ghost of miles

Wow! Yeah, the Eastern Seaboard could just sink below sea level...

From the NY Times: Baseball hopes to end a streak of clunker series For Managers, a Clash of Styles on the Top Step Girardi's Sabathia Question Love this one: Shades of 1950: Phillies arrive in NY by train

Five early World Series storylines for the Yankees-Phillies ...and what about Pedro Martinez, former Bosox nemesis of the Yankees, probably starting twice in this series--quite possibly both times at Yankee Stadium? And will Girardi pitch CC on three days' rest twice in a row? Will the Phillies match him with Lee each time? (Assuming this series goes 7 games, which wouldn't surprise anybody.) How many home runs will get hit? NY didn't have to worry too much about the long ball against L.A., but Philly was second only to the Yanks this year in team homers. Star power: Phillies, Yanks set for World Series

I think it's going to be a really great World Series. Phillies took 2 of 3 from NY during the regular season at Yankee Stadium. A few days ago, after the Yankees had won Game 4 against the Angels and talk of a NY-Philly series was beginning, one online columnist wrote something to the effect of, "Everybody keeps saying that only the Phillies have a chance of beating the Yankees... what they should be saying is, 'Only the Yankees have a chance at beating the Phillies.'" Nice article about A-Rod: A-Rod finally proves he belongs in pinstripes

Whew! :rsmile: So great to see Mo and Posada hugging after Mo struck out Mathews. And what a great start from Pettitte--really glad to see the Yankee old guard going back to the World Series. A good thing, too, that they wrapped it up tonight & didn't have to use CC... they might be able to send him three times against Philadelphia now, though starts 2 and 3 would be on three days' rest. (Game 1 will be CC vs. Cliff Lee... man, that's an incredible pitching match-up!)

Man, the Angels are having some serious trouble defending against the bunt here.

You're already partly vindicated. I know it's easy to do armchair second-guessing, but Girardi must really be in doubt about both Chamberlain and Hughes right now, to pull Joba after 7 pitches and go straight to Mo at the top of the 8th. Glad we got out of it with only one run given up... man, I would sure love a little bid of offensive padding now from the Yanks. Cano on with a walk to lead off--we could use a pop over the wall from Swisher or Jeter right now.

Dave James, if you're watching (the board as well as the game)--what about sending Pettite out to pitch again with a 91-pitch count and a shaky inning in the 6th? A sign that Girardi doesn't have much confidence in his bullpen right now outside of Mo? Oliver has done a hell of a job keeping L.A. in this game.

Thanks for the update, Patrick--I hadn't seen that. Whatever happens with NY, can't wait for the Hot Stove thread come November. Glad to see NY finally put some runs on the board, but man, Oliver is on in a wicked way tonight... got Posada to hit into a double-play and shut the Yankees down cold the following inning as well. Given L.A.'s on-the-road rally against the Bosox in the ALDS, plus the Yanks' bridge-to-Mo woes, this one's going to be another nailbiter.

Yanks have left 6 men on through the first 3 innings--no ALCS pennant in sight if that keeps up. I had high hopes for Posada's flyball to right with A-Rod on, but Abreu caught it at the wall.

Once again reading the Monk biography round about midnight. Up to 1956--just keeps getting more and more interesting. Touched by the description around pg. 195-196 of Monk as friend/mentor/father-figure.

Not a soccer fan, but thought those of you who are might appreciate this clip: 95-yard goal

Game 6 postponed till Sunday night on account of rain. Cool but clear conditions forecast for tomorrow.

Mine as well, along with OP LIVE AT THE HALF NOTE. Hell of a great deal! Yet another reason why I love this board... listening right now to GEMINI.

No disappointment on the "ghosts of 2004" motif--I've seen several articles along those lines in the past 36 hours. On another not-so-great note, near the end of this piece about Swisher's woes is a stat breakdown of how the NY bullpen "bridge-to-Mo" is flailing badly. It continues to be NY's greatest vulnerability (the thermal exhaust port in the Death Star for all you Yankee-haters out there ).

Great game--lots of late-inning drama, and kudos to L.A. for coming back after blowing that lead. Very painful loss for NY--sure hope we can nail it down Saturday night in the Bronx. Dave, I fear we're going to have to sit through lots of "ghosts of 2004?" stories for the next two days...not to mention rightful second-guessing about Girardi's pitching decisions.

Yikes--Yankees load the bases w/two outs, and it's their coldest hitter at the plate.

Yeah, you're right, Dave--as the announcers pointed out, Burnett was in the dugout for a long time while NY was batting in the 7th. Certainly he should have been pulled after giving up that leadoff hit. I guess Marte did OK with the sacrifice and the groundout...Robertson's been pitching really well, why not bring him in? IF NY can ultimately get past the Angels in this series--and that's a big if, given 2004, given how pumped the Angels will be if they win tonight after blowing a big lead--then I think we'll still have serious questions about how NY can beat Philly if Girardi continues to mismanage the bullpen. And outside of Rivera and Robertson, everybody is looking rather hittable and shaky right now. Can't even think about that right now, though...I'm worried that we won't even get to the WS at this rate.

Boy, I wish Girardi had pulled Burnett one batter sooner! And Phil Hughes has looked very, very shaky in the postseason so far. And as I'm typing this, the Angels tie the game. What IS it with Girardi and his wacky bullpen moves? Edit: L.A. retakes the lead, after Hughes gives up a walk, a single, and another single. Girardi throws away an incredible comeback with a terrible series of pitching maneuvers. Not to take anything away from L.A.'s gutsy hitting this inning, but leaving Burnett in after the initial leadoff hit, and then bringing in Marte and Hughes...why didn't he simply go for Chamberlain or Robertson in the 7th, Hughes in the 8th for two outs, and then Rivera? Can NY dig themselves out a second time? Maybe not.

Lackey was definitely losing some of his sharpness, but yeah, I would've left him in there to get through the end of the inning and then taken him out. Whatever the ultimate outcome of this game, giving him the hook will go down as a mistake. Cripes, speaking of hooks, might be time to pull Burnett.

Tie game!!!

Wow, a good game for a 4-0 contest since the first inning--unless the Yanks put across some of these runners they've got on with two out, still can't see a comeback, but glad to see Lackey finally leave. And credit to A.J. for a very gutsy start, pitching so well after that terrible first inning. Borderline call, but IMO several similarly close ones went Lackey's way earlier in the evening. Holy crap--suddenly it's 4-3!

Mob job, baby!

There's a board member here who was at Slug's the night Lee Morgan was killed (he left not long before Morgan was shot, iirc). A friend of mine here in B-town--now deceased--told me some wonderful stories about seeing Charlie Parker and Bud Powell at the Royal Roost and Birdland in the late 1940s and early 50s. I'd be interested in hearing stories about Chicago jazz clubs of lore, but that would be another thread.