Yanks & Phils Post-Season History

Prior to the start of the 1903 season, the Baltimore Orioles relocated to Manhattan, giving the fledgling American League a team in New York City, the Highlanders, who soon became known as the Yankees. That fall the first World Series was played, ushering in the modern era of Major League Baseball. While the Fall Classic would be skipped the next year (John McGraw's Giants refused to play against an American League team), by and large the format of Major League Baseball would be unchanged for 58 seasons. Both the American and National League consisted of eight clubs, playing a 154 game schedule, with the two league champions meeting in the World Series.

In the forty one seasons from 1921 through 1961 - the final pre-expansion season in the National League - the Yankees won twenty six American League pennants. In those World Series, the Yankees saw seven of the eight National League clubs at least twice. The only NL club they faced once was the Phillies, in the 1950 World Series. They haven't met in the post-season since.

The two clubs had several near misses in the late seventies and early eighties. While the Yankees won three straight AL pennants from 1976 through 1978, the Phillies lost in the NLCS in each of those years. In 1976 they were knocked out by the Reds, who then became the last National League club to win back-to-back championships, while '77 and'78 came at the hands of the Dodgers, who the Phillies have bounced from the NLCS two years running now.

In 1980 the Phillies advanced to the World Series for just the third time in their history. The Yankees had the best record in baseball that year, but were knocked out in the ALCS by the Royals (who like the Phillies, had lost in the LCS in 76, 77, and 78). The Phillies won that 1980 Series, which until last year was the only championship in their history. In the 1981 the Yankees returned to the Fall Classic, but the Phillies were knocked out in the Division Series round necessitated by that year's lengthy players' strike.

So, when the Yanks and Phils square off tomorrow night, it'll be the first World Series game between the two teams in more than 59 years. There will be some similarities between the two Series as well. Just as in 1950, the Yankees will enter the Series with a manager in his second season at the helm, and the Series will feature the defending World Champions. The difference is that in 1950 Casey Stengel and his Yankees were the defending champions; this year Joe Girardi will be facing the club looking to repeat.

The 1950 Phillies were known as the Whiz Kids. Four of their eight position players and five of their top six pitchers were twenty six or younger, including future Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn and Robin Roberts. They had finished 16 games off the pace in 1949 and weren't expected to contend in '50. But they moved into a tie for first place shortly after the All-Star break and never relinquished the lead, despite a late season push from defending NL champs Brooklyn, who forced an elimination game on the season's final day.

Meanwhile, the 1950 Yankees bettered Detroit for their second consecutive pennant and third in four years. Though 35 and past his prime, Joe DiMaggio had an outstanding season, posting a .301/.394/.585 line (151 OPS+) with 32 HRs, leading the league in slugging. Yogi Berra, in his fourth full season, posted his best line yet, with new career highs in every major offensive category. And veteran shortstop Phil Rizzuto had the finest season of his career, knocking 200 hits while batting .324/.418/.439 and playing his usual spectacular defense on his way to the AL MVP. The pitching staff was led by the old guard of Allie Reynolds, Vic Raschi, and Eddie Lopat, with Tommy Byrne chipping in 15 wins and a rookie named Eddie Ford, later dubbed Whitey, going 9-1 after getting called up in July.

On paper, the Series was a bit of a mismatch. While Philly had the best pitching in the Majors, the Yanks were better than league average and had a wealth of World Series experience on their staff.

On offense, Philly was just below league average while the Yankees were second in baseball in runs and batting average, third in on base and slugging, and tied for the lead in OPS+. They outlasted Detroit, Boston, and Cleveland in the extremely tough American League, where the Phillies' 91 wins would have left them in fifth place.

The result of the Series was in line with what most expected entering the Fall Classic, but much like the ALDS and ALCS were for the 2009 Yankees, the games were much closer than final results of the series would indicate. We'll be back later on with a detailed look at that 1950 World Series.

