Well guys were on the eve of the 2009 World Series.

re. wider strike zone - because the umps are terrible

Yanks for HOF - only the 3 mentioned, Jeter, AROD, Mo

I happen to think defensively, Posada is the worst catcher I've ever seen (and remember, I'm a Yankee fan)... he moves so much, that he loses several strikes a game because he makes it so difficult for the ump to get a look look; he's also terrible at framing pitches (also remembering, I see just about every Yankee game since 1998 when I got the Extra Innings package)... did anyone see how much higher the staff era is when he catches?  It's not just a problam with A.J.; just that no one else complains. Didn't Molina become Mussina's personal catcher a lot last year? Of course from an offensive side, how many catchers have been better? It's not like I don't like him, his defense is frustrating. Unlike Piazza, he has a strong arm, just not always accurate. From a numbers standpoint of throwing out runners, he's been average.

I think the Phils should be demoralized after last night's loss. I look to wrap it up tonight.

A lot of hitters have been complaining about strikes that were called, that registered as strikes when they used the tracker to show location.

It seems to go both ways (but hurts more when it's called against your team, natcher'ly!).

I'm not so sure about Pettitte.  He has issues, too, though he was up front about it when caught, at least (as opposed to his buddy...).

Never really thought about Posada.

Anyone notice how the slimmed-down Howard has looked pretty good around the bag?  Of course, he better, they way he's been (not) hitting.

And one of the great heads-up plays I've seen in a long time: Damon pulling of the double steal, when the Phils had no one guarding third because of the shift.

Teams don't try enough to neutralize the extreme shifts.  Hitters need to be able/willing to lay the ball down the opposite way.  A tapper down the left field line could roll into a two-bagger, with everyone shifted.

Anyone ever seen the second baseman set up on the left side of the bag against an extreme righty pull hitter?  I can't think of one.  Maybe someone like Hondo, or Killer?

RE: Posada - 4th best Yankee catcher behind Berra, Dickey, and Munson but only cause of his bat.  Larry got it pretty well nailed.

SHIFT:  I just read (in the book, 1918 by Allan Wood) that they tried the shift on Ruth way back in 1918 and he also would not poke it down the LF line.  Wanted to challenge the shift instead.  Also, he was intentionally walked A LOT; once 5 times in a game and this was in 1918!  I thought the IBB strategy was a Bonds thing.

Anyhow, back on track, Lee wins tonight but that's it.  Yanks in 6.

Larry - match up 1998 with 2009 NYY.  I suspect on a man per man basis, 2009 does well.  The strength of 1998 was how DEEEEEP that team was.   You get to the bench and it's a blowout.

("And one of the great heads-up plays I've seen in a long time: Damon pulling of the double steal, when the Phils had no one guarding third because of the shift.") With the Giambi shift in, I had seen Jeter take an unoccupied 3rd base on a few occasions, including once against the Angels in the playoffs a few years ago (of course, that's how he got injured on opening day a few years ago and missed a few weeks, when the catcher raced him to 3rd base and Jeter got hurt diving into his equipment)

("RE: Posada - 4th best Yankee catcher behind Berra, Dickey, and Munson but only cause of his bat.  Larry got it pretty well nailed.")  Nah, Elston Howard was the better catcher (and lost many HRs to the deep LF at the stadium in those days)... he also had an MVP on his resume in 63, and had just as good a year in 64 when Brooks won it

Part of the subjective info below would be things like, no overall bench stregnth, the 77 team didn't need as many guys in the bullpen as starters went longer in those days, etc.

Hi Guys,

  Well the ride to work this morning I was listening to 610 sports talk radio and the fans in Philly are starting to jump off the ship with all their finger pointing. They want Lidge & uncle Charlie's head on a stick. I said to one of my co-workers well here they go again, things aren't going as good as they thought they would so the blame game has began. Living in this area & listening to all the hype with Rollins saying we will beat the Yankees and repeat. It's like the kiss of death when you start bragging to the media what your going to do to the other team. Last year they played a young TB team and they won, this year their playing a team thats been there before. Now they look like the team that's playing in their 1st series. Lidge stated in the post game that he didn't cover 3rd on the shift because they haven't gone over that much. Wait you put on a shift and no one knows who covers 3rd base. J. Damon was heads up on that play.And it caught them with their pants down. So if they lose tonight they will want uncle Charlie out of town on a rail.

remember to click to open

Cool Larry .  Thanks for the comparisons.  I had completely forgotten about Ellie Howard.  (I think he won a gold glove too - or at least he was rated a 1 a couple of time).  I would definitely take Howard over Posada.   Knock Posada down to 5th.

