Anyone else watching the Yankees....

[Westheim]

The Yankees mouthpieces aren't natural-born thinkers, huh?

"Make it 3" - meaning the magic number, with a W over the Red Sox.

"Maybe even 2...!", dude then adds. "If the Blue Jays lose."

No. The Blue Jays and Rays are tied behind you, and play each other. They're not likely to both lose, are they?

Is there something like a pre-game meeting where they go over the talking points, or do they come in still in their PJs and just wing it from there?

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Red Sox-Yankees the only show in town at one eastern. How convenient

What's even more "fun" is that ABC has decided that they're cutting in on football to show Aaron's ABs, not only on ABC (goodbye Clemson-Wake Forest) but ESPn (sorry, Baylor-Iowa State) and SEC network+ (tough luck, #1 Georgia! Dawg Nation can't watch y'all against Kent State) and the ACC Network, too (suck it, whoever!)

This would be one thing if This Is It, if it was now or never for Aaron to Break The Record. But the Yankees are playing tomorrow. And next week. And the week after that. This is just one chance of many for him to hit #61, which only ties Maris, so presumably we have to sit through all this bullspit for #62 as well. Endless listening to Michael Kay hyperventilating through foul balls until Aaron walks or strikes out or pops out or singles to right or whatever, over and over.

Now it would be one thing if ABC/Disney was doing this on ESPn News, which is a sports NEWS channel and this might be NEWS (although the odds are it won't be, as Aaron has failed to homer in ~90% of his plate appearances this season), but they're interrupting coverage of sports people have actually chosen to watch. I'm sorry, I love baseball, it's my favorite sport (which is why I can no longer support what Manfred has done to it), but if someone wants to watch football, let them watch football. Or golf, or synchronized swimming, or tiddlywinks or whatever. This ridiculous "Judge Watch!" crap is really annoying.

What's more, as noted above, Aaron isn't really "Breaking the Record". (They get around it by referring to the "American League Record" but c'mon, man! [/Biden] MLB has spent the past 30 years working to obliterate the individual identities of the Leagues.) It's nice that he might become the first person to cleanly hit 62 (or more) HR (if he's clean, and who knows, nowadays?), but since MLB let Bonds cheat and let McGwire cheat (2x) and let Sammy double-cheat ['roids and cork] three separate times, all we're doing is watching Aaron (possibly) become the 8th person to hit 61 HR in a season, and then possibly become the 7th to hit 62.

Yippee.

(As I'm on delay in watching/posting, he may have already hit the damn thing. But still. Okay, here's the refs overturning a possible targeting call against Clemson, while we watched Aaron whiff. Thrilling…)

[Amazin69]

And "in the game the people are tuning in to watch" (as Sean McDonagh snarkily put it), Wake Forest blasts down the field in just 4 plays (3 of them over 20 yards) to climb out of a 14-0 hole and take a 21-20 lead over undefeated #5 Clemson!

Not that we got a chance to hear Sean (whom I normally hate, but I'm with him on this) call those exciting plays, since we were being interrupted by Michael Kay telling us that YES is the #1 regional sports network in the country, while waiting for Aaron to fly out to RF.

And the sold-out crowd at Winston-Salem NC goes wild! (They've lost to Clemson the last 13 times the teams have played; this is arguably the biggest home game of the year.) Not that we could hear it, of course! Thanks, ABC!!

("Impressive drive while we were away watching Aaron Judge, Todd." Dang…Sean is pissed, lol!)

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

And "in the game the people are tuning in to watch" (as Sean McDonagh snarkily put it), Wake Forest blasts down the field in just 4 plays (3 of them over 20 yards) to climb out of a 14-0 hole and take a 21-20 lead over undefeated #5 Clemson!

Not that we got a chance to hear Sean (whom I normally hate, but I'm with him on this) call those exciting plays, since we were being interrupted by Michael Kay telling us that YES is the #1 regional sports network in the country, while waiting for Aaron to fly out to RF.

And the sold-out crowd at Winston-Salem NC goes wild! (They've lost to Clemson the last 13 times the teams have played; this is arguably the biggest home game of the year.) Not that we could hear it, of course! Thanks, ABC!!

("Impressive drive while we were away watching Aaron Judge, Todd." Dang…Sean is pissed, lol!)

