Sunday, April 17, 2011

IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT PITCHING

***YANKS TOP RANGERS***

Two more homers, Teixeira and Cano both hitting 2-run shots. Freddy Garcia was masterful, shutting down the Texas lineup on 2 hits. Garcia did it by mixing a large assortment of curves, sliders, cutters and other slow breaking pitches, with precisely placed fastballs, if you can call 85-87 MPH pitches, fastballs. It seemed like he had a different pitch for each situation. As A-Rod commented, "The catcher needed six fingers."

I admit I was not thrilled with the news that the Yanks had signed Andruw Jones. I saw him play last year and he looked overweight, out-of-shape and over-the-hill. But he came into camp slimmed down and has played left field very well so far. He also seems to have regained some bat speed.

Eric Chavez better be ready to play since the prognosis on A-Rod does not look good. He hopes to play tonight, so we'll see. The Yanks need his bat, since he & Cano have been the only consistent hitters so far.

***IT'S ALL ABOUT PERCEPTION***

It's funny how different people see situations from a different perspective: Carl Crawford did not play yesterday. The Boston papers say, he was being rested. The New York papers say, he was benched. Francona said simply, "I didn't put him in the lineup."

When the Yanks signed him and until he pitched yesterday, the NY papers referred to him as "Garcia." After the great game he had yesterday, they are now calling him "Freddy." I guess if he wins three or four more in the next couple of weeks, they'll refer to him as a 'Cy Young candidate.'

Joba Chamberlain saved a game against the Orioles by blocking the plate on an O's attempt to score on a wild pitch. Catcher Russ Martin said, "With his size, Joba wins that battle every time." I don't think we'll hear anything about Joba's "weight problem" for the rest of the year. See, it's all about perception.

From Janice Hough: "And they wonder why Americans can’t count: Big Macy’s ad in the Friday paper. “One Day Sale – Shop Today and Tomorrow.”

From Dwight Perry: "And in entertainment news, this looks like the end for two long-running soap operas. But enough about Manny Ramirez and Barry Bonds"

On ESPN's The Sports Reporters today, Mike Lupica talked about how Dwayne Wade took control of the Miami-76er's game at the end. Said Mike, "I always thought it would be LeBron James that carried the team, but I was wro...rrr...rr. Wro....rr." The word is wrong, Mike, and you're not Fonzie.

CP-

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