October 7, 2011

Schadenfreude 124 (A Continuing Series)

Rob Parker, ESPNNewYork:
[I]t's all set up for the Yankees to take the next step toward another shot at a World Series title. They just have to play.
George A. King III, Post:
The eyes were red and moist. ... Heads hung so low chins were almost on the dark clubhouse carpet in a room so quiet you could hear the mice burp.

As they moved toward the Yankee Stadium exit for the last time the sting of defeat had them shuffling as if they wore ankle weights.

The Yankees looked and talked like losers after the Tigers ushered them into the offseason last night ...

The Yankees missed a strong chance to score in the fourth against Doug Fister when they had the bases loaded and one out. But Russell Martin popped up and Brett Gardner fouled out.

Rodriguez took the air out of the seventh-inning rally when he whiffed with the bases loaded and one out. ...

The Yankees' final chance to force extra innings or win the game came in the ninth ... But Granderson flied to left. Cano, who homered in the fifth off Fister, swung at the first pitch and flied to center. That left it up to Rodriguez and he punched out on a 1-2 pitch that turned out the lights on 2011. ...

"This is devastating," Rodriguez said. "I have a hard time getting 2004 out of my mouth, but this is devastating."
Mark Feinsand, Daily News:
Nova walked to the mound with the same poise and swagger as always, but it didn't take long for the Tigers to put a dent in that confidence.

Don Kelly, starting his second game of the series, launched an 0-1 pitch from Nova into the right-field seats. Delmon Young drilled the next pitch into the left-field stands, putting Nova in a 2-0 hole after only one out and seven pitches.


Mike Lupica, Daily News:
So now it is five times in the last 10 years that the Yankees cannot make it out of the first round and one other year when they did not make the playoffs at all. And another year when they blew a 3-0 lead to the Boston Red Sox. This isn't the way October is supposed to go at Yankee Stadium. Only now the Yankees go home, again.
Bryan Hoch, MLB.com:
Sabathia [in the first relief appearance of his career] served up a run to put the Tigers up by three, as Austin Jackson stroked a leadoff double and Victor Martinez responded to an intentional walk issued to Miguel Cabrera with a clean RBI single to center.
John Harper, Daily News:
The worst part of all for the Yankees, not just Thursday night but in looking to the future, was how overmatched Alex Rodriguez looked at the plate in his final two at-bats.

Overmatched or inside his own head the way he used to be every October. Or maybe both.

Either way it is awfully ominous, considering that at 36, A-Rod has six years remaining [and $146,000,000] on a contract that is looking more and more like the worst kind of albatross for the Yankees. ...

[T]here was Rodriguez, striking out swinging with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, when even a single likely would have tied the game, and then striking out swinging to end the game.
Jim Leyland: "I would be lying if I said it didn't give me a little extra satisfaction to do it here in the fifth game."
Joel Sherman, Post:
There were many goats. ...

"I have a lot to prove and I am looking forward to the challenge," Rodriguez said in a champagne-free clubhouse. "I am coming back with a vengeance."

He left with the stink of failure. ...
Mike Vaccaro, Post:
Off the bat, it had a chance, didn't it? The men on the Yankees' bench jumped to their feet, climbed the dugout steps, because they thought it did. ... Fifty thousand witnesses thought it did: For much of the game they'd sat in muffled silence, but not now.

Now, there was hope. Now there was a chance. Now there was a baseball climbing toward right field off the bat of Derek Jeter, one on and two out in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Yankees down 3-2, down to their final four outs, begging for a hero, desperate for a savior. ...

The roar died ... as Don Kelly settled under the ball ...

The Yankees expired a few minutes later. ...

Alex Rodriguez, who would make the 27th out of an elimination game for the second year in a row, hit an appalling .111. Mark Teixeira? A buck sixty-seven. Russell Martin: .176. Nick Swisher? A microscopic .211. Jeter's .250 felt like something Ty Cobb would be delighted with compared to the surrounding anemia.

Worse, they seemed tight at the absolute worst moment possible. ...

The richest team in baseball history, the most talented in the game, and you could almost hear the players' knees knocking over the din of the crowd. ...

It's always up to the losers to do the hard arithmetic of failure. The Yankees will have a long winter to figure all of that out.

21 comments:

allan said...