This cries out for an angry email to whoever they pretend is in charge there. Shambolic.

[Westheim]

"I don't know, can you call out *Aaron Judge* on this ball, at this point in the game?"

I sure hope, swing or no swing is not conditional on the batter's OPS.

And for all the involuntary guests, I hope you enjoyed Aaron Judge's fourth turn in the box and third out today. By the way, with a little luck we'll drag you back in against your will in the bottom of the ninth for the Minute Maid Aaron Judge Toyota Walkoff Home Run Watch, brought to you by Mastercard, presented by GEICO!

[Amazin69]

(EDIT: this was the 3rd AB; I'm still on delay. Which lets me skip the commercials, but I lose momentum when I pause to type these screeds.)

Clemson suddenly can't do anything, has to punt, and gets off their second terrible punt in a row. Only a penalty stops Wake Forest from taking over at midfield.

Not that this stops Sam Hartman, Wake's quarterback. He blasts downfield again (Clemson's secondary is a shambles; they need to recruit more of my cousins*) and throws his fourth TD of the game. 28-20, Wake Forest.

Now Clemson gets back to business, drives down for a touchdown of their own, and will attempt to tie the game with a 2-point conversion. At which point Aaron Judge comes to bat, again.

In Winston-Salem, Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei (pronounced just as you spell it) drops back, only to have one Wake defender dive and wrap up his left leg, while another tries to bear-hug him and pancake him to the ground. Remarkably, DJ uses his shoulder to shrug off the bear-hug, drags the man around his left leg a few steps as he moves to his right, and somehow throws a dart to Bo Collins in the end zone to tie the game. Most critical play of the game so far, and easily the best.

Not that we hear this, as we're listening to Michael Kay call Aaron taking ball one, outside.

(After the kickoff, Hartman throws another deep pass, and Nate Wiggins, defending for Clemson, is called for interference once more and nearly has a breakdown. On the next play, Hartman scrambles away from a furious rush and somehow slides the ball into a receiver by the side line, as Wake has now crossed midfield again, looking to break the tie.

In Boston, Aaron works the count to 3-2 and then walks. Kevin in the studio sends us back to the football game, but promises that we'll return the moment Aaron comes to bat again.

Let joy be unconfined.)

*—I'm reasonably sure that the two Clemson players with my surname are NOT actually my cousins, but given that so few people with my name achieve anything in sports, I'm claiming them anyhow.

[Amazin69]

Heh, for PA #4, with Clemson leading Wake Forest 51-45 in the second overtime, ABC finally had the sense to wait until Aaron's AB was over, waited for a break in the play, and just showed us the checked-swing.

Nate Wiggins got his redemption when he knocked down Hartman's pass to enable Clemson to hold on for the win. So Clemson has now won 10 in a row (longest in the nation), they're 121-2 when they have a 14-point lead at any point in the game, and Wake Forest still hasn't beaten a Top 10-ranked team since they beat Tennessee in 1946.

Best wishes to Aaron if there's a fifth PA. And pardon the thread-jacking.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

And pardon the thread-jacking.

None taken. Interesting to learn that they would cut away from a college football game to show Judge's at-bats.

Heh, it's been like a frustrated feeding frenzy with four networks televising Judge's quest recently, hoping for #61 on their dime. Fox, Apple TV+, and YES have all swung and missed! ESPN's turn tomorrow. TBS and Amazon Prime are lurking in the wings next week.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Heh, it's been like a frustrated feeding frenzy with four networks televising Judge's quest recently, hoping for #61 on their dime. Fox, Apple TV+, and YES have all swung and missed! ESPN's turn tomorrow. TBS and Amazon Prime are lurking in the wings next week.

This is ridiculous. What's on YES then? Senior citizens at bingo on 124th Street?

[GeoWar]

Watched the Yankee game ----- I can always catch college football ...

Will also watch a couple of games tonight ..... including parts of Tor. at TB ** hate that home field

Also Canada has decided that the vaccine travel ban can end September 30th ------ wonder how much that helped Toronto be in their current position.

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Westheim

This is ridiculous. What's on YES then? Senior citizens at bingo on 124th Street?

A rerun of today's South Florida at Louisville college football game. Go Bulls!