Joe Buck Hates The Yankees

How many times have you heard someone say something similar to that headline? I've heard it a lot. Why do people think that announcers hate their team? Why Buck specifically?

First, I think it goes without saying that Buck is infinitely more competent than Chip Caray. Or as Craig Calcaterra said during the ALDS, "He's still basically terrible, but he's less offensive than the other terrible announcer who only has his job because of nepotism". Bill Simmons jokingly suggested that HBO create the "Chip Caray Show" and put it on before Buck's to make the latter look better by comparison.

Fro the record, I don't have a problem with Joe Buck and wouldn't say he's "terrible". I think he does an satisfactory job of calling the game and that's something most of us took for granted until Caray came on the scene. Say what you will about Buck, but he doesn't inaccurately describe what's happening on the field very often or repeatedly shove words like "fisted" up our... well, you know.

I think a big part of the reason that people don't like Buck and McCarver (aside from ol' Tim's sometimes nonsensical declarations) is the tone of Joe Buck's voice. He comes across as slightly smug and smarmy. People believe that Joe Buck thinks he's better than them. I don't know whether or not that is actually the case, or to what extent other announcers feel that way, but I think it oozes through the speakers from Buck to a much greater extent.

The other reasons that people dislike Buck are the same for all national broadcasters, especially in baseball. Most teams have home announcers that sound more folksy and are easy on the local nine. When a player fouls up, fans are going to be upset, and therefore much more likely to misdirect their anger towards the announcer. So Buck might point out the same thing that Michael Kay would, but the voice isn't as familiar, the tone a bit sharp. Sometimes it's not the message as much as it is the messenger.

Local broadcasters also know the team inside and out and tailor their calls to fans who know more about their guys. On the weekends during the season and all games in the playoffs, whether we like it or not, the marginal viewers that represent that giant increase in ratings are casual fans or supporters of other teams. We are the ones watching all the games regardless, so why are the networks going to cater to us? So if FOX wants to maximize its ratings, they have to kowtow to people who aren't intimately familiar with Robinson Cano's lack of production with runners in scoring position.

In the end, I think the most telling thing is that a certain section of fans from all over the country think the announcers hate their team. I've heard countless Red Sox fans say that Buck hates the Red Sox. The Angels blog we kept talking about during the ALCS thought Buck had a pro-Yankees bias. Is it possible that Buck and McCarver hate every team? I guess, but isn't it more likely that fans all hate the same announcers? I would have to agree with McCarver when he sad said, “Quite simply, the bias comes not from the voice, but from the ears”.

When it comes right down to it, which announcers are universally liked? Vin Scully. Anyone else? Would Vin Scully have been so widely revered if his career was beginning now and we could all bitch about his calls on Twitter?

Broadcasting is a tough job and due to the duration of time on the air and proximity to the fans, it's the one position in sports that might be more scrutinized than what happens on the field. Maybe there's someone in broadcasting school right now with a killer voice and background in sabermetrics who is going to universally beloved 15 or 20 years from now.

But I kinda doubt it. People are going to find something to hate about that guy too. We hold our announcers to impossibly high standards and sports fans are always going to find something to critique during the countless hours they are on the air. With the lines of communication now available on the internet, I think it's fair to wonder if any national broadcaster will ever be truly loved again.

Nightcap Links

Do you know anyone in this world who wears an actual nightcap? Grandparents maybe? What does it say about our culture that the drinking form of a nightcap is probably thousands of times more popular than the ridiculous thing you wear on your head to bed? Just thinking out loud here...

Unsurprisingly, the Yankees cleaned the Giants clock in the New York market last night, ratings-wise. Somewhat surprisingly, they also edged the NBC night game nation-wide. Oh, and enjoy that article from Neil Best because unless you live on Long Island it might be one of the last you get to read.

Rob Iracane at Walkoff Walk details the upcoming battle over New Jersey.

