As we move on to the second half of our survey of the Yankees’ performance in September, we find a fairly surprising picture amongst the pitchers. Whilst the team averaged giving up between 3 and 4 runs a game which is pretty competitive, more surprising was that those who had been successful prior to September struggled and some new faces were successful.
Who: Roger McGuinn (An Evening with Roger McGuinn – solo , mostly acoustic)
Where: Cadogan Hall, London (Just off Sloane Square)
When: 26th September 2014
I last saw Roger McGuinn in concert in 1987. He was third on the bill behind Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and headliner Bob Dylan on “The Temples in Flames” tour as it stopped off in Birmingham at the NEC. Dylan was having an off night and McGuinn’s set was, for me, the highlight of a concert I wouldn’t choose to revisit.
So the Yankees had made it into August still in the mix for a possible place in the playoffs albeit by a wildcard slot. By the trading deadline, they had brought in Chase Headley, Martin Prado and Stephen Drew to try and fix their anaemic batting line-up. Now Stephen Drew wouldn’t be everyone’s idea of how to fix a low batting average and so to nearly no-one’s surprise August proved to be one of the 2014 Yankees worst months at the plate.
There seemed no real possibility that the Yankees’ season could become more complicated by injury than it already had been. But somehow they managed it……
Who: Eagles
Where: o2 Arena, Greenwich, London
When: 16-21 June 2014
Something had made Don Henley slightly annoyed. “We don’t do this because we’re bored”, he informed the audience at the o2 arena in Greenwich.
In an interview two weeks before, Robert Plant had been informing the press why he wouldn’t join a Led Zeppelin reunion that Jimmy Page had suggested. Some old bands go back out on tour because they’re bored, he suggested, and he wanted no part of that. And then he went on to specifically mention the Eagles and Don Henley had obviously heard the reports.
The Yankees continued to need to re-jig their starting rotation and still had problems filling the last spot or two in their bullpen. Add this to their on-going struggles with the bat and this was always going to be a difficult month and that’s just how it proved.
The Yankees didn’t have the month they’d dreamed of in May but given their extensive injuries (particular to starting pitchers) and continuing power hitting woes, it was about as good as it could have been. They came out of the month with a .500 record (14 wins, 14 losses) which kept them in contention for the wild card whilst letting Toronto open up a lead at the head of the American League East.
Turning to the second part of our April survey, we find that the success of the pitching might have turned on a necessity of Tommy John surgery and a large glob of pine tar on someone’s neck………
Well, here we are a month into the new baseball season and time to begin our run of monthly surveys of the New York Yankees. We will be taking a slightly different approach this season. Anyway here goes with the batters and their performance in April:
What: Judie Tzuke in concert
Where: Martletts Hall, Burgess Hill
When: May 3rd 2014
Support: Bailey Tzuke
Martletts Hall in Burgess Hill has become a regular stopping point for Judie Tzuke on her (almost) annual tours around the UK and tonight it is the opening night venue.
twilightdawning 