Results tagged ‘ Ryan Howard ’

Yankees Lose But I Meet Sue

The forecast looked ominous this morning – another gray, chilly day in the Sunshine State. But the clouds parted just in time for Yankees-Phillies at Bright House Field in Clearwater, and it turned out to be a great day for baseball. There was just one problem: my husband Michael. Being a male, he refuses to ask for directions when we’re in the car.
“Are you sure you know how to get to Clearwater?” I kept saying as we passed through yet another unfamiliar neighborhood.
“Sure,” he kept answering. “I checked the map.”
The map. Big deal. Who can read maps?
Instead of zipping over to the ballpark in 20 minutes, it took us an hour and a half to get there. I was steaming mad.
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But we did get there, and Bright House Field is a really nice place to watch a ball game. Andy Pettitte wasn’t exactly ready for prime time, but Joba looked impressive over his four innings of work. What that means in terms of the #5 starter’s job is anyone’s guess. I was more concerned with Damaso Marte, who couldn’t get anybody out before getting hit in the back by Ryan Howard’s line drive. Don’t the Yankees need another lefty in the pen? I mean, seriously? What we do have is a young pitcher named Amaury Sanit, who came in for the injured Marte and pitched like a Cy Young Award winner. On the offensive side, I guess the oversized batting helmet Cervelli was forced to wear isn’t inhibiting his vision; he had three hits in the game. So yeah, the Yanks lost to the Phillies, but there were Bright Spots at Bright House.
One of them was meeting Sue Mudrick, who blogs about the Phillies here at MLBlogs at Rants, Raves, and Random Thoughts. She and I got together for a She-Fan Cam chat just before game time. We may root for different teams, but Sue’s got a wonderful sense of humor and it was great fun dishing with her about her guys.
We had such a good time that we decided to keep it going; Michael and I had dinner with her and her husband Dan a few hours later at a restaurant in downtown St. Pete. I only wish we weren’t flying back to our respective homes tomorrow. Bummer! Why can’t spring training last forever? I don’t want to leave!
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Presenting The 2009 She-Fan Awards, Part 2

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Last night, I handed out the symbolic gold fan to the recipient of the first She-Fan Award, which recognizes a person or persons who contributed to the Yankees winning their 27th World Championship. Yankees players and coaches are ineligible, but beyond that? Anything goes. Congratulations once again to Dr. Marc Phillipon, the winner of the 2009 She-Fan Award for Best Surgeon.
And now, I’d like to move on to the award for the member of an opposing playoff team who most helped the Yankees take home the championship trophy. This award spotlights a player from the Twins, Angels or Phillies who, through bad luck, nerves, a flu bug or just plain ineptitude, gave the Yanks an opportunity to win a playoff baseball game.
The nominees for Best Enemy are…
- Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins

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Nathan came in to relieve in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the ALDS and served up a tying homer to A-Rod to send the game into extras.
- Jose Mijares, Minnesota Twins
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Mijares surrendered the walk-off homer to Tex in the 11th inning of Game 2 of the ALDS. The Yankees ended up winning that one 4-3 and took a 2-0 lead in the series.
- John Lackey, Los Angeles Angels
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In Game 1 of the ALCS, Big John walked Melky twice. The second time he threw the ball away for an error on a botched pickoff move at first.
- Chone Figgins and Erick Aybar, Los Angeles Angels

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Yes, it was cold at Yankee Stadium in Game 1 of the ALCS, and Aybar was wearing an Elmer Fudd cap with ear flaps. But he and Figgy let Matsui’s bloop “single” drop between them to put the Yanks up 2-0 in the game.
- Brian Fuentes, Los Angeles Angels

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In Game 2 of the ALCS, the Angels’ closer gave up a homer to A-Rod in the bottom of the 11th inning to tie the score at 3-3 and turn the game into an epic battle.
- Maicer Izturis, Los Angeles Angels
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The above game ended in pie for the Yankees in the bottom of the 13th when Melky grounded to Izturis, who threw wildly to first and allowed Hairston to score the winning run from second base. The game took 5 hours and 10 minutes and was an instant classic.
-  Scott Kazmir, Los Angeles Angels
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The lefty not only surrendered four runs in four innings in his start in Game 4 of the ALCS, but while relieving in the eighth inning of Game 6 he committed a throwing error on Melky’s attempted sacrifice, allowing Cano to score and put the Yanks up 4-2.
- Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies
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Lidge came in to relieve in the ninth inning of Game 4 with the score tied at 4-4. He lost a nine-pitch at bat when Damon singled and famously stole second and third. He hit Tex with a pitch, and allowed a double to A-Rod and a single to Posada. (No, he wasn’t as sharp as last year.) The Yanks held on to win 7-4.
- Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies

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Howard struck out 13 times in the series. Enough said.
- Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia Phillies

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Pedro not only gave up a homer to Matsui in Game 2 of the World Series, but he served up another one to Godzilla in Game 6, as well as a two-RBI single. Matsui was definitely Pedro’s daddy.
(Note: I’m not including base-running blunders by Nick Punto, Carlos Gomez, Bobby Abreu, etc. I had to stop somewhere.)
So now, without further ado, the winner of the 2009 She-Fan Award for Best Enemy goes to….

***** Brad Lidge *****

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While Pedro Martinez was certainly the sentimental favorite and the duo of Figgins/Aybar sent a message that the Angels were mistake-prone, it was Lidge’s meltdown that allowed the Yanks to take a 3-1 World Series lead on the road and enabled them to close out the series at home in Game 6. Congratulations, Mr. Lidge. Enjoy your award.
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P.S. Just wanted to pay my respects to Yankees legend Tommy Henrich. He passed away today at the age of 96. Rest in peace, “old reliable.”

World Series Game 2: AJ Handcuffs Phillies

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The above photo is of Ryan Howard after AJ struck him out three times tonight. OK, no it isn’t, but I’m sure that’s how Howard felt – especially after Mo struck him out too, making him eligible for this.
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Everybody was so nervous (including me) about AJ and whether he’d be able to control his emotions, avoid the wildness that’s plagued him in the past and perform on the big stage.
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Obviously, he performed so well that the Yankees beat the Phillies 3-1.
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He wasn’t just good. He was masterful, working seven innings and only giving up a run on four hits. After the game, he told the media: “It’s the funnest I’ve ever had on a baseball field.” So what if “funnest” is not an actual word. It was AJ’s night and if he wanted to say “funnest,” then “funnest” it was!
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Pedro was keeping the Yanks off balance in the early innings, and when the Phillies jumped out to a 1-0 lead I thought, Please don’t let this be a repeat of Game 1. But Tex came to the rescue with a solo shot in the fourth to tie the score and break out of his slumber.
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After Matsui put the Yanks ahead with his own blast into the seats, I decided it was safe to eat dinner. The “lucky” turkey club sandwich had lost its effectiveness during the ALCS, so I turned to the only food that was deliverable to my house at that hour.
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The pizza was delicious, but then – after Posada knocked in Gardner in the seventh for 3-1 – the umps made that questionable ruling on Damon’s “double play ball” and I needed some of these.
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Not to beat a dead horse, but is the umpiring bad or what? Seriously. These guys….
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…were reminding me of these guys.
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With AJ done after seven, Girardi went right to Mo for the six-out save and got it – Mo’s 38th career postseason save. It’s staggering how many times Yankee fans have witnessed this scene over the years.
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Other plays of note:
Molina’s pickoff of Werth in the fourth.
Singles by Hairston and Melky in the seventh.
Jeter getting the Clemente award and Fox not showing it.
Ditto for Paul O’Neill’s first pitch.
Alicia Keys’ purple boots.
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Oh, and Pedro’s post-game press conference during which he wore a dark pinstriped version of this.
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“If I was on the Yankees, I’d probably be like a king over here,” he told the media.
The man is never dull. And he can still pitch. But AJ was better, and the Yanks evened the series at 1-1. Now they’re off to Philly by train. All aboard, boys.
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She-Fan Exclusive: How To Beat The Phillies