We used this song for a preview before Jeter started using it for his at bat music, and now it's going to be performed live before Game 1 of the World Series. (via BBTF)

Joe Girardi has made some highly questionable moves this postseason, but to label him the "#1 October Disaster" like Jon Heyman did is indefensible. (via Craig)

Ross from New Stadium Insider wonders how many Philly fans will be at the games at Yankee Stadium and based on secondary market ticket prices, there might be a lot.

FanGraphs looks at Andy Pettitte's season using Pitch f/x data. Over there as well, Dave Cameron suggests that Girardi go with a three man rotation in the World Series.

If Rob Neyer talks about the Yankees on a podcast, I will link to it.

Matthew Pouliot at Circling the Bases thinks the Angels should be embarrassed with their performance in the ALCS. David Brown at Big League Stew thinks they should still be proud of the season they had.

Some historical precedence on the rivalry between Philly and New York. (via BLS)

That's all for now. We'll be back at it tomorrow with some historical perspective and other good stuff. In the meantime, feel free to root for neither of the teams playing in Monday Night Football.

It's Always Fackin' Sunny

Ready for some fun with unsubstantiated internet rumors?

Over at Baseball Think Factory, they have a short clip from the most recent episode of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia in which one of the characters tries to persuade another to run on the field during a Phillies World Series game and hand Chase Utley a letter.

Rather amusing, sure, but check out this little tidbit I saw in the comments section:

Fun fact: Kevin Youkilis made a cameo in this week's episode (the one this clip comes from). Can you spot where?

I had already watched the episode and saw no sign of the Youkstah so I was kind of puzzled by this. A little further down, the same commenter responds to one of the guesses:

I'm not sure if you're serious or not, but when I watched it I thought one of the corpses in the dungeon looked like him.

I'm absolutely serious, and you are correct: the last corpse pictured is that of Kevin Youkilis. Apparently he's a big fan of the show.

Pretty neat.

I guess it makes sense that I wouldn't have noticed it, if it was just a quick shot and he was supposed to be a corpse. Luckily, I still have the episode saved on my DVR, and I went back and found what they were talking about to verify that it was really him.

Let's compare to a similar angle. I'm gonna say no.

It resembles Youk in the most obvious ways - goatee and a bald head. But upon closer inspection, it really doesn't look like him at all. The teeth look sort of fake, which would explain the apparent overbite. But the facial hair looks like it's glued on. See how it's unnaturally darker on the left side? Say what you want about Youk but the man does not sport spotty or lopsided facial hair. The eyes don't look right. If you look closely at this one, the ears aren't the same shape either.

As one of the internet's foremost experts in Youkology, I'm about 99% confident that this person is not Kevin Youkilis. It was only on the screen for a couple of seconds, so at full speed it wouldn't be so obvious that it wasn't him. But we can agree that it's pretty obvious here, yes? I'm not sure why the commenter at BBTF seemed so certain about it. I'd be interested to hear why he was so matter-of-fact given that when you search for the connection, it comes up empty, save for that thread.

Anyway, are there any Always Sunny fans out there? I didn't start watching it until the 3rd season but I've got the first two downloaded waiting for me to catch up on at some point. Danny DeVito is fantastic but I think all the characters are hilarious in their own right.

To bring it back to the baseball and more specifically the Yankees, my buddy Cliff (who lives in Philly) was at Game 2 of the ALCS. After Melky Cabrera's at bat in the 13th inning happened, and he was stuck in Manhattan after missing the last train back to Philly, I texted him "MELKSTEAK!!!!"

Metsenfreude

I know there are a handful of Mets fans who read the blog, so I really don't mean to pour salt in the wounds. But how incredible is it that, in a season in which the Metropolitans spent 150 million dollars and lost 92 games due mostly to injuries to essentially every good player on their team, that the World Series title with either be awarded to their most hated rivals or their also-hated crosstown rivals who already own the city?

