ghost of miles

Here we go again--an absolutely crappy start by a Yankee pitcher. What happened to that beautiful, shiny record Hughes had pitching on the road here against the Rangers? Gawd almighty, I don't think you can count on Texas to blow another lead at home again... pathetic. Hughes' pitch count is at 56 after just two innings. If Texas clean's NY clock today, last night is just a bad blip and you've got an even series with Cliff Lee pitching two of the next five for the Rangers and A.J. Burnett pitching one for the Yankees.

Thanks for the link, Ted--I added it to the Afterglow program page. I'll have to check out that DKE Naxos CD too (I have Duke's Musicraft sides on the HAPPY-GO-LUCKY LOCAL cd).

Papsrus, I have to hope that CC fares much better the next time out--he'll be pitching at home (Game 5 in NY) where he's been nearly unbeatable, and he'll also be going on normal rest.* It'll be really interesting to see if Ryan is able to convince Cliff Lee to sign/stay with Texas after this season ends. Given how obviously invested (personally, as well as financially) he is in the Rangers, could be quite an era for Ranger baseball, whatever the ultimate outcome of this series. In addition to being keyed up for Game 2 of NY-TX, I'm also really looking forward to the Lincecum-Halladay matchup that follows. *Speaking of long rests, another note about A.J. Burnett--by the time we get to Game 4, it will have been 17 days since his last start. And his simulated game the other day doesn't sound as if it went too smoothly. I think he's going to get shelled.

Agree that it was a tough one for Texas to drop, and yes, their bullpen is a vulnerability (though we haven't yet seen Feliz, their ace closer, as Dan noted). But if I'm the Rangers, I'm thinking that a win today would put a 3-1 advantage within striking distance. As I commented up the thread, the Yankees can indeed sometimes hit Lee, but you have to think the odds are in Texas' favor for winning his Game 3 start. And then you have A.J. taking the mound in Game 4--a total crapshoot, or is it? In the sense that he has pitched badly so much more often than not this year (worst ERA in Yankee history for a single-season starter with 180 IP or more)--he's been predictably awful. Joe G seems to have this magical faith in A.J., that somehow he'll turn in another World Series '09 Game 2 (but look up his stats for the postseason overall last year, and he wasn't so hot then either), but any game he pitches is a challenge for the Yankees...they were 13-20 this year in games that he started! Plus the Rangers have already proven that they can win on the road in the playoffs, having knocked off the Rays in all three games at Tampa Bay in the ALDS. So that's what I'd be telling myself if I were the Rangers. Just focus on winning this game today, and then it's a tied series with good odds for the next two games. EDIT: Frank Francisco is the Rangers' set-up guy, correct? And he's out of commission--we would have undoubtedly seen him last night if he were healthy. That issue definitely adds to their bullpen issues.

That was an incredible play by Gardner and ended up opening the floodgates in the 8th. Kinsler getting picked off in the bottom of that inning was huge, too, especially with Kerry Wood not looking too hot at that point. Just glad to see NY win the opening game after coming off such a long layoff. No way, Jose! I've seen way, way too many best-of-7 series, and this is a damn good Texas team. They are not going to fold... tough loss, yes, but if they win tomorrow, the series is tied--and then you've got Lee pitching for Texas in Game 3 and A.J. pitching for NY in Game 4.

Obviously I stand happily corrected. What an incredible comeback--probably the best NY postseason comeback since Game 4 of the 1996 World Series. You're right, J.H., it's a huge win for NY... Texas winning tonight with Lee set to start Game 3 would have really put NY in a hole. On another note, the bizarre AL postseason homefield DISadvantage continues. Home teams are now 1-8.

The Afterglow program featuring the Cole CD is now archived for online listening: Nat King Cole at Carnegie Hall '49 ...also early and late sides of Miles accompanying a vocalist (Sarah Vaughan and Shirley Horn) and a couple of obscure Artie Shaw sides with June Hutton.