(Louisville uses the same nickname as a certain St. Louis team. It would be bad karma for me to "Go" them. Sorry.)

[dsvitak]

Missouri just lost in the worst way possible. Dude was ONE YARD away from the winning touchdown, and he fumbled into the end zone. SMH...

[Déjà Bru]

Harrison Bader's play since his return from the IL is making Cashman look better for having traded Jordan Montgomery for him. I have to admit, Bader's all-around play has been impressive. Not so much with the bat — though he has had a few key hits — but on the basepaths and in centerfield.

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Harrison Bader's play since his return from the IL is making Cashman look better for having traded Jordan Montgomery for him. I have to admit, Bader's all-around play has been impressive. Not so much with the bat — though he has had a few key hits — but on the basepaths and in centerfield.

I made an ill-considered comment, comparing Bader to #7.

I should have refined the comment. #7 was an exceptional athlete..very fast, and with good instincts.

Bader reminds me of exactly that type of player. Very fast, very athletic, and one of the finest defenders anywhere.

The more you see Bader, the more you will appreciate his ability to turn triples into outs. In Yankee Stadium, this will be even more pronounced.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

The more you see Bader, the more you will appreciate his ability to turn triples into outs. In Yankee Stadium, this will be even more pronounced.

Yes, what prompted my comment was an article that highlighted his great play yesterday, robbing Almonte of a hit with a diving, headlong catch. It said,

With Red Sox runners on first and second and one out in the eighth inning on Saturday at Yankee Stadium, that two-run lead was in danger — and Almonte made a bid to cut it to one, maybe none if the ball touched down and skipped by Bader [the triple made into an out, as you mentioned]. But Bader was acquired from the Cardinals on trade deadline day to eventually make plays like these. The fast-moving centerfielder from Bronxville raced forward in the Bronx and made a headfirst dive, and the ball landed in his glove. The Yankees went on to escape unscathed.

[Amazin69]

I should note that, despite my kvetching about how the Steroid Squad has largely killed my interest in "All-Time Home Run Records!!!", Judge is looking for something more basic…the Yankees' team record. And that's cool.

After all, even I can admit that the Pinstripers have had a few fairly decent players, through the years. So bravo to Aaron for that…assuming it happens.

[knightdreamer2k]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

This is a Yankees thread, period. Pro or con. If you leaf through previous pages, you will find plenty of criticism from Yankee fans, so your commentary is welcome.

Regarding your stats (I'm not sure that you quoted them accurately, but the drift is there), I am most proud of, and grateful for, this:

Yankees Clinch Winning Record for 30th Straight Year

For me, the fact that the team is consistently competitive is more important than not having won a championship since 2009. Are there spoiled Yankees fans who expect the World Series every year? Sure, but all sports teams have their immature fans.

I have been busy lately with a new job and other changes, but I did see this, and I have to agree. The last losing season the Yankees had was 1992. I do have criticism how they seem to want to build around the long ball and how I believe it is ineffective for long term playoff success.

I keep coming back to having 30 years of winning is great, and I can't say I am completely disappointed. This is baseball and winning in post season is harder to do than other sports consistently.

I wish the Yankees strategy would improve and we use our minor league correctly to fill in the gaps of needs, so we do not need to spend so much on free agents. The issues that I raise about the Yankees approach would probably lead to some losing seasons in reality. Is the fan base okay with that, I am not sure?

[Déjà Bru]

A Yankee pitcher threw a complete game! The first all season! In a rain-shortened, six-inning affair. Boone must have been biting his fingernails.

"My God, did I leave Nestor in too long? He threw 101 pitches. What was I thinking?!? Uh-oh, Cashman's stats nerd is calling me ... Hello? Yeah, yeah, I lost track of the innings. Yeah, I could have blown out his arm. Yes. No. Uh-huh. Tell him it won't happen again."

[jg2977]

Now that the Yankees have clinched the division title, will Judge's homerless streak finally end? This isn't the first time this season that Judge has had an extended homerless streak. I think it's the 4th such occurrence that is six games or more.

[Amazin69]

Congratulations to the Pinstripes for stepping up to the plate with that 16-7 September Stretch drive.

(As opposed to the September Stench emanating from Corrupt Bank Field. Maybe not prostituting the name of your stadium for a few cheap bucks helps your karma? Who'd have thought it?)