Yes, they’re the defending champions. Yes, they have an excellent team. Yes, Ryan Howard is big. But there are ways to deflate their confidence.
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In other words, they can be beaten and they must be beaten. While it’s true that my tarot card reader already declared in the pages of The New York Times that the Yankees would win the 2009 World Series, I figured I’d better do a little scouting as backup. Here’s what I’ve unearthed about certain players in the Phillies lineup. (Full disclosure: I went to grad school at the University of Pennsylvania, lived in downtown Philly and loved it. But there’s no conflicting loyalty going on. None. I swear.)
#1) Jimmy Rollins
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Last year he led all NL shortstops in fielding percentage (.988) and he finished the season with 295 career stolen bases – the most by any Philly in the modern era.
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So he’s fast and he can play short. What’s more, he’s a switch-hitter who’s had three postseason leadoff homers. But here’s the good news: he only batted .250 this season. And another thing: he’s single. Tip to Yankees: Put some good looking women near the Phillies dugout and try to distract him.
#2) Shane Victorino
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Another switch-hitter, the “Flyin’ Hawaiian,” as he’s affectionately known in Philly because he hails from Wailuka, Hawaii, is batting .361 in the postseason. And how about this little tidbit to tie my Yankee fan stomach in a knot: He hit the first grand slam in Phillies playoff history in Game 2 of the NLDS last year against – guess who – CC Sabathia. Scary, right?
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But he only hit 10 homers all year with 62 RBIs. Not scary. And his bio lists his favorite hobbies as fishing and diving. Tip to Yankees: Pitch him low and outside and make him fish and dive.
#3) Chase Utley
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Chase Cameron Utley had 31 homers this season, and he’s batting .303 in the postseason. He can steal a base and he’s patient at the plate. (Last year he became the third player in NLCS history to walk four times in a game.) His other claim to fame in ’08 was that he led the NL in HBP; the guy was plunked 27 times!
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But he made two errors in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Dodgers. Tip to Yankees: Pitch him away, away, away. He can’t get hit by a pitch if the ball is outside. And hope he makes more errors at second.
#4) Ryan Howard
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OK, so he has 45 home runs and 141 RBIs this season. And he already has a couple of dingers in the postseason, not to mention 14 RBIs. He’s a beast with the happy-go-lucky personality of a puppy.
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But he’s struck out over 190 times in ’09. That’s a lot. Tip to Yankees: Forget about the intentional walks and just let him swing and miss.
#5) Jayson Werth
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The right fielder has 41 homers this season. And he has quite the pedigree. His grandfather, Dick “Ducky” Schofield, played in the majors for 19 years. His uncle, Dick Schofield, played for 14 years. And his mother, Kim Schofield Werth, competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in the long jump.
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But despite all that athleticism in the family, he only batted .268 this year. Tip to Yankees: Don’t sweat it. He’s good but not that good.
#6) Raul Ibanez

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He’ll be DH-ing for the games at Yankee Stadium, and although he’s 37 years old he can still hit – 34 homers in the regular season and another one in the postseason. He was a Yankee killer when he was with the Mariners.
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But nobody remembers him from his three years with Kansas City. Tip to Yankees: Pitch to him the way you did when he was a Royal.


#7) Pedro Feliz

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The Dominican born former Giant had the second best fielding percentage among NL third basemen in ’08. Oh, and he drove in the winning run in the seventh inning of the Phillies’ World Series clincher against the Rays.
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But he had back surgery in November. Tip to Yankees: Bunt the ball in his general direction and make him bend over.
#8) Carlos Ruiz
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The Phillies catcher made his major league debut in 2006. His biggest hit to date was his walk-off infield single in the bottom of the ninth in Game 3 of last year’s World Series against the Rays. He’s from Panama, the land of Mo, so he must be good.
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But he only threw out 14 of 79 potential base stealers in ’08 for 17.7 %. Tip to Yankees: Run! Run! Run!


#9) Ben Francisco

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I don’t know anything about him except he’ll probably be playing left field instead of Ibanez. Oh, and he was with the Indians in ’07 and ’08.
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Like Rollins, he’s single. Tip to Yankees: Try the distraction tactic as discussed in #1.


#10. Cliff Lee

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The Phillies’ Game 1 starter is the reigning Cy Young Award winner. And his full name is the intimidating Clifton Phifer Lee. In 2002 he was named the Hog Nation Minor League Player of the Year.
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Tip to Yankees: You can beat the Hog Nation Minor League Player of the Year, can’t you?


GO YANKEES!


