERA.
It would be maddening to write article-length entries on everything that's happened since July 30, so I'll go with the bullet-style format. Enjoy.
-Willie Randolph can't manage a ball game. He's a nice guy, but managing isn't his field. After using Robbie Hernandez and Braden Looper for 2 innings apiece and 34 and 35 pitches respectively in the Tuesday night game, Randolph summons the two once more on Wednesday and predictably, the plan fails. Hernandez gives up a game tying homer to the impressive Carlos Lee in the eighth, and Looper allows a two-run single to Lyle Overbay in the ninth that puts the Brewers up for good. Looper's been very solid as of late, but his inability to retire lefties is a liability in a closer; their .293 average against him is not acceptable and although he makes a serviceable closer, he's better in a setup role.
-Willie Randolph can't manage a ball game, part two. After running Hernandez out there on Wednesday off of a 2-innings performance, you think he'd realize his 40-year-old fireballer needs a day off. Not! Willie once again calls on Robbie, and poor Robbie labors to the tune of five earner runs in one inning. Instead of staying with Danny Graves, who had retired three batters in a row in a sharp eighth inning, Randolph goes to the overworked righthanded once more and once again it costs him a game.
-The Red Sox are red hot, winners of eight straight. It's a great move for them that they didn't move Manny Ramirez, who's been tearing the cover off the ball since the trade rumors died down. Boston, now 17 games over .500, looks to be putting together a second-half run reminiscent of the torrid streak they went on last year.
-The Yankees can't pitch. They got away with bad outings on Saturday and Sunday due to an overworked Angels bullpen, but have paid for their poor starting pitching in Cleveland. Al Leiter and Mike Mussina each gave up six earned runs, and the Yanks lost both games. They enter tonight at Cleveland 5 back of Boston and fadin' fast.
-Baltimore fired Lee Mazzilli today, which isn't entirely justified, but it probably had to be done. New York idol Maz had that team playing over their collective head for three months, and now pays the price with his job as they come back to earth. If they played consistent .500 ball the whole year, he'd probably still have his job. That said, the Orioles have lost 16 of 20 and if they don't make a move now, they'd give the impression to the public that it's okay to lose games and therefore suffer in the box office.
-Rafael Palmeiro is a lying liar. You all know the story by now and I won't recount the details, but I'm tired of these athletes and their phony little excuses for cheating. At least have the class to fess up when you get caught, but class is likely a concept that eludes Palmeiro.
-Zach Duke is the man. He's now 4-0, 0.92 in 6 starts, most recently an 8.1 inning, 1 run performance in a victory over Atlanta. It may be early to be breaking out the Steve Carlton comparisons and the Hall-of-Fame ballots, but it's pretty hard not to at this stage of the game.
-The NHL free agent season has been entertaining. The Isles brought in a few guys that I like, but I won't bother trying to spell their names. With everybody in a different place and a vastly different game in the offing, the 2005-6 NHL season threatens to be mildly entertaining.
-I went to Jets camp a few days back. Chad Pennington looks rusty, Jay Fiedler looks terrible, and Laveranues Coles looks like he's hurting. Other than that, all's well. The wonder from down under, Aussie punter Ben Graham, looks to be an asset, and Mike Nugent is somewhat impressive as well. So, we can kick but we can't score.
-I'll be at Shea tomorrow, to see Tommy Glavine once more. I hope it isn't brutally hot out, but it threatens to be just that. I can gut it out, no worries.
-Yankees @ Cleveland tonight, Chacon and Millwood. Chacon tries to give a second consecutive strong start to start his Yankee career, and Millwood tries to turn his impressive ERA into a W. He's getting no run support, as evidenced by his 5-9 record despite a stellar 3.18 ERA.
# posted by Dave @ 5:41 PM 