How many times have you heard someone say "Just when you thought things couldn't get an worse" in reference to the Mets this year? And invariably, impossibly, they've gotten worse. Madoff, the logo, Beltran, Reyes, J.J. Putz, the Castillo drop, him spraining his ankle walking down the dugout steps, Bernazrd, Minaya & Rubin, trading for Jeff Francoeur, the home run apple malfunctioning, Santana's surgery, structural damage to Citi Field, David Wright's concussion and subsequent oversized helmet, and now this. At one point, I even compared them to the Knicks.

I'm rubbing it in, aren't I? Sorry, I'll stop. If you don't want to watch the World Series this year, we'll understand.

Value Evaluation: CC or A-Rod

I doubt many people are going to remember who the ALCS MVP was a couple years from now. Postseason series MVPs are even more haphazardly given out than their regular season counterparts the BBWAA gets to vote on. As we had pretty much determined by Game 4, it was going to either A-Rod or CC Sabathia.

Last night as LoHud, Josh Thompson said "In no surprise to anyone, CC Sabathia was named MVP of the ALCS after winning both starts."

Um, I'll admit it. I'm a little surprised. A-Rod had a fantastic series and given how much the media loves stories of redemption, I had thought he would be the slight favorite to win. He put up huge numbers, and had clutch home runs, which I would think the media would value as much ro more than a guy who made two excellent starts.

Like everyone else, I don't really care who won the award, but I thought it would be interesting to look at who was more valuable in the series.

Here go the basic stats. A-Rod hit .429/.567/.952. That's a 1.519 OPS. He walked 8 times and struck out thrice. Three homers, six RBIs and six runs scored, meaning he was at the center of 9 of the Yanks' 33 runs in the series.

Sabathia started and won twice, going 8 innings and allowing one run each time. He had as many strikeouts (12) as walks (3) and hits (9) combined. An ERA of 1.12, a WHIP of 0.750.

Both guys put up numbers in the series that if you extrapolated to a full season would comfortably be the best of all time as a batter and pitcher respectively, I'm willing to say. I'm not sure of a place to get Wins or Runs Above Replacement data for a postseason series, so the best measure of comparing a pitcher to a position player would probably be WPA.

CC takes that one pretty handily which demonstrates the importance of an overpowering starting pitcher. With the Yankees' offense, he virtually assured them of two wins, the only two comfortable victories of the series.

A-Rod, on the other hand, had a hit in every game and was on base twice or more in all except Game 2, when of course he blasted a game-tying home run in the bottom of the 11th when the Yanks were down to their last breath. In Game 5, where he was at .005 in WPA, he still had a hit and two walks.

You can't go wrong with either of these guys obviously, and even A-Rod magnanimously said that CC deserved it. These are nice issues to be able to sort through, aren't they? Everybody wins!

A Fine Fall Day

("Not going to school on Wednesday, going to the World Series")

Good morning, Fackers. It's a fine one to be a supporter of the New York Baseballing Yankees, wouldn't you say? According to the folks over a LoHud, the Yanks didn't hold much back last night. It's alright, they've got almost three full days to shake it off.

Fittingly, a sloppily contested game replete with dubious managerial moves topped off a series that might be remembered for both of those things. The only thing missing was an egregiously wrong call by an umpire. The "fundamentally sound" Angels had Vlad Guerrero picked off of first base on what should have been a routine play in the 3rd and made two errors on plays when the Yankees were handing them outs in the 8th inning.

As for the managing, the questionable decision making began in the 4th inning. Following singles by Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano, the Yanks asked Melky Cabrera to sacrifice them over to second and third. I know what Girardi was thinking. Pass the baton to Jeter and hope he singles home a few runs. But Saunders was on the ropes and looked nothing short of terrible. Timely hitting was the only thing between the Yankees and a sizable lead at that point. I can see that move in the later innings or against a dominant pitcher, maybe, but to do it in the 4th inning against a guy in Saunders who had been pitching terribly to that point doesn't make sense.

