April 2nd @ Kansas City

[MANNYHOF24]

What a perfect day. Pavano pitches better than Schilling, Royals pound the Red Sox and their fat boy pitcher, Yankees take care of Kazmir and the Devil Rays. Life is good.

 

Remember to tune into the YES network for post-season analysis.

 

Great day, isn't it Jacko?

 

Now if only Beckett lives up to form, the Red Sox will go into Friday's game looking to get swept.

 

On a serious note, Schilling is just getting old. I know, it's just one start, but with power pitchers, when they get old, they tend to get old fast. Look at Randy Johnson. He lost it in one year. He'll be serviceable, but no ace. It has to happen sooner or later, it happens to all of them. Pitchers like Glavine, Mussina, Maddux, etc., pitcher who rely more on off-speed pitches to win tend to last longer. There really isn't much doubt who will have a better year of the two, but if Schilling has an off year, you guys are done. That's a lot of hope to pin on a 41 year old pitcher who doesn't keep himself in shape. As a Yankee fan, I know what it's like to pin your hopes on older pitchers [brown, Wells, RJ]. My prediction of 86 wins still stands.

 

Oh dear God, it's one game. Schilling had no control today, which is unusual. The Yankees pitching is so putrid that you had to send Pavano to the mound on opening day. Pettitte had a 4.20 ERA last year in the week NL central. I am not going to let one game get blown way out of proportion. It was the exact same way in 04, when Pedro sucked on opening night, and we couldn't hit Sidney Ponson. We are going to be fine people.

[schillingouttheks]

It was the exact same way in 04' date=' when Pedro sucked on opening night, and we couldn't hit Sidney Ponson. We are going to be fine people[/quote']

 

I was just going to make this reference.

 

All in favor for some "SchillingouttheKs" mojo tomorrow' date=' say aye![/quote']

 

Aye. I'll get it up tomorrow.

[jacksonianmarch]

What a perfect day. Pavano pitches better than Schilling, Royals pound the Red Sox and their fat boy pitcher, Yankees take care of Kazmir and the Devil Rays. Life is good.

 

Remember to tune into the YES network for post-season analysis.

 

Great day, isn't it Jacko?

 

Now if only Beckett lives up to form, the Red Sox will go into Friday's game looking to get swept.

 

On a serious note, Schilling is just getting old. I know, it's just one start, but with power pitchers, when they get old, they tend to get old fast. Look at Randy Johnson. He lost it in one year. He'll be serviceable, but no ace. It has to happen sooner or later, it happens to all of them. Pitchers like Glavine, Mussina, Maddux, etc., pitcher who rely more on off-speed pitches to win tend to last longer. There really isn't much doubt who will have a better year of the two, but if Schilling has an off year, you guys are done. That's a lot of hope to pin on a 41 year old pitcher who doesn't keep himself in shape. As a Yankee fan, I know what it's like to pin your hopes on older pitchers [brown, Wells, RJ]. My prediction of 86 wins still stands.

 

I agree on the power pitcher part. Thing is, power pitchers who are bullheaded and try to fight through sagging velocity will get massacred as they age. Schilling needs to take a page from Mike Mussina. Mussina was a guy who used to hit mid 90s with nasty location and stuff. He was a finesse/power pitcher who until last yr was going into serious decline. There was a stat about his velocity that when his FB ws over 90mph, his era was in the 2's and when it averaged being under 90mph his ERA was in the 6's. Mussina examined this at the end of 05 and decided, to hell with velocity, he would slow down his offspeed stuff. See, when you start averaging low 90s, your velocity isnt all that important. The thing of biggest importance is the change in velocity from the off speed stuff to the fastball. Jim Kaat always said that when the velocity of your fastball and your offspeed stuff meet, its time to hang em up.

 

Last night, Schilling's FB was anywhere from 87-94mph with the majority of them being 89-91. His splitty was 82-85. He couldnt really locate the curve and the change never came out. That is not a big enough difference. To go along with that, his location was absolutely pisspoort. If his location doesnt come back to some semblance of his previous self, he will be a bad pitcher this yr. If his location returns but he doesnt do anything to change his stuff, he will be a very inconsistent pitcher this yr, a la Mussina in 2004-2005. A guy who will be untouchable when the heat is 92-94 and very hittable when it isnt.

