Game 76-A Very Special Old Timer’s Day

By Steve S. On June 26, 2011 · 36 Comments · In Game Thread

Today is a day where you forget about doing the household chores, laundry, shopping, gardening, or whatever else you typically do on a Sunday and plan the day around watching the Old Timer’s festivities. I know I will. For me the OT game itself is a bore, but I just can’t get enough of the intros, seeing those stars back in uniform and responses from the crowd. Coverage starts at 11 am, which is why this game thread is posted a bit earlier than usual. Special guests include Joe Torre, Bernie (I’m still not retired) Williams, and it’s hard to believe but Lou Pinella has never been back to an Old Timer’s Day since he managed the team from 1986-87. The Yanks have made it clear that they will retire Bernie’s #51 once he files his papers and makes it official, but Bernie still just can’t bring himself to do it. Other guests include Hall of Famers Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Goose Gossage and Reggie Jackson, along with David Cone and Moose Skowron for the Yankees’ 65th annual Old-Timers’ Day. The Yanks also plan to hold a special tribute for Gene Monahan, who will be retiring following the season after 49 years with the team.

I must admit that for the last few years in the new ballpark, Old Timer’s Day just didn’t have the same feel. Largely due to the fact that most of the participants had never played in that building. But with the stars of the late 90s championship teams becoming more of a presence, those still near and dear to our hearts and the glories of recent vintage, this day has a special feel to it again. Coincidentally enough, it’s also Derek Jeter’s 37th birthday (insert ‘over the hill’ punchline here). It’s a special day, this one more than most, and personally I can’t wait for the festivities to begin.

As for today’s game, we have Rockie’s starter Juan Nicasio facing Ivan Nova. Nicasio’s a recent call up, having pitched only 5 games for the Rockies this year. Gives up his share of hits and free passes (1.47 WHIP) but also does a good job missing bats (8.5  SO/9).  He’s a battlefield promotion for the injured Jorge Delarosa, having only pitched 56.1 innings in AA before getting the call to the bigs. The advanced Yankee hitters should take this kid to school today.  Should be a good day all around for the pinstripes.

Here’s your lineup today, courtesy of Yankees PR:

1-Gardner LF

2-Granderson CF

3-Teixeira 1B

4-Rodriguez 3B

5-Cano 2B

6-Swisher RF

7-Posada DH

8-Martin C

9-Nunez SS

(BTW-If you miss any of the live coverage, there’s a replay 8:30 tonight on YES)

 
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36 Responses to Game 76-A Very Special Old Timer’s Day

  1. bornwithpinstripes says:
    June 26, 2011 at 12:06 pm

    is the old timers game on yes, i can’t get it on mlb

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  2. Professor Longnose says:
    June 26, 2011 at 12:29 pm

    I like the game as well as the intros. Fun, fun, fun.

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  3. Steve S. says:
    June 26, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    Wow, what a ceremony. Pinella in pinstripes for the first time in over 20 years, Bernie goes boom comes back, Torre with a huge ovation. The Gene Monahan presentation was really well done, and you could tell how much genuine affection the team has for him. Just tremendous.

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  4. Professor Longnose says:
    June 26, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    Jesse Barfield is almost as slow as Posada.

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  5. Professor Longnose says:
    June 26, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    Gossage gets the DP!

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  6. Professor Longnose says:
    June 26, 2011 at 1:14 pm

    Tino hits it out! Beautiful.

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  7. Duh, Innings! says:
    June 26, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    I’m not into the Old Timers’ game. It’s depressing especially when you see guys who weren’t part of Yankee World Championships like Jesse Barfield and Mike Mussina “play” and the game is antithetical to what these guys were as players which were ferocious competitors.

    I can’t get into a three innings (sometimes less than that) exhibition/spectacle of men who can’t play the game anymore. Don’t watch it then you say? I don’t.

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  8. Dave Wright says:
    June 26, 2011 at 2:24 pm

    I just caught the highlights of Old Timers’ Game on TBS. Was pleasantly surprised that Torre and Pinella were there. I agree with the sentiment of some folks about guys who I don’t rapidly associate with the Yankees, even though they did play in NY. Straw will always be a Met in my mind, along with a few others. I am still glad the Yankees do this for the players that were so instrumental in recent and past championships. So I will now go and try to find more highlights online, since I didn’t get to watch the entire thing.