If you look at this run expectancy matrix, you'll see that a successful bunt in this spot would have even decreased the Yankees chances to score exactly one run, increased their odds of plating two or three but decreased their odds of having a bigger inning. The way Saunders was pitching, I wouldn't discount the possibility of the latter.

So despite Girardi's best efforts to avoid delivering the knockout blow, the Yankees still loaded the bases for Johnny Damon who drove two home, and re-loaded them via a single from Teixeira for A-Rod. Mike Sciosica left (southpaw) Joe Saunders in to face A-Rod with the bases loaded in the 4th inning. At the time, Saunders had faced 21 batters and allowed 11 to reach base (with one of the 10 retired coming on a sac bunt). That's who you want facing the other team's best hitter with the bases loaded in an elimination game? Saunders of course walked A-Rod on an incredibly close pitch, forcing in a run.

I disagreed with the way Joe Girardi's chose to pull his starter as well. After getting Howie Kendrick to line out, Pettitte gave up a single to Juan Rivera on a pitch that was high but over the middle of the plate. At that point, Pettitte had thrown only 99 pitches and induced 9 ground balls. He was one pitch away from getting out of the inning but Girardi went to his bullpen for David Robertson. Oh wait, no he didn't. Phil Hughes. Err, no. He went to Joba Chamberlain for some reason known only to him. Ostensibly because he believes that it's still 2007.

Girardi had apparently already made up his mind that he was going to use Mariano Rivera for 6 outs, so why did he pick Joba over Hughes? Or Robertson? We were told this week that there was nothing wrong with Hughes and that it was a simple mechanical issue. Robertson was solid during the regular season and perfect in the postseason. Joba has been neither of those things. He's given up 5 hits in 2 2/3 postseason IP and was not effective when last seen as a starter. What makes Girardi think that he's the guy you want in when the game is on the line?

Of course, Girardi also tried desperately to give away outs in the 9th inning when the Yankees were leading by 1, not once but twice, however the Angels simply wouldn't let him.

But hey, all's well that ends well, right?

I personally had a pretty sweet day as well. I played in a golf tourament at a Donald Ross track called The Sagamore in Lake George, my team won by 4 shots, I took home longest drive and won the 50/50 raffle (and didn't donate it, sorry Bolton Booster Club!). I got home a little bit after first pitch and Big Willie Style had taken the liberty of setting his TV up on a table beneath the 46" so we could watch the Yankees and Giants at the same time. It came at the expense of the internet and therefore active Twittering, but it was a necessary trade off.

Only the top TV had the audio on, so we flipped to the Giants game on when there was action and the Yankees were at commercial (Black taco! Apparently blue corn tortillas are black now. Who knew?). At one point, within about 20 seconds of each other, Hakeem Nicks lucked into a touchdown catch on a crazy deflection for the Giants and Johnny Damon rapped an 2 RBI single for the Yanks. It was worth the trouble just for that.

The Giants were mounting a possible game-tying drive that got derailed when Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled struggling for some extra yards. You can't win 'em all, and that was pretty much the only loss I took yesterday.

Bring On The Phillies

The last time the Yankees made it to the World Series, I was a sophomore in college in Boston, celebrating primarily because the Yanks had just vanquished the Red Sox in what remains the greatest ALCS in my lifetime. It wasn't about earning the right to tango with the senior circuit. Ensnared in the life or death struggle of a Game 7 against our most hated rivals, it wasn't as much about winning as it was about not losing.

Tonight, in a Game 6 against the Angels - although there was a recent history and plenty at stake - there was not the immediate danger of losing. In poker they call that a "sweat". When you're all-in but ahead in the hand, you still have to watch the cards flip over, one by one. If the dealer isn't trying to insert any unnecessary drama it should take ten or fifteen seconds. But that fraction of a minute can feel like an eternity.

That's how the final innings last night felt. Moments creeping along, stress building, exhaling after each pitch. When Mariano Rivera got Gary Matthews Jr. to go down swinging, the Yankees had the Angels drawing dead on the turn.

