Yankees.9.7

They say that Jacoby Ellsbury's the fastest guy in baseball. I say it's Clemens.



Back in May and June when the Bombers were really shitting the bed, I was just hoping that they could start winning some games to make August and September interesting to follow; I wanted them to at least be in a race (division or wild card). They've certainly done that in the second half of the season making it a very interesting summer of baseball. Despite winning 5 of the last 6 against the Red Sox and being only 4 back in the loss column, it appears that it would take a total Sox collapse combined with a 10 and 3 or better finish by the Yanks in order to take the division. Could happen; not likely. On the bright side, they are 3 up in the loss column against Detroit, so if they hold serve (to mix sports metaphors) they should win the wild card race and make the playoffs. Right now, Cleveland and LA are tied for the second best record, which would pit them against the wild card winner. God, please let it be Cleveland. LA just has our number.

Assorted hits: That at-bat by Derek Jeter against Schilling last night was about as good as it gets. Classic good (Jeter) versus evil (fat boy) match up in a key spot in the game: tied in the 8th, 2 on, 2 out. I particularly enjoyed the camera shots on Jeter's face when Varitek went out to the mound multiple times to strategize with Schilling. That little smirk was classic. I also enjoyed the home run. ... Too bad Joba had to give up his first earned run in Fenway, but I liked his reaction: eh. So what. This guy is a gamer. I can't wait to see him starting and using a regular rotation of all his pitches. Those two K's he got on nasty little curve balls following his high 90's heat were great. I think Pedroia may have started walking away from the plate before the ump even called it. My other favorite Joba moment of the weekend was when he reached into the crowd from the bullpen to snag a home run away from the Sox fans. This guy was born for this rivalry. ... Speaking of pitching though, I have absolutely no idea what to expect from our starting staff if we make the playoffs and that's what really concerns me about this team. Clemens looked great last night but how many cortizone shots can one guy get in one month. And everyone else has been inconsistent. I'm very excited about the future of the Baby Bombers pitching staff, but you just don't know how Hughes and Kennedy will fare in October. I'm excited to find out though. Especially after the way this season started.


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Hammers.17.09.07

The Hammers' short 5 game season has been a bit of a microcosm of the Yankees' season: horrible start (2 nil home loss to a then mediocre sounding Manchester City side), loads of injuries (Faubert, Ljundberg, Parker, Dyer), then a strong resurgence recently (2 straight 3-0 wins, giving them 6 points and 6 plus on goal differential). They're sitting 5th in the Premier League with a game in hand. Of course, they haven't played any of the Big Four yet, nor have they played any of the preseason projected next four (Portsmouth, Everton, Tottenham, Blackburn), so we really know nothing about the team. But these are the games they're supposed to be getting points from, and they are, so that's good. Next weekend's game against Newcastle should be informative about how good West Ham are. Then Arsenal after that. That match should tell us if they're total frauds or not. I'm not thinking top 4 finish, but a UEFA Cup qualification would be awesome.