SoSH

Nomar813:
They went with a rotation of a panzer tank, a rookie, a dominican science project, an intramural softball pitcher, and a tattooed Lackey, and in the end they got Fisted.

jmcc5400:
Slappy McTwohits

Pandemonium67:
One of which came when the MFY were up 10-1. I'm surprised it was only a single.

Lose Remerswaal:
At least Mo was well rested. Nice 9th inning he threw. Too bad he couldn't throw the 1st inning.

glennhoffmania:
I love how everyone in NY is jumping on the trash ARod bandwagon and ignoring how unclutch Captain Clutch was all series. That dude could rape a goat on the mound during God Bless America and Sterling would come up with a new catch phrase to describe what a great goat fucker Jeter is.

TheoShmeo:
Well he almost hit a two run homer in the 8th. And he hugged Gene Monahan.

laura k said...

Yanks Will Win It All!!!!

CORRECTION:

Yanks will win two games and go home!

Jeremy said...

I've been looking forward to a post like this all year. (Not that the other schadenfreudes haven't been sweet, but this one is extra sweeter)

Its wonderful to hear Yankee fan co-workers want to switch the conversation to hockey, which coincidentally started yesterday.

Pokerwolf said...

"This is devastating," Rodriguez said. "I have a hard time getting 2004 out of my mouth, but this is devastating."

That is a glorious, GLORIOUS quote. Thanks again for posting these, Allan!

matthew said...

Any chance the Sox take a run at Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Fat-ass-ia?

allan said...

Yeah, mentioning 2004 - seven years later - is gold!

If CCC would take 2 years, I'd consider it.

Angry Steve said...

Best. Schadenfreude. Ever.

Benjamin said...

About those two Slappy hits....

allan said...

Alex Rodriguez is the first player in MLB history to strike out for his team's final out in consecutive post-seasons.

Ivan Nova became the first Yankees pitcher to allow back-to-back home runs in the first inning of a post-season game.

allan said...

MFY outscored the Tigers 28-17 in the series.

laura k said...

"This is devastating," Rodriguez said. "I have a hard time getting 2004 out of my mouth, but this is devastating."

Just posting it again because it's so beautiful.

Ain't no mouthwash gets 2004 out of your mouth! That taste is just toooo strong.

hrstrat57 said...

Things are not quite so painful today.....

allan said...

Last year's YED!!!!

Kathryn said...

...at 36, A-Rod has six years remaining [and $146,000,000] on a contract that is looking more and more like the worst kind of albatross for the Yankees. ...

This may be a fun six years to watch.


"This is devastating," Rodriguez said. "I have a hard time getting 2004 out of my mouth, but this is devastating."

It doesn't get any better than this!

allan said...

NYYfans speak:

"What a wasted season. They should fire everybody. Jeter did nothing, A-Rod did nothing. Bases loaded four times and what happened? Nothing!"

"It's not fun to go to work tomorrow like this."

"I'm a big Giants fan, so I'm holding on to that now."

"They choked big time."

"We're mad. We drove all the way from Maine for this game. Not impressed with A-Rod."

allan said...

Tigers radio call of the last pitch.

allan said...

Nyjer Morgan yelling FUCK YEAH on the air.

allan said...

How To Lose The ALDS
Dave Cameron, Fangraphs


Bottom 3rd, 1st and 2nd, 2 outs – Robinson Cano flies out to center field.

Bottom 4th, Bases loaded, 1 out – Russell Martin pops out to first base.

Bottom 4th, Bases loaded, 2 out – Brett Gardner fouled out to third base.

Bottom 7th, Bases loaded, 1 out – Alex Rodriguez struck out.

Bottom 7th, Bases loaded, 2 out – Nick Swisher struck out.

You can talk about whether Joe Girardi should have pinch hit for Martin all you want, but the Yankees had six opportunities to drive in a bunch of runs in a hurry, and all they got was a bases loaded walk. A-Rod is going to be fitted for goat horns again, but half the team made huge outs when the Yankees needed a hit.

****

allan said...

Chris "Mad Dog" Russo: "Happy Elimination Day!!!"

Hear Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo's show open today after the Yankees were eliminated from the 2011 playoffs by the Detroit Tigers

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kathryn said...

Mad Dog was great!

Thanks for the link.

matthew said...

I thought this Sports Pickle bit was nice.

Honest New York Newspaper Coverage of the Yankees