Game 121: Rays (Snell) at Yankees (Tanaka!)

Ugh, 1 for 11 with RISP.

Every ounce of momentum this team had is now gone for one reason or another. The starting pitching was being held together with bubblegum and paper clips to start the season as we all knew. I guess we just hoped it would hold together. When the position players started dropping it was Game-Set-McEnroe.

Waiting on a homer.  

Players, like Gardner, uppercutting their swing all the time to try and hit homers just doesn't make any sense.  It also probably explains why he's hitting under .250.

I understand that Bird was very seriously injured, and I understand that he was away from playing pro baseball for a very long time. I understand what his potential is, and how important it is for a baseball player to regain his timing. I understand why I and many more fans could not wait to see him playing first base for the Yankees, especially when our first basemen early this season were failing so miserably. In hindsight what I don't understand is why the Yankees pushed the envelope like they did and promoted him before he had regained that timing and had shown he could hit again.

The team had time to address the first base position in the off-season, and again this spring. Instead, they went with a leaky band-aid. When the blood oozed through the band aid they promoted Bird in spite of a miserable showing he had in MiLB instead of making a move to offer adequate back up to him. Oddly, now that Walker is hitting, (I guess he's still hitting...he's a leaky boat too as far as I'm concerned) they are playing him semi regularly in a once strong and crowded outfield instead of sending Bird down to regain his stroke while Walker plays first.

The roster moves this year have been rather mysteriously handled. I still want to see Bird at his best, but that simply doesn't seem to be on the horizon right now, if ever...The Yankees look more and more like they may become one of those tragic teams with a story of collapse. There is always a team that collapsed to let a 'miracle' team, like the Miracle Mets of '69 and so forth surge to the pennant or division...or even the one game playoff that once looked so certain. There is much more wrong than Bird right now. We don't have a leak in the boat, we've struck an iceberg. The band is still playing, just like on the Titanic...


Dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me

Mama stood cryin' at the dockside

Sayin' "Please son, don't take this trip"

I said "Mama, sweet Mama, don't you worry none"

"Even God couldn't sink this ship"

Well, the whistle blew and they turned the screws

It turned the water into foam

Destination sweet salvation

Goodbye home sweet home

I'm in the dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me

There was a trombone and a saxophone

The bass and drums were cookin' up the bandstand

And I was strummin' in the middle with this dude on the fiddle

And we were three days out from land

And now the foghorn's jammed and moanin'

Hear it groanin' through the misty night

I heard the lookout shout down "There's icebergs around"

"But still everything's all right"

Oh, the dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me

They were burnin' all the flares for candles

In the banquet they were throwin' in first class

And we were blowin' waltzes in the barroom

When the universe went CRASH!

"There's no way that this could happen"

I could hear the old captain curse

He ordered lifeboats away, that's when I heard the chaplain say

"Women and children and chaplains first"

Well, they soon used up all of the lifeboats

But there were a lot of us left on board

I heard the drummer sayin' "Boys, just keep playin'"

"Now we're doin' this gig for the Lord"

I heard the dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me

There's a wild-eyed boy in the radio shack

He's the last remaining guest

He was tappin' in a Morse code frenzy

Tappin' "Please God, S.O.S."

Jesus Christ can walk on the water

But a music man will drown

They say that Nero fiddled while Rome burned up

Well, I was strummin' as the ship go down

I'm in the dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me

Dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me

Dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me


Songwriters: Harry F. Chapin

Dance Band On The Titanic lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

You know a team is starting to transition on a player a bit when they start talking about the fatigue factor in August. I mean, wtf. It’s freaking August. Everyone is fatigued and grinding. In April it was his lack of reps. By June he would be fine. Now it’s not just fatigue, but the ankle isn’t use to this. His rotation is a tad late. This due to the fact that he’s had too many reps as opposed to how many he’s used to in a season. Seems a little circular of a talking point to me. Saying that, he can be huge for us still😎

I totally agree, bearman. Take a pitch!