This Week in Baseball 5/21 - 5/27

[Guest]

I just KNEW Juan Pierre was going to make that first out. And it was in typical Juan Pierre style, a flyball. At least it put a run in.

[Guest George's Box]

Why do you go to Howry there? Why do you go to Howry EVER? Terrible managing by Piniella, which you'd expect from a guy who's just here to pick up a check. Of course, the bullpen has been awful except for Wuertz, of all people.

[Guest]

It only happened this way cuz we din't have any of thse gotdamn homeruns killin our rallies

[Guest George's Box]

This was another disillusionment game for me, where I'm just so disgusted by how bad this team is that I can't even watch the next game. Tuesday's loss was one of those, as was the loss to the Mets which was eerily similar to tonight's.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Gaurenteed you watch the next game.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Roger Clemens is indeed starting Monday in Scranton. In an effort to increase profits, they're selling standing room tickets for $25 and $15. Thank goodness I don't have to attend that circus.

 

The big news seems to be that George Steinbrenner announced Brian Cashman is accountable for this season. If there is one thing the Yankees do not need at this point, it's a "win now" decree. The Yankees need to rebuild. Seven of the nine regulars on the Yankees are 33 or older. Four of those are under contract for next season. Their aging core is not going to bring them another championship at this rate, and they're digging themselves deeper the longer they try.

[Brett Favre 0]

That's why I really hope he doesn't fire Cashman. If anything, he's done alright to set up the pitching for the future. Pettitte and Clemens probably won't be here next year, and Mussina has one more year after this one. I'd like to see them build around Wang, Hughes, and Clippard. I know Clippard didn't pitch well yesterday but he reminds me of a younger Mike Mussina, with a little less velocity on his fastball (although 90-92 is still pretty good with his changeup).

[Guest Smues]

The Mlb.com headlines

"Halos jump on Wang early in matinee in Bronx"

 

heh

[strummer 0]

Hey ESPN, what do those "season saving" wins vs the Mets and Red Sox mean right now for the Yankees?

 

And I think the Bobby Abreu backlash is in full effect

[Brett Favre 0]

Eh its early.

 

Anyway, Abreu struck out on two clear balls. That umpire was horrible.

[Guest George's Box]

Gaurenteed you watch the next game.

Not today, my friend. My only cheat was to quickly check cubs.com for an update. It was 4-0 Chicago after 6, I think.

 

Nobody's trying to give it to them. They're hard losses to take, but what are you going to do? You walk out of here and feel good about the effort, and you come back and play tomorrow. That's all we can do. Nothing more, nothing less.

Dusty Baker Lou Piniella

[CanadianChris 0]

Hey, the Cubs bullpen actually snuffed out a rally. Funny that Lou stuck with Zambrano until he'd thrown, like, 300 pitches before going to the pen, though.

[bob_barron 0]

I was at today's Yankees game. Good times.

 

4th time in a row I've seen them lose at Yankee Stadium

[devo 0]

Two 400+ foot home runs in two at bats. Delgado's coming out of his slump pretty nicely.

[Boon 0]

How much does it suck to be the Texas Rangers pitching staff?

[Failed Bridge 0]

I was at today's Yankees game.

4th time in a row I've seen them lose at Yankee Stadium

We need to get bob season tickets for the Yankees.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

And promtley give them to me, because this year they're playing .667 ball (2-1) with me there.

[bob_barron 0]

Cox nearing ejections record

Second straight tossing has skipper one away from McGraw

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com

 

ATLANTA -- With two quick flips of his thumb during the third inning of Saturday afternoon's game at Turner Field, veteran umpire Ron Kulpa moved Braves manager Bobby Cox one step away from an all-time record and also handed John Smoltz a career first.

Then about 20 minutes after the Phillies had concluded their 6-4 win over the Braves, Kulpa and crew chief Dale Scott both made a point to indicate just how much respect they have for Cox, who, with his 130th career ejection, now stands just one away from the all-time record set by Hall of Fame manager John McGraw.

 

"I've never had a problem with Bobby," Kulpa said. "This is my ninth year and this is the first time that I've ever ejected him. I don't think any umpire is out there looking to get Bobby. Bobby respects us and we have a lot of respect for him."

 

When Cox was tossed from Friday night's series opener against the Phillies, he knew the called third strike that Edgar Renteria was disputing with home-plate umpire Paul Emmel was borderline. But he also knew that he had to protect his player and in doing so, he earned yet another ejection.

 

Cox's latest ejection came while he was disputing that Willie Harris' chopper down the line that landed just beyond first base should have been ruled fair. Kulpa says he issued a warning before giving the Braves manager the thumb when he once again pointed to the ground to show where he believed the ball had hit the chalk.

 

Cox, who has admitted that he is somewhat embarrassed by the impending record, contends the ball was fair. But as he always does, Cox wasn't willing to throw any disparaging marks toward an umpire who had just ejected him.

 

"It was fair," Cox said. "We're losing 4-1 at the time, and I thought it was big because the run would be in and [Harris] might even get a triple, as fast as he is."

 

After the game, Smoltz indicated that, given the fact that Harris eventually reached and scored, the call was pretty much inconsequential. But at the same time, he was still voicing the same displeasure that had gotten him ejected just moments after Cox.

 

Smoltz, who wasn't even in the game, was ejected while yelling toward Kulpa from a spot in the Braves' dugout directly across from first base. In 20 Major League seasons, he says this is his third career ejection and first that has come while he's been in the dugout.

 

"I didn't say anything that warranted getting thrown out, not one bit," Smoltz said. "I told him he missed the call, and the next thing you know, I'm getting thrown out. It's pretty weak. But maybe he's having a bad day."

 

Like with Cox, Kulpa says that he issued a warning before ejecting Smoltz.

 

"Smoltz isn't allowed to stand over there and scream at me about a play from the dugout," Kulpa said. "That's Bobby's job. I warned him because I wasn't going to continue to listen to him. He continued to yell and that's when he got ejected."

 

Smoltz -- who made a point to say "[Kulpa's] ears are really good" -- is among the many Braves players who aren't exactly excitedly anticipating the moments when Cox ties and passes McGraw. They understand the fact that many of these ejections are just a product of the fact that he wants to protect each of his players.

 

While they are the ones handing out these ejections, many of these umpires have gained their respect for Cox because of the fact that he is constantly willing to argue for his players.

 

"One thing about Bobby is he protects his players," Scott said. "He goes out there and makes sure his players don't get run. He does his job. It's not because umpires are looking to get him, it's because he steps up and gets his guys' backs. Some managers kind of let the guys go. He doesn't. I think that's why he has a lot of ejections. That's a good attribute for him."

[CanadianChris 0]

In the ninth inning of the Yankees/Angels game, Michael Kay commented, "The Yankees are the epitome of American sport, and they're playing out of the country on Memorial Day. I don't get it."

 

[Guest George's Box]

I don't care if it's the National League, the American League, or the Christian Women's Temperance League, if your starter is working on a 6-inning 66-pitch shutout, he stays in the game, especially if you're planning to replace him with Scott Eyre, who has been awful all year long, including today, when he gave up a game-tying solo shot to Ethier. You take a chance with your #9 hitter drawing a walk to bring up Soriano with runners at the corners, or at worst, you just take the out and start the top of the 7th with the top of the order. I don't know what Dusty Piniella is thinking. Fire this bum.