The Yankees won their 50th game of the season tonight, pulling out a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
A.J. Burnett continued his solid pitching, allowing only two runs over his six and one-third innings. Mariano Rivera notched his 22nd save, out of 23 chances.
Brett Gardner singled in two runs, and Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher (both 1-for-4, 1 RBI), Derek Jeter (2-for-5) and Jorge Posada (2-for-3) helped the Yankees at the plate.
Tomorrow night the Yankees close out their series in Minnesota, going for their second sweep of the Twins this year, before flying to Los Angeles to face the American League West-leading Angels (46-36) on Friday.
Other Yankees Posts
7.08.2009
Plain and simple, Palin is ununderstandable
Whether you agree or disagree with Sarah Palin, there's a litmus test for your intelligence: whether you agree that, for all Palin says, it's very difficult to know what she actually is, and what it is she supports.
This Slate column mirrors my feelings about Palin's ways of communicating.
Palin is great at being a master politician/celebrity, rallying the base, and calling out her opponents. What she lacks is a clear message behind what she's saying. She has the form, but no content.
In this world of culture wars and reactionary politics, Palin has only fueled the flame for those who want to attack but can't find a platform of their own to speak about...a cause to really back.
This method of Republican/conservative politics, already fueled by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and all at Fox News, is what has made the right a petty, reactionary party in an age when so many people are calling for substantial policies and intelligent debate. Palin still has the base, poll numbers are showing, but that base is coming to represent a sad slice of ignorant America. Until the more conservative side of America finds a leader with true substance who can communicate a real cause well, the ramblings of Palin will be the best it can get.
This Slate column mirrors my feelings about Palin's ways of communicating.
Palin is great at being a master politician/celebrity, rallying the base, and calling out her opponents. What she lacks is a clear message behind what she's saying. She has the form, but no content.
In this world of culture wars and reactionary politics, Palin has only fueled the flame for those who want to attack but can't find a platform of their own to speak about...a cause to really back.
This method of Republican/conservative politics, already fueled by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and all at Fox News, is what has made the right a petty, reactionary party in an age when so many people are calling for substantial policies and intelligent debate. Palin still has the base, poll numbers are showing, but that base is coming to represent a sad slice of ignorant America. Until the more conservative side of America finds a leader with true substance who can communicate a real cause well, the ramblings of Palin will be the best it can get.
Labels:
conservatives,
fox news,
republicans,
rush limbaugh,
sarah palin,
slate
7.07.2009
HR-less win shows Yankees' balance
The Yankees topped the Twins 10-2 tonight with nary a homer, once again showing New York's ability to win with a balanced attack.
Ace CC Sabathia led the defense, allowing only one run over seven innings (with just three Ks), and every Yankees starter had a hit. Over the night, the Bombers patched together 16 hits, including a 4-for-6 night by Mark Teixeira and a triple-led 3-for-5 round by Brett Gardner.
The famed Minnesota onslaught, meanwhile, saw sluggers Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer both go 0-for-3.
On the season, the Yankees aren't really stacking the statistics categories, either. Mariano Rivera's 21 saves are third in the American League, and Teixeira's 20 homers and 62 RBIs are in the top five, but no other Yankees are leading in major statistical categories.
Instead, the team is using a balanced attack. In my tally of the top three Yankees in batting average, homers, and RBIs, I have seven different guys sharing the honors. The four starting pitchers that have been tossing regularly for the Yankees have virtually the same ERAs and win-loss totals. And when players hit the DL or take a night off, the bench players (such as catcher Francisco Cervelli) are hitting, too.
The Yanks were 17-17 when they came into their last series against the Twins, a four-gamer that they swept en route to their current 49-34 record. They needed a few walk-offs in that series; I'm not sure they'll need any this time.
Other Yankees posts
Ace CC Sabathia led the defense, allowing only one run over seven innings (with just three Ks), and every Yankees starter had a hit. Over the night, the Bombers patched together 16 hits, including a 4-for-6 night by Mark Teixeira and a triple-led 3-for-5 round by Brett Gardner.
The famed Minnesota onslaught, meanwhile, saw sluggers Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer both go 0-for-3.
On the season, the Yankees aren't really stacking the statistics categories, either. Mariano Rivera's 21 saves are third in the American League, and Teixeira's 20 homers and 62 RBIs are in the top five, but no other Yankees are leading in major statistical categories.
Instead, the team is using a balanced attack. In my tally of the top three Yankees in batting average, homers, and RBIs, I have seven different guys sharing the honors. The four starting pitchers that have been tossing regularly for the Yankees have virtually the same ERAs and win-loss totals. And when players hit the DL or take a night off, the bench players (such as catcher Francisco Cervelli) are hitting, too.
The Yanks were 17-17 when they came into their last series against the Twins, a four-gamer that they swept en route to their current 49-34 record. They needed a few walk-offs in that series; I'm not sure they'll need any this time.
Other Yankees posts
Swish and a bang
The Yankees are off to another hot start, prompting me out of my July 4th blogging hiatus to find something new to say about my favorite yo-yoing New Yorkers.