Andy Pettitte came up big given the circumstances, allowing six hits, one walk and one run over 6 1/3 innings while striking out 6. In the second inning, he got lucky when Vlad Guerrero strayed too far off the bag on a shallow blooper to right field and was doubled off of first, just another of the many baserunning mistakes the Yanks' opponents have gifted them with this October. The one run the Angels scratched across was in the 3rd inning on a two out Bobby Abreu single; it put the Angels up at the time but it would be their last lead of the season.

As they had throughout the series, the Yankees continued to strand runners throughout the first three innings. They wasted back to back singles by A-Rod and Mark Teixeira in the first, left the bases loaded in the second and stranded A-Rod after he walked in the third.

In the fourth inning, not entirely by coincidence, the Yanks offense and Nick Swisher came alive at the same time. After Robinson Cano walked to lead off the fourth, Swish followed him with a single to the left side. For some odd reason, Melky Cabrera was asked to bunt them over, bringing up Derek Jeter. After throwing him a curveball in the dirt, Joe Saunders pounded Jeter with fastball after fastball, four of them which Jeter fouled back and three of them which were called balls and the Captain took his place at first base.

With the bases loaded, Johnny Damon was due up. Finally, the Yanks broke through on his single to centerfield which allowed both Swisher and Cano to score. Teixeira singled to re-load the bases, bringing up A-Rod. He worked a 3-1 and took a pitch that appeared a first blush to be a strike, but was just barely outside, forcing in a run. Saunders' night was over (3.1IP, 7H, 5BB, 3ER) and he was replaced by Darren Oliver who promptly got Jorge Posada to ground into an inning-ending double play. Still, the damage was done and the Yankees led 3-1.

Pettitte ran into some trouble in the 6th with a two out single by Torii Hunter followed by a double to Vlad Guerrero. With the tying run on second base Pettitte dug deep, getting Kendry Morales to ground out and end the threat after 5 straight fastballs.

When Andy gave up a single to Juan Rivera in the 7th, he was lifted (after 6 1/3 IP for this 4th straight postseason start) in favor of Joba Chamberlain. This is the type of move that would have been endlessly second guessed had it not worked out, but the Jobanator retired the two batters he faced.

In bottom half of the inning, A-rod led off with a single but was erased when Jorge Posada grounded into another twin killing. Jorgie had a terrible night, going 0-5 and leaving 10 runners on base - 8 if you could the ones that were erased by the DPs.

Joe Girardi, perhaps revealing that he didn't have as much faith in Phil Hughes as he had stated throughout the long layoff between games, asked Mariano Rivera for a 6 out save. It got off to an inauspicious start as Chone Figgins led off with a base hit. Bobby Abreu very nearly changed the complexion of the game with a sharp shot headed for right field, but Mark Teixeira made a spectacular diving play to his right and scampered back to the bag for the first out. (Suck it UZR!). Vlad Guerrero singled later in the frame, driving in Figgins and closing the gap to 3-2 and the Angels worked Rivera for 22 pitches in the inning.

However, they squandered their hard work and gave the Yankees a gift in the home half. Both Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera reached base on errors after dropping down bunts. The latter was particularly costly as Scott Kazmir lofted a lollipop over the leaping try of Howie Kendrick, allowing Robinson Cano (who walked to lead off the frame) to score. Teix added a sac fly to give Rivera a little extra cushion when he came back out for the 9th. He didn't need it as he sat them down 1-2-3 and send the Yankees to the World Series. Pettitte with the win (breaking the postseason record) and Rivera with the save. Beautiful.

Oh, the World Series, our old friend. It's been far too long.

In the end, the questionable maneuvering by Girardi, the two brutal losses out in Anaheim and the rainout on Saturday night will all be just a footnotes. The Yanks can put all that behind them now as the head to the 40th Fall Classic. How sweet it is.

