Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees
Monday June 1, 2009
Jeremy Sowers vs. Joba Chamberlain
Progressive Field
Cleveland, Ohio
The Indians look to go 6-2 on their 8 game home stand, and improve to 4-4 vs. the Yankees this year. We’ll see if Jeremy Sowers can bring some momentum into this start following his great performance in relief last Monday in the year to date’s most exciting game, for the Tribe at least.
It will be interesting to not watch a game on STO. I’m thinking I’m going to like the ESPN broadcast less than FOX’s. I’m setting the over under on “when I was GM of the Mets” references by Steve Phillips at 17. Some things that caught my script “I”:
-Orel Hershiser said he hates when analysts talk about their playing career but he followed that up with a story about his career, but it was actually self deprecating. Orel is a class act, but since he’s on ESPN, I had to take at least a small jab at him.
-Joba Chamberlain’s mom apparently doesn’t listen to Colin Cowherd…http://fullserviceradio.blogspot.com/2009/02/enjoy-your-life-be-good-to-kids
-As I mentioned on twitter, if Grady Sizemore is the heart-throb of the Indians, then Victor Martinez is the heartbeat. Victor is back in the lineup after fouling a ball off his knee on Saturday vs. CC Sabathia, so he didn’t exactly foul a knuckleball off his knee. This guy continues to gain more respect from me and many other Indians fans who appreciate his effort and toughness.
-The department of who gives a shit Incorporated factoid of the day: Conan O’Brien makes his Tonight Show debut tonight. What, was Chevy Chase not available?
-Speaking of Orel Hershiser, one of my favorite Indians GameFace magazine covers was one of him back in around 1996 where it was a drawing of him with a bulldog in the background, I miss those days.
-The game has gotten off to such an exciting start that the seagulls were the topic of most of the top of the second. Two scoreless innings for Sowers.
-The seagulls should make like midges and start crapping on Jabba errr Joba the Chamberlain.
-Despite me making fun of Joba, I don’t have utter disdain for the Yankees like most Indians fans. I hate the Red Sox way more. I don’t know if it’s because the Yankees really haven’t won anyting since 2000 or what, but Red Sox nation is far more annoying IMO. Who wouldn’t want their owner to go out and get every player possible they think could help them to win?
-I really don’t feel sorry for the Royals, Pirates, Reds, and even the Indians to some extent. You can win in a small market, you need to draft right, look at Tampa Bay and even Milwaukee and Florida to a lesser extent. Stop crying about the Yankees buying everything, it hasn’t exactly yielded much for them lately.
-Since I last wrote about the Tribe, everyone’s favorite whipping boy David Dellucci was released…a year late.
-Dennis Green thinks that the Cavs weren’t who he thought they were…http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=dennis+green&fr=yfp-t-501&
-Wow, three guys in the booth and they have yet to say one thing to make me want to keep watching.
-Jeremy Sower’s delivery reminds me of the old school batting cage pitching arm. And much like that arm, Sowers seems to be at the same eye level every pitch while occasionally getting wild.
-Nick Swisher is the most popular .220 hitter in all of Major League Baseball.
-I flipped over the Pirates game real quick, they are already losing 3-0. I’d almost rather listen to their announcers tonight even though Bob Walk always sounds like he forgot to take his anti-depressants. Oh, and Ian Snell sucks.
-Kelly Shoppach is reminding me of a shorter, less-athletic Jason Kendall with the “two months from the trade deadline” beard he’s rocking.
-Shoppach looks like he’s swinging a bungy bat, or jump stretch band. Carlos Santana couldn’t do better than this? This is like having the pitcher bat anymore.
-When Arod was dating Madonna, he suggested she change the lyrics to some of her songs making them more baseball oriented, the first one that was rumored to be released is: Papi don’t preach, you can’t hit no more, Papi don’t preach, your batting average hit the floor. You know I made up my mind, I’m keeping this container from Manny, ewwww ohhhh.
-I might as well make my NBA Finals prediction now, the best team wins 4 games to 2. The best team resides in California.
-Nike said they wanted to replace the Lebron puppet with a Dwight Howard one but they couldn’t find enough material to fill up his shoulders.
-Victor goes deep to tie the game at 1, imagine that.
-You can tell these guys, well at least Dan Schulman hasn’t seen much of the Tribe this year, he just called Mark DeRosa a dangerous hitter…DeRosa followed the compliment by watching strike three go by.
-Sowers isn’t looking half bad tonight, one run after five innings, can’t ask for much more from him. ****Sixth inning edit: Sowers leads off the inning walking back to back hitters, Mark Teixeira coming up next, ouch. Teixeira walks, Sowers exits, Greg Aquino enters. Jinx by me or just the inevitable?****
-Much like Keith Olbermann’s worst person in the world, right now Kelly Shoppach is the worst person in the world of Major League Baseball, popping up a bunt that lead to a double play, this after there were runners on first and second with no outs. Hell, the usual strikeout would have done less damage.
-Greg Aquino quickly takes Player of the Game Thus Far honors away from Jeremy Sowers, striking out Alex Rodriguez, getting Jorge Posada to hit a ground ball back to himself, which got the runner at home out, and then getting Robinson Cano to fly out to left, giving up no runs with the bases loaded. This was the Yankees version of Shoppach hitting into a bunt pop up double play.
-8 walks for Tribe pitchers tonight, that’s inexcusable, and it’s only the 7th inning.
-Nick Swisher’s two run double with the bases loaded scores two, giving the Yanks a 3-1 lead in the 7th. Yankees finally capitalize on the multiple free passes handed out by Indians pitchers. That number is now up to nine.
-Greg Aquino gives up Player of the Game Thus Far honors to a player to be named later.
-Arod’s bases loaded single brings in two making up for his previous bases loaded strikeout. That would be all the Yankees would need tonight as they take the game 5-2.
I guess I should have continued my hiatus from writing about the Indians, sorry. After what has transpired so far in this ’09 Indians season it will definitely be a nice break to cover the NBA Finals. Much like the Indians offense tonight, I keep hearing Bill Walton in my head asking “where’s Mo Williams?” To end on that note, Kelly Shoppach has been biblical proportions bad.
Keywords: Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees.