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  9. Steve S. says:
    June 26, 2011 at 2:30 pm

    I’m officially sick of Nunez. I’ll never complain about Jeter again. Ever.

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    T.O. Chris Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    We both know that isn’t true Steve haha. We’ll be back to bitching about “The Captain” in no time.

    Hopefully the SS of the future meme will finally stop.

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    Duh, Innings! Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 5:44 pm

    You’re sick of a guy who’s better than Jeter.

    The Yankees should make Jeter learn all the bases and outfield positions so he can be an overpaid Clay Bellinger the rest of his career.

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    T.O. Chris Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 8:21 pm

    Nunez has a negative WAR, not only this year but career as well. Despite how bad Jeter has been this season, he has been better than Nunez. Nunez’ defensive ratings are all negative, and his only better offensive category is SLG.

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  10. Steve S. says:
    June 26, 2011 at 2:32 pm

    Kay could call that a “shocking” tag all he wants, it’s the kind of play you better make. It’s like making the last out of an inning at third. If you get thrown out on that play, you look like you have no idea how to play the game.

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    T.O. Chris Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 2:35 pm

    The whole idea of tagging was dumb anyway. You have a taylor made Yankee stadium swing coming up to bat. I almost wondered if maybe he was looking for someone to throw to 2nd and be in a run down long enough to score Cargo from 3rd, but that would be beyond stupid.

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    Duh, Innings! Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 5:54 pm

    What’s this last out at third is a sin crap? Dude gets a hit, other dude on 1B thinks he can get to 3B and is thrown out. Yeah, end of an inning, but one could argue striking out to end an inning is the worst kind of inning-ending out because you didn’t make the defense field the ball. At least when you go for third you force the outfielder to throw to third and risk having the ball get away from the 3B.

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    T.O. Chris Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 8:23 pm

    That’s not what happened on that play at all. In your scenario getting thrown out at 3rd is s till worse, because you take away what was a hit. With a strikeout you didn’t make contact. You made an out but you didn’t run into one. You basically give away the hit getting thrown out at 3rd. You have to know you can get there.

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  11. T.O. Chris says:
    June 26, 2011 at 2:37 pm

    Nicasio has a very impressive fastball, but he’s going to have to develop something to go with it if he’s going to make it longterm.

    [Reply]

  12. RubeWaddell says:
    June 26, 2011 at 3:11 pm

    I was afraid this would happen with Nicasio.

    [Reply]

  13. T.O. Chris says:
    June 26, 2011 at 3:38 pm

    Betances is currently dominating right now with 1 hit, 0 runs, 4 Ks, 4 BBs, through 6 innings. The walks are probably always going to be high, but he is showing the stuff and ability that should get him a promotion to Scranton at some point this year.

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  14. T.O. Chris says:
    June 26, 2011 at 3:59 pm

    The ball must be carrying today. Swisher’s was a blast, but off the bat I didn’t think Posada’s was going to leave the park. Nice way to turn around being no hit!

    Well I guess all the Carlos Beltran trade rumors can die now. I don’t know what Posada will do the rest of the year, but with Swisher finally coming around, and Posada being hot there is no need to bring in an outside bat like that.

    One bat I would like to trade for is Jerry Hairston Jr. Partially because I just like the guy, but also because he is more solid in the field than Nunez. He can also play the outfield so if at any point the Yankees decide to move on from Jones they don’t have to find a 4th outfielder.

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    Duh, Innings! Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 5:47 pm

    Nunez just needs more playing time. Remember the kid barely got any playing time when Jeter was playing and how often does he get to back up at 2B and 3B with Cano and A-Rod there?

    I chalk up Nunez’s struggles with the glove to lack of playing time.

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    T.O. Chris Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 8:26 pm

    He’s been playing consistently for a week plus now, and he only has 19 less games played than Jeter on the season. Nunez’ problem is that he rushes to the ball on every play, the game hasn’t slowed down for him yet. There is no “he doesn’t play enough” excuse for his defensive gaffe today. That simply won’t work.