ALCS Game 6: Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

After a fairly interminable wait, the Yankees will play their 8th game in 21 days this evening. Postseason baseball might be different because of the colder weather, lower scoring and the level of tension, but it's also unique in its infrequency. It's tedious for us fans to wait out these delays but it's probably equally unnatural for the players - who are accustomed to playing nearly every day - to take the field about one-third as often. The games themselves are made up primarily of lulls in the action, but they occur with such regularity that it's tough to swallow when the most anticipated games of the year are the most sporadically dispersed.

The Angels might have snatched the momentum back when Brian Fuentes got Nick Swisher to pop out to end Game 5, but said force was then flown across country, beaten down with cold and rain and put on the shelf for another day. The Bombers are back in the Bronx and now retain the homefield advantage that they've used so successfully to their advantage this year. They've only lost back to back games at home once since the middle of June, over which time they've sported a gaudy .782 winning percentage.

Joe Saunders takes the Angels' season into his hands tonight. The Yankees couldn't get much going against him in Game 2 at the Stadium, mustering only six hits, a walk and two runs in 7 innings. He left the game with the score tied but the Yanks of course rallied in the 13th inning to take a two game lead to Anaheim.

Mike Scioscia's decision to go with Saunders in Game 2 was widely questioned, but it's looking pretty good at this point. Instead of Scott Kazmir, who the Yanks smacked around in Game 4, Saunders will be trusted with the Angels' season on the line, which looks like a significantly better proposition with the benefit of hindsight.

The Yanks send their own lefty to the mound tonight, Andy Pettitte. He had a shaky start in Game 3 in Anaheim, allowing 7 hits and 3 ER in 6 1/3 IP while striking out only 2 batters. Tonight he'll be put in the same position he succeeded in during the Minnesota series; starting a game with the chance to advance the Pinstripes to the next round.

River Ave. Blues took a look at Pettitte's performances in previous opportunities to seal up playoff series yesterday and our old friend PeteAbe was there to shore up the analysis. By Pete's count, Pettitte has a 4.14 ERA and his teams are 6-4 in those games, including his time in Houston. Not sparkling by any stretch but not too bad either.

The return home for the Yanks coincides nicely with the song for tonight. Bob Dylan recorded Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues for the album Highway 61 Revisited in New York only three days after controversial and much maligned Newport Folk Festival appearance. On July 29th, 1965, Dylan made the fairly brash artistic statement of playing a set with an electric guitar and members of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. After a chilly reception, he stopped and walked offstage after his third song, Like A Rolling Stone, and was serenaded with boos from the crowd.

The most common explanation for the reception was that the crowd was not pleased with his choice of an electric guitar but alternatively, it has been said that they were annoyed with the length of the set. Regardless, there was much angst among the fans in attendance - even some of Dylan's supporters.

While backstage, Dylan was convinced to finish the set by festival MC Peter Yarrow and singer Joan Baez. He finished his set with three acoustic tunes and the same fans who had booed him off the stage earlier showered him with applause and pleaded for an encore. Fans can be a fickle bunch, can't they?

The song is about returning to New York from an especially bleak trip out West ("When you're lost in the rain in Juarez"). It appropriately has six verses and the final and most appropriate one - about going back to New York under dubious circumstances - is quoted below.

I started out on burgundy,
But soon hit the harder stuff,
Everybody said they'd stand behind me,
When the game got rough,
But the joke was on me,
There was nobody even there to call my bluff,
I'm going back to New York City,
I do believe I've had enough.

Game 6 Postponed

Check out that radar. It doesn't take a meteorologist to figure out that ain't baseballing weather.

So much for walking between the raindrops, Fackers. No game tonight. Someone better tell Andy Pettitte.

That doesn't sound safe.

I pulled back the preview I wrote but I'll touch it up and re-post it before the game tomorrow, cause I sure as shit am not going to write a whole new one. Woulda been nice to be done with this series already, huh? Brutal.