 

I'll tell you what, I enjoyed watching fat Curt get slammed as you guys enjoyed watching ARod buttf*** that popup. But this wasnt one bad start, get em next time. This was an aging power pitcher showing signs of his stuff slipping and an uncharacteristic lack of command in and out of the zone. He has a ton of work to do.

 

EDIT: And Schilling's next start will be on Sunday night baseball in Ranger stadium. We will get to see if he makes necessary adjustment.

[Gom]

Oh dear God' date=' it's one game. Schilling had no control today, which is unusual. The Yankees pitching is so putrid that you had to send Pavano to the mound on opening day. Pettitte had a 4.20 ERA last year in the week NL central. I am not going to let one game get blown way out of proportion. It was the exact same way in 04, when Pedro sucked on opening night, and we couldn't hit Sidney Ponson. We are going to be fine people.[/quote']

 

I know it's one game. 161 to go. However, I'm going to enjoy this one. Mainly because the majority of you thought that deep down, there was no way you would lose.

[MANNYHOF24]

I know it's one game. 161 to go. However' date=' I'm going to enjoy this one. Mainly because the majority of you thought that deep down, there was no way you would lose.[/quote']

 

I never go into a game thinking we are going lose, unless maybe Santana is on the hill and he his facing Tavarez. I just wish there was another game today so I could wash this bad taste out of my mouth.

[seabeachfred]

I was just going to make this reference.

 

 

 

Aye. I'll get it up tomorrow.

 

Make it a good one Schill. Yes, it was only one game but did we have to look so awful yesterday and did Curt have to pick this time to have his off day? Couldn't he have had it down in Fort Myers? That being said, I think I should point out that when I was in Florida last week the team did seem a little lethargic to me and made me wonder if we have the right chemistry for a club wanting to get back into the World Series after a two year absence. And, yes, I am worrying about Varitek, Lowell and Crisp. Even though Coco Pops started to hit the last few games of ST he looked like the stumblebum he was last year in yesterday's game and the other two looked like they were trying to swing through a torrent of water. I only wish there was no off day so we could get back on the field and start making amends. The hours seem to have been dragging by since the end of the game yesterday. Get that mojo working Schill. We need it.

[seabeachfred]

I know it's one game. 161 to go. However' date=' I'm going to enjoy this one. Mainly because the majority of you thought that deep down, there was no way you would lose.[/quote']

 

GOM, you're starting to really piss me off. Celebrate your Yankees coming back and winning yesterday's game and leave it at that. You are doing nothing than rubbing salt in us and I for one am not too happy to be on the receiving end of it.

[TheKilo]

Gom is trolling for angry responses and a lot of you guys are giving him what he wants.

 

Let him bask in the glory of a one game lead because it's a marathon, not a sprint.

 

We'll be fine.

[ANiMAL]

I never go into a game thinking we are going lose' date=' unless maybe Santana is on the hill and he his facing Tavarez. I just wish there was another game today so I could wash this bad taste out of my mouth.[/quote']

 

agreeing with you - the worst part about the loss is that we'll have to wait another day before our first victory

[TGov]

agreeing with you - the worst part about the loss is that we'll have to wait another day before our first victory

 

You got that right... I wish there was at least a baseball game on ESPN or something to get last nights horror show out of my head...

[jacksonianmarch]

Gom is trolling for angry responses and a lot of you guys are giving him what he wants.

 

Let him bask in the glory of a one game lead because it's a marathon, not a sprint.

 

We'll be fine.

 

 

It is a marathon. And I think yesterday shows why we can hang for the long run. Our offense will bail us out a lot just because it is friggin ridiculous.

 

Now if history repeats itself, we are gonna get shillacked tomorrow. But there is something about the team this yr that makes me feel good about it. The two measly old scumbags are out and our only problem is a guy who looked pretty determined yesterday.