    One day he will be a solid glove, but Nunez will never be more than an MLB league average short stop. Jerry Hairston JR is a move that helps now, and in the playoffs. He can play more positions than Nunez, and play them better than he can. He would be a fabulous upgrade for this years club.

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  15. Professor Longnose says:
    June 26, 2011 at 4:07 pm

    Looks like maybe Gardner has figured out how to drag bunt.

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  16. T.O. Chris says:
    June 26, 2011 at 4:14 pm

    I would not be shocked to see a double steal at some point in this AB.

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    Professor Longnose Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 4:26 pm

    They should have tried that.

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    T.O. Chris Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 4:49 pm

    Teixeira really didn’t give them time. He ended up swinging at the 2nd pitch, and Belisle seemed to be paying attention to the runners from his first pitch.

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  17. Professor Longnose says:
    June 26, 2011 at 4:39 pm

    I think Jeter paid off Nunez to stink so Jeter would look good by comparison.

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    Duh, Innings! Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 5:50 pm

    Yeah Nunez stinks, he drove in the go-ahead and winning run. When’s the last time Jeter did that?

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    T.O. Chris Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 8:28 pm

    Over-reacting a litte huh? He drove in the winning run sure, but a couple of inches to the left and that’s a ground ball out. You can’t take the hit away, but it wasn’t some impressive line drive, or game winning HR. It’s great he got the hit, but lets not anoint him the next Yankee SS on that.

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  18. smurfy says:
    June 26, 2011 at 5:21 pm

    Boy, I called that shot to myself. Tex has likely salted it.

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  19. smurfy says:
    June 26, 2011 at 5:41 pm

    Tulo does a patented DJ leap away and throw to say, “good-bye NY.”

    [Reply]

    Duh, Innings! Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 5:48 pm

    Yeah, “Goodbye, team my team lost two out of three to and barely took one from” hahaha.

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  20. Duh, Innings! says:
    June 26, 2011 at 5:50 pm

    Yo everyone leave Nova alone. Four runs in 6 IP ain’t great, but it’s pretty good considering the offense he faced and he kept the Yankees in the game. He’s a classic fifth starter. Hopefully he’ll be #4 good next year then #3 good in 2013.

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    T.O. Chris Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 8:33 pm

    9 base runners in 6 innings, when you consider he gave up 3 HRs, and 2 of those to Wigginton it’s pretty bad. He kept us in the game which is nice, but people tend to be overrating his ceiling. He just doesn’t miss enough bats, and isn’t a dominant enough ground ball pitcher to ever be a number 3. I wouldn’t count on him as anything more than a number 5 going forward, with quite hope he can be a 4. None of his pitches are true swing and miss pitches, and they won’t become that because we want them too. He’s a nice young cost controlled pitcher to have around, but if I can trade him in a deal for an upgrade I’d do so.

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    T.J. Saint Reply:
    June 26th, 2011 at 10:20 pm

    I agree with most of what you said T.O. One point that could be argued and could be deemed unfair is the way you measured Nova as a pitcher. In case you have forgotten, Nova’s previous outing was outstanding. I’m not saying that we should just look at how he performed in that one game, but I don’t think we should measure him based upon his last game either. I think the fairest way to look at how he performs now, and in the future, is his age. The young hurler is just 24 and is in his first season as a starter for the Yanks. Most people at his age battle lack of consistency. I say give the kid another season or two before you go out trading him.

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  21. Kiko Jones says:
    June 27, 2011 at 12:06 am

    Always fun to catch the OTD festivities. Seeing Sweet Lou wear the Bronx colors for the first time in almost a quarter century; Bernie returning to the Stadium for his first OTD; and of course all the old favorites from Yogi to Coney, from The Stick to Mick the Quick; all very cool.

    But…

    The Gene Monahan tribute went from a heartfelt ceremony to something reminiscent of an episode of a cheesy game show ala The Price of Right. Plus, it went on too long and kinda took away some of the OTD introductions ceremony’s lustre. If they were going to take that long, they should’ve honored Monahan on a different day, since he actually wasn’t an Old Timer himself. Just sayin’…

    The OTD game was fun, the actual game was a good one and Posada was a key contributor to the win. Nice.

    [Reply]

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