Hi Guys,  Well the ride to work this morning I was listening to 610 sports talk radio and the fans in Philly are starting to jump off the ship with all their finger pointing. They want Lidge & uncle Charlie's head on a stick. I said to one of my co-workers well here they go again, things aren't going as good as they thought they would so the blame game has began. Living in this area & listening to all the hype with Rollins saying we will beat the Yankees and repeat. It's like the kiss of death when you start bragging to the media what your going to do to the other team. Last year they played a young TB team and they won, this year their playing a team thats been there before. Now they look like the team that's playing in their 1st series. Lidge stated in the post game that he didn't cover 3rd on the shift because they haven't gone over that much. Wait you put on a shift and no one knows who covers 3rd base. J. Damon was heads up on that play.And it caught them with their pants down. So if they lose tonight they will want uncle Charlie out of town on a rail. [image]

-delsea2

Hi John!

Saw the game on the radio here!hahaa!!!..thought the same thing too,about the Lidgester not coverin' the bag on that shift and Damon doin' that great and heads up play.

610, those guys're brutal on everyone over there...they're callin' for Charlie and Lidge now?

I have to tell ya....those're nice stadia there,and I'd take the tours they offer.

I'd never venture to either to watch a game(s) though....well, maybe I would. Like if we won the PB and could get one of those bigshot boxes, then I'd go, maybe!

Jim  

I think the Rollins prediction was the most over-hyped thing about this Series. I was watching the Jay Leno show when he was asked the question. Rollins laughed at the question and was hardly cocky or talking smack in his answer. H e said the Phillies would win........of course. So what. Any player would have said their team was going to win. The whole thing was totally overblown.

Its tough to keep the Yankees down. You know when you play them that you will pay for any error, walk, or flared base hit. With a $200 million dollar payroll they are supposed to win. I guess it would be a whole lot easier to just jump on board with them and enjoy the winning rather than pull for a team like Tampa who builds a young team through their system and make it to the Series only to have the Yankees go out and buy CC, Burnett and Tex and squash your hopes.

Yankee fans never see the injustice.

Guys, first thing, 610 has hosts with no real sports clue. That being said, some fans have abandoned ship, but the majority still have "high hopes"   Chalie has brought this franchise back to life, as have the players. A WS loss is disappoinjting, but 30 other teams would trade for it. I actually think this will be a wild off-season. If Yanks win series, Boston will respond by trying to sign Bay or Holliday, or both. I am not sure what pitching is out there, but a ssramble for available arms will take place. Don't want to sound cynical, but The Phils, win or lose, have captivated Philly, and taken the Eagles off the front sports page. Also, I had a kid in my class ask me if the Phillies are always in the WS?  Wow, thats a question long time Phils fans would have guessed they would never hear

("Yankee fans never see the injustice.")
 
Actually, I do. I've certainly had more than enough championships for one lifetime. I certainly think a salary cap would help, etc. etc.
 
With that said, I guess according to you, I should give up being a fan of the team I've been routing for since the 60's, including the last place 1966 & 1990 squads, and just find another team that doesn't have as high a salary.  Let's see, how about the Mets. Their team salary must be 2nd, but they don't seem to spend it as wisely, so maybe they'd be a good choice.
 
Softballcoach, I'll bet you go through life thinking there are so many things that are not fair.

Even the Yankees have dealt with some cruel injustices; Thurman Munson's death, Lou Gehrig's illness, and Mantle's onslaught of injuries are just a few.

There probably should be a cap, and an enforced minimum that all teams should be able to meet.  Each owner (and city) should then be means-tested, to determine their willingness and viability in maintaining a competetive franchise.

Don't buy in, then claim unfair business practices by the wealthiest few.  And if you're already in and can't play ball with the big boys, then you need to get out!

Even Steinbrenner hasn't been perfect.  Far from it.  From 1982-'94, they have nothing to show.  Actually, the Steinbrenner Yankees are "only" 6-4 in their World Series appearances.

They've enjoyed two decent runs, and the rest of the time, they've been anywhere from mediocre to very-good-but-not-great.

Given the age, health and contract status of so many of their key members, there will likely be some major re-tooling either this year, or next.

And then, we'll strike!

Yanks could use help in outfield, and it so happens that the two biggest free agents are Jason Bay and Matt Holliday, so you figure one of them is a Yank. But their biggest question is at catcher, do they bring Posada back? Does The Card catcher, another Molina, join his brother? Also, what do they do with Jova?

lkapit

In your first sentence you say you recognize the injustice.
In your last sentence you call me a complainer thats goes through life thinking nothing is fair.

I didn't say anything about a salary cap. Personally I feel it would be an injustice for Steinbrenner and his family to have to share their money with another team.
I didn't say you should quit rooting for your team. Or follow another one. I don't really care who you root for.
Yeah I know there are a lot of big market teams that put a mediocre product on the field because they spend their money foolishly.

Bhaas says the Yankees could use help in the outfield. What he means is the Yankees could do better in the outfield by going out and getting the best outfielder(s) available. Certainly alot of teams wouldn't mind having Damon, Swisher or Cabrera in their outfield but since they aren't All-Star caliber players they are considered a weakness on the Yankee team.

