Just In Case You Didn't Already Love Nick Swisher...

...Here is a screen grab of him striking out Gabe Kapler in the bottom of the 8th inning last night.

After Swish got Carlos Pena to pop up for the 2nd out, and they panned over to Tony Pena and Joe Girardi on the bench trying to hide their chuckles behind the dugout railing, and David Cone said, "This is one of those nights where you have to laugh to keep from crying". It was 15-5 Tampa, and Swisher was taking one for the team, as the options in the bullpen were almost totally exhausted.

In stark contrast to Chien Ming Wang who looked distraught and overwhelmed while surrendering five runs in the first inning and three more before after pulled in the 2nd, Swish was lobbing 75mph "fastballs" and laughing all the way to a scoreless frame. He gave up a walk and a hit to start it off, but retired the next three batters he faced. He was working quickly and changing his arm angle, reminiscent of Cone's playing days.

I sat on the couch last night, flipping back forth between the Yanks and Mets game, thinking about how often baseball frames your life. How many times have you had a sort of strange and shitty day, only to come home and have your team play the same? Then once in a while, something happens in a game that makes those two things intertwine. Yesterday was one of those occurrences, because by the time I watched Swisher leave the mound, his big smile obscured by the even bigger lipper he was packing, I didn't think the day was so bad.

I Think We Know Whose Fault This Is

Do you think that A-Rod knew Wang would be shown on TV and therefore moved over so as to insert himself into the shot? The guy does love to be the center of attention...

58 pitches... 3 outs. That's not gonna do it.

The line above is actually not accurate.

After that Carlos Pena grand slam served up by Albaladejo, it's 8 ER in 1+IP.

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It's 10-0 as of now (8:40), so if you hang in there and watch the rest of the game, you are a better fan than I tonight.

Game 7: Kashmir

As the Yankees send their groundball machine Chien Ming Wang to the mound tonight to avenge his horrible showing in Baltimore, the Tampa Bay (Nothing Ungodly-Sounding) Rays counter with lefty strikeout tallier Scott Kazmir.

Scott's dad co-owned a company with Adam Dunn's father in Houston and despite being 5 years apart, used to play wiffle ball together growing up. Kazmir was quarterback of his football team in high school, but found that his talents on the pitcher's mound far exceed those under center. Kazmir threw two no-hitters as a sophomore and then four consecutive no-hitters his junior year. As a senior, he broke Josh Beckett's strikeout record for the state of Texas by punching out 175 in 72 innings and was named Baseball America's High School Player Of The Year.

The Mets were surprised when he fell to them at the 15th pick in the draft and signed him for $2.15M, the largest bonus the team had ever given out (guess who his agent was). Kazmir continued his dominance on his rise through the minor leagues, but was traded when he was still in Double A. He was moved to the (at the time Devil) Rays for Victor Zambrano and Bartolome Fortunato at the behest of pitching coach Rick Peterson who thought he saw a fixable flaw in Zambrano's mechanics. Although Steve Phillips is commonly assumed to have made the trade in hindsight (since it was retarded), it actually occured Jim Duquette's watch.

After missing the first month of the 2008 season, Kazmir signed an extension last May with TB that locked him up through 2011 with team option for '12. He made 27 starts last year and had a 3.49 ERA, but averaged only 5 2/3 innings per start (5.8 for his career). As is the case with many strikeout pitchers, Kazmir has trouble keeping his pitch count down. In his first start this season he went six innings and gave up one run, but needed 111 pitches to do so.

I know Mets fans pine for Kazmir like an old girlfriend who got away, but he's not a guy that I particularly wish was on the Yanks. Don't get me wrong, if Scott Kazmir is your second or third best pitcher, you've probably got a great staff. But he doesn't seem like a true top of the line starter to me because he puts too much pressure on the bullpen. And I hate guys who throw too many pitches.

Don't go proving me wrong now, Scott.


[I know, the spelling isn't the same, but it's close enough]