Death Watch

Execrable…

…an adjective typically used for Rob Schneider movies has to be applied to the Yanks for this Angel series.

First a few incoherent notes:

The Angels broadcast team was particularly flattering to Arod, several times referring to him as the best player in the game.  Not a crazy opinion, but the only reason I point this out is because their effusiveness coincides with this year’s Big Rumor that Arod is heading out of town and the Angels might be the perfect suitor.  It’s funny… the four baseball fans I’ve heard of in LA have had a great time riding Arod as an overpaid prima donna.  But I’m sure they’d be happy to have their owner shell out all the money (unlike the Yanks, with no $9M annual help from the Rangers) to have him for a few years.

Orlando Cabrera bounced back to the pitcher Saturday and demonstrated the slowest, disinterested loaf to first I’ve ever seen, with a special mention to Manny for literally turning around and heading to the dugout while the ball was in play a couple years ago.  An inning later on Saturday, Jeter, he who is nursing two sore calves (if Angel broadcaster Steve Physioc was correct...  I thought it was just Damon with this ailment), bounced back to the pitcher and raced up the first base line like he was doing an imitation of an old Babe Ruth newsreel.  Excelsior!

The Rod Carew comparisons are flattering and all, but Cano will never win a batting title until he waits for pitches that actually travel 60 feet.

Has Matsui stopped hitting to the left side?  In the clutch 7^th inning at bat, he rolled over on a pitch that was outside.  Very Arod ’06.

Giambi looks cooked.  I’ve predicted his demise before and have been wrong.  I feel bad that the guy keeps getting in trouble for trying to be honest, but in a situation like this, that does not go unpunished.  And the way he’s hitting, it’s no wonder Cashman is pondering the termination of the contract. 

With two clutch hits, a walk, several blocked pitches and 2-for-2 on throwing runners out, Wil Nieves now has his installment for Baseball Digest’s “Game I’ll Never Forget”.  And the Yanks still managed to give it away on Sunday.  The Yanks have gotten clutch hits from Doug Minky and Wil Nieves this series.  If that’s who has to carry the offense, it’s time to look toward 2008.

The Angels broadcast team thinks Mussina is a Hall of Famer.  I’ll forgive them since they don’t see him with consistency.  But I don’t care how you crunch the numbers and compare him to Don Sutton or whoever else, this cat ain’t no HOFer.  Kind of a rude comment on my part considering how well he pitched today. 

I wonder what Joe Girardi or Mattingly would have done if managing in the 7^th inning after Mussina walked a guy with one out after cruising through only 95 pitches in the game.   Perhaps that very question will be used as part of the managerial job interview, right after “Are you a team player who can multi-task in a fast paced environment?”  As soon as Torre went out to take the ball after 6 1/3 innings, the Yankee bullpen carousel was underway.  And if the boys came back to tie it and send the game into extra innings, who is left to pitch besides Mo?  Not that a guy in the 7^th inning should be thinking about the 11^th, but this is all part and parcel of the vicious cycle of yanking guys who should be able to go longer and throwing your generally-overworked-and-not-all-together-brilliant-anyway bullpen under the bus.

With all the deserving good will accrued by Torre over the years, I don’t know if the Boss will pull the trigger.  But if he does, I say they should have Tino ready to take over Joe Girardi’s spot in the YES booth.