Only points I was making was that the Yankee team is expected to win the championship every year.
That Yankees can squash any team that has to build a team through their system simply by buying the biggest stars hitting free agency and because they are able to keep their own players if they so choose.
That the Yankees pick through the free agency pool then leave the scraps for the others, who usually end up overpaying for what they get because of the market value the Yankees have set. Yeah the Mets, Cubs, Red Sox , Angels all end up bidding for the best of the rest.

You're lucky to root for a team that puts an emphasis on winning and that has the unlimited resources to do so. That can keep a Jeter and Rivera for their entire career for the combined amount of some teams entire payroll. Thats exactly what every fan wants. Tell me when the last Yankee player you rooted for left for another team.

You said you understood , but I think you were just patronizing me so you could finish by calling me whiner. If you understood..........then there would have been no need for your last sentence.

It is a fact that the Yankees have an unfair monetary advantage over every other team in baseball.       When the free agents are announced the Yanks pick which ones they want and throw so much money at them that they can't refuse it.     Personally, I see every other league finding a way to get the players to agree to salary caps which makes it possible for different teams play well some years and that adds to the enjoyment in the cities that just might have a big year.     Frankly I can't believe the playoffs in 2008-when you are spending $200 million dollars a year and finish behind Tampa Bay is amazing.     For now we have to put up with picking seven playoff teams each year and automatically including the Yanks.    To be honest if it wasn't for Strat I would probably watch way fewer games each year.    I'm all for the "Mother of all Strikes" with no settlement without a salary cap.     The Yanks are killing baseball.
By the way, I'm not a whiner either.   I'm just stating the facts.

Guys, first thing, 610 has hosts with no real sports clue. That being said, some fans have abandoned ship, but the majority still have "high hopes"   Chalie has brought this franchise back to life, as have the players. A WS loss is disappoinjting, but 30 other teams would trade for it. I actually think this will be a wild off-season. If Yanks win series, Boston will respond by trying to sign Bay or Holliday, or both. I am not sure what pitching is out there, but a ssramble for available arms will take place. Don't want to sound cynical, but The Phils, win or lose, have captivated Philly, and taken the Eagles off the front sports page. Also, I had a kid in my class ask me if the Phillies are always in the WS?  Wow, thats a question long time Phils fans would have guessed they would never hear

-bhaas

Ya know, the way I view the NYY financial ventures,and, the others who are able to buy all the talent is that it's capitalism to the tenth, right?

God Bless America! It's not perfect,but it's the best place!

The smaller markets get a piece of the pie when the NYY roll into town???

And before they even had the open market, NY usually won anyway back in the day.

I wonder if they'll ever adopt a cap????

Jim
 

It is a fact that the Yankees have an unfair monetary advantage over every other team in baseball.       When the free agents are announced the Yanks pick which ones they want and throw so much money at them that they can't refuse it.     Personally, I see every other league finding a way to get the players to agree to salary caps which makes it possible for different teams play well some years and that adds to the enjoyment in the cities that just might have a big year.     Frankly I can't believe the playoffs in 2008-when you are spending $200 million dollars a year and finish behind Tampa Bay is amazing.     For now we have to put up with picking seven playoff teams each year and automatically including the Yanks.    To be honest if it wasn't for Strat I would probably watch way fewer games each year.    I'm all for the "Mother of all Strikes" with no settlement without a salary cap.     The Yanks are killing baseball. By the way, I'm not a whiner either.   I'm just stating the facts.

-mrpuna

Hi MP!

I'm with ya there Stratbro! If not for SOM I doubt that I'd even follow the mods whatsoever
...I don't think the NYY are killin' the game but it's a lot different than when I was young which kinda makes me a dinosaur!hahah!!!!

Jim

yeah softballcoach, I was just being a wise-ass (LOL - sorry)

What I really hated was someone like Carl Polad, the late owner of the Twins, who was the richest owner, but pocketed the profits. I guess they just have a great farm system. 

 I live in south Florida. These owners were known for doing the same thing, but here, it's more understandable. People don't attend (for me, too much rain; too much heat/sun). I don't think a new stadium will help after the first year. Also, for all the years they've "shared" Dolphin (Pro-Player/Joe Robbie) Stadium, they do not make any money from concessions, parking, advertising, etc. It supposedly, all goes to the Dolphins people. Again, good trades & a good farm system keeps them in it every year.

Regarding someone's comment about Posada... he's ending the 2nd year of a 4 year contract (yes, I know... no other team would have paid so much and given a 4 year contract to an old catcher LOL, but he was coming off a .330+ season at the time)... I simply expect him to catch a little less next year. I believe Molina will not be back. Personally, he was a lot worse than last year (throwing & hitting). The rookie, Cervelli, should be the back-up.

Anyone notice how many less RBIs Jason Bay had in the 2nd half, or how Matt Holliday had trouble hitting in the AL. I'd rather look elsewhere.