 

Also, for the ARod haters out there, ARod did get a hit, steal a base and score the winning run. Then his HR put the game out of reach.

[TheKilo]

It is a marathon. And I think yesterday shows why we can hang for the long run. Our offense will bail us out a lot just because it is friggin ridiculous.

 

Now if history repeats itself, we are gonna get shillacked tomorrow. But there is something about the team this yr that makes me feel good about it. The two measly old scumbags are out and our only problem is a guy who looked pretty determined yesterday.

 

Also, for the ARod haters out there, ARod did get a hit, steal a base and score the winning run. Then his HR put the game out of reach.

 

No one is saying the Yankees won't be in it for the long run. However, you and Gom are doing a lot of suggesting that the Sox will not be.

[jacksonianmarch]

No one is saying the Yankees won't be in it for the long run. However' date=' you and Gom are doing a lot of suggesting that the Sox will not be.[/quote']

 

Nah, this is yankee-red sox here Kilo. s*** will fly in both directions. I picked the sox to win the wild card and I stick by that prediction. I just think the sox have a very small margin of error and if a guy like Schilling cannot be a 4-4.5 ERA starter and eat about 200IP, you are in some serious trouble. I said from the start that he needs to be the ace out of the gate and likely will be replaced in that role around the AS break by Matsuzaka. If Schilling comes out sluggishly, the race for the east will be over before it gets started.

[Cocos Disciples]

Curt Schilling will be a 4-4.50 ERA pitcher, at least. In fact, the last time he did not post an ERA less than 4 in a full year when he started was 1993 with the Phillies. His ERA was 4.02.

 

I am not going to worry too much about our season or Schilling. We've played one game. If Schill continues to s*** the bed, I'll get worried. But not now.

[jacksonianmarch]

Curt Schilling will be a 4-4.50 ERA pitcher, at least. In fact, the last time he did not post an ERA less than 4 in a full year when he started was 1993 with the Phillies. His ERA was 4.02.

 

I am not going to worry too much about our season or Schilling. We've played one game. If Schill continues to s*** the bed, I'll get worried. But not now.

 

last season started the rumors. It was his first season in which he started the entire yr that he allowed more hits than innings pitched. And he broke down late. That is the first sign of decline and I think the sox knew it when they decided not to extend him. Then for him to come out and be that bad, not just off, not just okay, but that BAD, was not a good omen. Your offense will be good enough to muscle out a bunch of games, but it isnt an offense that can do it alone. Schilling will need to be vintage this yr at least early on, and after watching him just be so uncharacteristically terrible yesterday, I am not sure you can make that assumption. If he s*** the bed on sunday, it will be on national TV, in the spotlight in a launching pad, against a homer happy team. If he doesnt bring it, it will be brutal.

[riverside sluggers]

Something interesting of note for Pedroia is that we all know how he stumbled when he was first called up-- 4 for 41 (.091 avg). Since I believe the Sept 9 game vs KC that I was at, wher he had his first major league HR... he is 15 for 51 since then. Thats a .294 avg. If he can continue to cut down on that big swing of his, everything will fall into place

 

BTW Luis Alicea in his first game as the 1st base coach didnt have a great debut. I know the blame goes on the baserunners, but shouldnt it had been obvious for him to holler at both Pedroia & Youkilis?

[jacksonianmarch]

Something interesting of note for Pedroia is that we all know how he stumbled when he was first called up-- 4 for 41 (.091 avg). Since I believe the Sept 9 game vs KC that I was at, wher he had his first major league HR... he is 15 for 51 since then. Thats a .294 avg. If he can continue to cut down on that big swing of his, everything will fall into place

 

BTW Luis Alicea in his first game as the 1st base coach didnt have a great debut. I know the blame goes on the baserunners, but shouldnt it had been obvious for him to holler at both Pedroia & Youkilis?

 

Not really, a runner decides on their own to run if the ball is in front of them. A first base coach's main use is to grab stuff from the hitter, talk em up and make sure that the runners know the signs/catch the signs being relayed by the 3b coach.