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Rays-Phillies Game 5: Phinally Over

In what can only be described as an anticlimax (unless you’re a Phillies fan), the boys from Philadelphia took down the Cinderfellas from Tampa Bay to win this thing and put an official end to the ’08 baseball season. Congratulations, Phillies, and kudos to the National League for letting the world know you’re not that bad.

Just a few random thoughts before I say goodnight.
Don’t Lidge and Ruiz look like they’re doing a commercial for match.com?
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Do they not sense that Ryan Howard is about to jump on top of them and crush them?
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When Maddon put Fernando Perez in to run, shouldn’t Perez have stolen second AND third before we even blinked? The guy is fast.
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But mostly I’d like to ask a question: What is the purpose of mascots? (Don’t get me started on white rally towels. I respectfully request that Major League Baseball ban them.) Plenty of teams have furry creatures that roam the ballparks. There’s the Philly Phanatic.
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There’s Raymond, who stomps around Tropicana Field.
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There’s Ace, the cheerleader of the Toronto Blue Jays.
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Even the Red Sox, who pride themselves on being purists, have Wally.
wally.jpgSo are the Yankees missing something? Do we need a mascot too? Or do we already have one that gets the fans excited about the game?
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Yep, we do. And his name is Der-ek Jet-er. Clap clap clap clap clap.

Rays-Phillies Game 4: Baseball Sure Is Unpredictable

After tonight’s thrashing of the Rays by the Phils, my head feels like a giant puzzle.

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Seriously, what to make of the fact that in a blog post two days ago I offered Ryan Howard several ways for busting out of his slump. I guess one of them worked, because look at him.
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He’s dancing with joy over having smacked two homers and driven in five runs. This guy couldn’t buy a hit and now he’s a slugger again. Strange, yes?
And then there’s the case of
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Joe Blanton – a mediocre pitcher who, for no apparent reason, chose tonight to impersonate Cy Young. He even went deep! How do you figure?
There were plenty of other oddities:
* the normally capable Iwamura making two errors
* the much-heralded Rays relievers serving up bombs
* the sizzling hot bats of Longoria and Pena turning to icecubes.
Oh, and how about the National Anthem?
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Did Patti Labelle TRY to sound like a cat in heat?
It was such a strange game, from start to finish, and just goes to prove that those of us who predicted Tampa Bay would win the World Series might be dead wrong. I mean, Hamels vs. Kazmir tomorrow night at Citizens Bank Park? Could spell The End for the Cinderfellas.
But the strangest part of all? When Fox’s Ken Rosenthal brought us breaking news from Mrs. Jamie Moyer.
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According to Karen Moyer, Jamie pitched last night’s game despite a bout of stomach flu. “He was sweating so badly I had to keep changing the sheets and pillowcases on the bed,” she confided to Ken, who then passed this crucial tidbit on to us, along with other details of Moyer’s unfortunate symptoms.
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Memo to Fox: There IS such a thing as too much information.

Rays-Phillies Game 2: Ryan Howard Needs Help

Howard did have two hits in tonight’s loss to the Rays, but it’s clear he hasn’t been clutch in the postseason. Just look at how down in the dumps he seems while Tampa Bay celebrates.

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Which makes me wonder….How does a guy with his home run power and ability to drive in runs suddenly go all spazzy at the plate? (I know, I know. I should ask A-Rod.) Charlie Manuel suggested Howard is “pressing” – the generic explanation used by managers whenever a player slumps. Manuel also expressed certainty that the situation would improve for his slugger – somehow.
But will it? Do slumps disappear on their own? If I were a Phillies fan, I’d want Howard to be a little more proactive about this. So I’m offering my own ideas for how he can stop pressing and start relaxing.
First, he should try…
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Yes, meditation – so he can clear his mind of all thoughts of striking out with men on base.
If that doesn’t work….
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Yes, yoga – to show him he can do anything and everything with that hulking body of his.
If he strikes out fails with that, he should try..
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Yes, painting. It’s supposed to be a great release.
Then there’s….
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Yes, acupuncture – if he isn’t afraid of needles.
And finally there’s always…
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Yes, psychotherapy. I’m sure the Phillies would pay for all the necessary sessions.
I’m rooting for the Rays, so I don’t have a personal stake in Howard’s success. I’m just saying. Try SOMETHING, people.
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