If NY loses tonight, it puts intense pressure on both Phil Hughes to throw a great game tomorrow and on the Yankees lineup to come up big against Cliff Lee in Game 3. And they can hit Lee--people forget that they tagged him for a few runs in Game 5 of the WS last year (lost largely because AJ got blown off the mound) and that they hit him quite well in a game against Texas this year (granted, that was when he was having his back problems). He's not invincible...just 95% of the way there. Still, I think NY went into this series with only one non-Lee game to give away...would hate to see it be Game 1. And much respect to C.J. Wilson, btw... Posada was wise to note what a good pitcher Wilson's become earlier this week, when everybody kept asking him about Lee. EDIT: 5-0 in the bottom of the 4th and CC's pitch count approaching 100? Yeah, I think this one's pretty much lost.

Andrus '10=Derek Jeter '96?

AJ's throwing Game 4, actually. Well, 90% of my long-layoff fears were confirmed by that first inning--one of the worse I've ever seen for CC. NY's lucky they got out of it with only 3 runs given up. Sure does add to the Rangers' "You gotta believe" vibe.

CC looks waaaaayyyyy off in the first inning so far.

Steep uphill climb for the Yankees tonight, coming off five days of rest and facing C.J. Wilson in front of what will undoubtedly be a super-pumped-up Rangers crowd. Yankees better try to win in 6. If it goes to a 7th game, Cliff Lee + Rangers "you gotta believe" factor will take Texas into the WS.

No problems with blowitoutofhere either. I usually go through the vendors listed above--Newbury, Movie Mars, and Import CDs--and blowitoutofhere seems to be just as good as them. Leeway, I had a similar, truly awful experience, also with a vendor who has "Books" in his title, who also sells CDs, and whose title begins with a name similar to that of a popular cartoon bird character.

I don't know, but did you catch the "Emerson Foote called" line? Emerson Foote I've been meaning to check out THE HUCKSTERS for some time, as it's been cited as a MAD MEN touchstone before...I think it's still up on YouTube, actually. Guess who else was serving on the board of the American Cancer Society (which called SCDP in the last episode after Don's ad ran) in 1965? Conrad Hilton. Not sure he'll be the white horse in the season finale, though (if there even is one). Lots of speculation about Disney, the 1965 World's Fair (both of these stemming from the "Tomorrowland" title), and the photos that have circulated showing Don and Megan by a swimming pool, with Megan apparently holding baby Gene. Agree w/you about Slattery, who also directed "The Rejected" from this season, correct?

I could probably get you a Xeroxed copy of the article as it originally appeared in the magazine, but I don't have any DBs from that year myself.

No doubt because of the presence of Sheriff Sangrey! America's safest cities

I saw this live when I was a kid and recently went looking for it on YouTube--sure enough, it was there: Ali, Frazier, Cosell and studio brawl

...makes me kind of miss Howard Cosell too. His vocal style gave everything such a sense of grand drama.

Big Al has issued a statement regarding last night's turn of events on his Facebook page. Here's MLB.com's take on how the Yankees and Rangers match up position by position.

We re-aired Individualism: Gil Evans in the 1960s this past week on Night Lights, and it remains archived for online listening.

I dunno, man--Wilson didn't have to pitch tonight and will start Game 1, and like they just said on TBS, NY struggles against lefties and was 1-4 at Arlington Park this year. Plus Cliff Lee will pitch Game 3 at Yankee Stadium and will be on tap for Game 7 in Texas if the series goes that far. I'd say the Yankees better try to win in 6 or they won't win at all. Anyway, I think this all is just one big battle for the privilege of losing to the Phillies in the WS (though you know I'll be pulling for the Giants in the NLCS!).

Well, I'd say at this point that there's a very good chance the Yankees will be in Arlington Park come Friday night.

Lee made it through the 7th and is at 100 pitches. Real trial by fire for both of these teams tonight--and whoever wins then has two days of rest, which seems ideal to me. The Yankees, otoh, are coming off a relative cakewalk of a series and five days of rest. Even with CC on the mound, I don't like NY's odds for Game 1, no matter whether it's at Tampa Bay or Texas.

No kidding, Matthew--Guerrero scores from second on an infield grounder? Tweet from Buster Olney: Lee's at 87 pitches after 6 innings.

Boy, that was a really close call on Kinsler there in the top of the 6th... looked to me like he might've been out. Heads-up baserunning by Guerrero, though, for sure. Great game so far. Price goes one more inning, maybe? His pitch count's already over 100, although his velocity still seems to be there. Lee's at 76 pitches after 5 IP.