The Weather Gods May Not Be So Kind This Time Around

The Yankees truly lucked out with the weather during Games 1 & 2 of the ALCS. Despite forecasts indicating a 90% chance of precipitation and generally dismal atmospheric conditions in the New York metropolitan area, both games were finished without delay, much less postponement.

This allowed them the option to start CC Sabathia on short rest in Game 4, which in turn allowed him to be available for a possible Game 7 on regular rest. Since the Angels have four capable starting pitchers while the Yankees truly only have 3, the series playing out according to the schedule was a big advantage for the Yanks.

They will have to get lucky once again in order for the rain not to wreak havoc on their plans. The Bombers can help their cause greatly by winning Game 6, whenever it takes place. Should the game tonight be postponed, it would be annoying - especially for the fans and writers - but it could have some actual unfavorable ramifications on the team should there be a do-or-die Game 7.

Having to play a pivotal Game 7 would be awful because the Yanks would need to start CC Sabathia, thus making him unavailable until Game 2 of the World Series (should they be fortunate enough to win that game). It would be especially bad if tonight's game was pushed back until Sunday (partially because the Giants have the 8:30 PM game on NBC), but mostly because the extra day would allow the Angels to start John Lackey on short rest and Sabathia wouldn't be available until Game 3 of the World Series and wouldn't be able to make two starts unless the Series went 6 games.

The Yanks have two more chances to make it to the World Series, but it would greatly behoove them to take care of business as soon as possible. As ridiculously exciting as it would be to witness a Game 7 for the rest of the baseball viewing public, no one with a vested interest in the Yankees wants to endure the stress of watching them play with the season in the balance. Let's hope they can walk between the rain drops once again.

Being A-Rod

TMZ's hook for this video is that A-Rod got out of a parking ticket in NYC - which in my experience is not possible after a cop starts writing you a ticket, those dirty liars - but it's also an interesting glimpse into what it's like to be a A-Rod in New York nowadays.

This is just a little snapshot into A-Rod's life, and I'm sure there aren't always weirdos with cameras recording his every move, but you've gotta believe he causes a fair commotion where ever he goes, especially as of late. That kind of attention has be tough for anyone to handle.

He's doesn't appear to be stingy about giving out autographs, which I've heard in the past. It looks like a waiter brought him a ball to sign (which are suddenly becoming a whole lot more valuable) and he obliged. Outside, he scribbled his John Hancock one of the school kids' $20 bills.

You can bet that this time last year, people weren't telling him that he was terrific. They certainly weren't wishing him good luck like the old woman at the end of the clip did. Nothing like a meaningful October in The City.

Sidenote: There are a few of Serafinas in Manhattan, and by the looks of it, I'd guess that's the one Madison Ave (I've been to the one on 55th and Broadway a couple of times). Nice Northern Italian fare at pretty reasonable prices. I'd recommend it.

Girardi's Biggest Mistake

Joe Girardi has made some questionable decisions throughout this season and they've occurred at a much higher rate during the postseason. There were several short essays written about his tendencies yesterday over here. Most of of the debate focused on pitching changes and other substitutions, but his (and Brian Cashman's) biggest error may have come in roster construction:

sbarro philly foot sausage 8:31 am
I mentioned this yesterday, but I am still intrigued to hear what everyone thinks.
I have a question: do you all think that maybe Girardi made a mistake in not adding Cody Ransom to the roster?

I had an idea last night, that Cody could potentially be inserted as a pinch runner who could steal home or score in a squeeze play at the plate.

Here’s my thinking: the man can jump from a standing position atop a 60 inch box. When the throw reaches the catcher, the catcher would be in a squatted reach position to tag the runner, in this case, Cody Ransom. But Cody could simply take the catcher by surprise, jump over him and touch the plate.

What do you guys think? I think it would work, and could be one of the most spectacular plays since the 2001 Jeter shovel pass to Posada in the ALDS

The only appropriate response is this.