First, a few observations: Whenever I'm working on the sports desk at my illustrious intern position at the MetroWest Daily News, the Red Sox always seem to be winning. A lot. Argh.
Second, although I am a fan who generally trusts management decisions for my favorite teams, the Yankees have started to irk me lately, especially with the choice of the final starter (with Chien-Ming Wang out) and the eighth-inning setup man. Today, the Yanks announced they were starting top-notch receiver Alfredo Aceves in place of Wang, even though Phil Hughes has done a great job in the starting role earlier this season. (Hughes may be a little rusty, but don't tell me never-started Aceves isn't.)
And finally, the reason for my swish-and-bang headline: The Yankees are currently winning 5-1, and I am quite pleased. Nick Swisher scared the Twinsies into walking him, forcing a run, and every member of the Yankees has a hit so far through five innings (except, alas, Alex Rodriguez).
New York is just a game back of the Red Sox, and the Bombers hold down the second-best record in the American League (third-best in MLB).
Other Yankees posts
First, a few observations: Whenever I'm working on the sports desk at my illustrious intern position at the MetroWest Daily News, the Red Sox always seem to be winning. A lot. Argh.
Second, although I am a fan who generally trusts management decisions for my favorite teams, the Yankees have started to irk me lately, especially with the choice of the final starter (with Chien-Ming Wang out) and the eighth-inning setup man. Today, the Yanks announced they were starting top-notch receiver Alfredo Aceves in place of Wang, even though Phil Hughes has done a great job in the starting role earlier this season. (Hughes may be a little rusty, but don't tell me never-started Aceves isn't.)
And finally, the reason for my swish-and-bang headline: The Yankees are currently winning 5-1, and I am quite pleased. Nick Swisher scared the Twinsies into walking him, forcing a run, and every member of the Yankees has a hit so far through five innings (except, alas, Alex Rodriguez).
New York is just a game back of the Red Sox, and the Bombers hold down the second-best record in the American League (third-best in MLB).
Other Yankees posts
7.01.2009
Newsweek blurs the ad lines
Newsweek's redesign has incurred plenty of comments about where news is heading and what the magazine now provides, but this week's issue of Newsweek stepped beyond the normal, design-and-content blabber and took a bold step where a newsmagazine probably shouldn't be going.
Part of Newsweek's redesign is the swaths of white space surrounding the columns of text that somewhat fill its pages, and this week Newsweek got creative and sold adspace in those wide white spaces. Here's the catch: the ad and redesign go together so seamlessly, there's no real break where the advertiser is advertising and Newsweek is news-ing, which makes it look like they go together.
Amazon's ad pokes up in the bottom lefthand corner, and a portion of text points to the Newsweek story with an arrow, saying "In the time it takes you read this excerpt, you can wirelessly download an entire book." (And to complicate things, Newsweek is indeed running a book excerpt, which is another form of meshing the divide between coverage and promotion.) The Newsweek story is boxed off by a very thin blue line, but across the spread, Newsweek's fine-print masthead gives the appearance of being the ad's fine print, without any separation from the excerpt's photos, which hang in the margins.
Basically, Newsweek is going from running ads that look like content (which they do earlier in the issue, advertising for books in their books section) to running ads that wrap into the content. A bold, daring way to make money? No, I don't think so. Rather, it's just another way the new design is cheapening a strong product.
Part of Newsweek's redesign is the swaths of white space surrounding the columns of text that somewhat fill its pages, and this week Newsweek got creative and sold adspace in those wide white spaces. Here's the catch: the ad and redesign go together so seamlessly, there's no real break where the advertiser is advertising and Newsweek is news-ing, which makes it look like they go together.
Amazon's ad pokes up in the bottom lefthand corner, and a portion of text points to the Newsweek story with an arrow, saying "In the time it takes you read this excerpt, you can wirelessly download an entire book." (And to complicate things, Newsweek is indeed running a book excerpt, which is another form of meshing the divide between coverage and promotion.) The Newsweek story is boxed off by a very thin blue line, but across the spread, Newsweek's fine-print masthead gives the appearance of being the ad's fine print, without any separation from the excerpt's photos, which hang in the margins.
Basically, Newsweek is going from running ads that look like content (which they do earlier in the issue, advertising for books in their books section) to running ads that wrap into the content. A bold, daring way to make money? No, I don't think so. Rather, it's just another way the new design is cheapening a strong product.
Huh. That was easy.
Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera combined for yet another win-save combo (their 60th) as the Yankees moved past Seattle 4-2 on the back of home runs by Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera and Alex Rodriguez.
Next up, New York welcomes Toronto in a hot matchup in the searing-hot American League East. The Yankees (44-32) are two and a half games back from the Red Sox (48-30), two and a half in front of the Rays (44-36) and four and a half in front of the Blue Jays (42-38). Boston and New York have the top two records, respectively, in the American League.
Other Yankees Posts
Next up, New York welcomes Toronto in a hot matchup in the searing-hot American League East. The Yankees (44-32) are two and a half games back from the Red Sox (48-30), two and a half in front of the Rays (44-36) and four and a half in front of the Blue Jays (42-38). Boston and New York have the top two records, respectively, in the American League.
Other Yankees Posts
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