The MLB Network ain't that bad

I'm not going to go checking previous posts, but I think I put up something to this extent before. Right now I'm really jonesing for some actual baseball. All this Hot Stove: The Arbitration Version ain't really feeding my need. Last weekend MLBN showed back to back to back to way back All-Star games and I made it a point to make sure I DVR-ed the '99 game in Fenway. I remember walking around down-town Cambridge when they did the fly-by before the first pitch and a line of car alarms went off because those things were so damn loud and then to top it off I made it to the bar just in time to watch Pedro make the steroid era look like a bunch of puss*es.

Now I'm not sure if this tops Pedro in the AS game, but they just showed The Yankees losing the 2001 World Series to the D-backs. With the entire country rooting on the Yanks (if you recall that 9/11 thing just happened) it was sweet to watch them lose it again this time. Then it's nothing less than god damn eerie to watch Schilling go into Yankee Stadium 3 years before "the sock" and know what you're about to watch. Good work MLB Network. You get a free pass until I watch one of your stupid shows and write a post about how I don't like Harold Reynolds.

What's your prediction for tonight?

Pain!!! Pain on the part of the Yankees. Pedro brings his rice and beans back to Yankee Stadium to make sure this thing goes to 7. It's been said a million times this week, but all the pressure is on the quarter billion dollar Yanks to bring a ring back to the billion dollar Stadium and the Phils are just along for the ride to make sure things don't go smoothly. T-minus 1 hour til Petey time.

Tonights the night

It's old man vs old man. 38 year old Pedro vs 37 year old Pettitte tonight. Let's all hope that first half of the season rest will help Pedro stay fresh tonight and the Phils can get into the Yanks bullpen early and let Joba implode on his home turf. Speaking of Joba, his mom (the lovely woman pictured here) was sentenced to 20 years for her little meth problem that arose back in May. You can definitely see the family resemblance.

I see many posts in the future today. Stay tuned for more.

Now there's the AJ we all know and love

2 innings, 4 walks, 6 ER. That's more like it. Yes sometimes even a blind squirrel finds a nut, but AJ got his nuts smacked around like a speed bag last night and only gave McCarver 2 innings to comment on how great Burnett's curveball is. The best thing about last night, besides the Burnett taint-handing, is that with the Yankee lose that means we get to see Pedro go again on Wednesday night in NY. Worst case scenario, we get another day of Pedro quotes. Best case scenario, we get to watch Cole Hamels on Thursday too.

Also, in true anti-Yankee fashion, let's celebrate Chase Utley tying Reggie Jackson's HR record in the World Series. One more and Mr. October gets shown up by a second baseman with more grease in his hair under his helmet than a lot of people have under their car.

AJ Burnett is a scumbag

Technically all Yankee players are scumbags in at least one way or another, but something about AJ irks me to an A-rod level. Maybe it's the stupid tattoos (what is that a pi symbol on his hand?) or his white trashy looking exterior, I'm not really sure. AJ is usually good for one inning of implosion per game but I guess he picked a good time (relative opinion) to not walk 8 guys and throw 13 wild pitches, which would be conducive of a regular game for him.

Maybe after game 1 the joy of the Yankees losing blinded me and made me forgot I was listening to Buck and McCarver so I didn't get that sharp stabbing pain in my brain, but last night was a different story. They were suckling on the teet of Pedro for what seemed like a fortnight and I think it got to an obsessive point when old man McCarver "recalled" a cheese game he played against Pedro in which Petey moved the pieces with his mind and somehow beat Tim with only a pawn. The story was a perfect example of how smart Pedro was, which was the point of their rambling for the first hour of the broadcast. Now as Sox fans we've always felt shunned by the terrible two-some when it's Sox/Yanks, but is it possible that Fox and the Ambiguously Gay Duo hate the Yankees? I don't think so, but apparently there are some delusional people out there that might think that way.

Chase Utley: Ruiner of New York Dreams

Awww look, it's Chase Utley (and his ridiculously hot wife) holding puppies. How cute. This is EXACTLY what the Phils wanted the Yanks to think of Chase, that he's a nice puppy holder, when it's just not true at all. Chase Utley is that guy from the horror movie that will wait under your bed til you come home and when you sit down that's when he'll cut up your Achilles like a friggin jack-o-lantern (halloween theme there). THEN after that he'll hit 2 home runs off you. All in the day of the life a guy named Chase. That Cliff guy didn't do too shabby either.

Now we turn our attention to tonight and again to Pedro. I watched a lot of the game last night and I was near cheering on the Phils so this Pedro start feels special. Pretty sure he thinks it's special too, or at least he thinks he is special because he said this; I don't know if you realize this, but because of you guys in some ways I might be at times the most influential player that ever stepped in Yankee Stadium, ... I can honestly say that. He's not Pedro of old, but the dudes pills have tripled in size since 2004.

What are the chances?

What are the chances that we get to see this on Thursday night when Pedro goes up against his daddy in NYC? The only thing that would make me watch more than just ESPN highlights of this series was if Pedro was going to be pitching in New York so I'd like to thank that goofy country good ol' boy Charlie Manuel for making that happen and making the above picture a possibility, however far fetched it may be.

In other incredibly important breaking news, banana hammock connoisseur Gabe Kapler (Google it if you must) resigned with the Rays and former Red Sox mandatory old man coach guy Brad Mills is the new Astros head coach. Mills has experience coaching in the minors and has reportedly won 3 of his last 5 fantasy leagues.