twilightdawning

A writer's thoughts – mainly about music, sport and theatre. Shakespeare, Bob Dylan, live shows, New York Yankees

August in the Bronx – #2 – the Pitchers

Posted on September 2, 2009 by twilightdawning

And so on to the pitchers:

New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – August
Name	GP	GS	GF	CG	IP	H	RA	ER	BB	SO	W	L	Sv	ERA	OBA
Melancon, Mark	2	0	1	0	2.0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0.00	.000
Marte, Damaso	3	0	1	0	2.1	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	0.00	.000
Rivera, Mariano	11	0	9	0	11.1	9	1	1	4	12	0	0	8	0.79	.209
Bruney, Brian	9	0	2	0	10.1	10	1	1	7	5	1	0	0	0.87	.250
Hughes, Phil	11	0	0	0	10.1	7	2	2	4	16	1	0	0	1.74	.189
Pettitte, Andy	6	6	0	0	39.2	29	13	11	12	39	4	0	0	2.50	.207
Sabathia, CC	6	6	0	0	44.1	36	14	13	6	49	5	0	0	2.64	.221
Robertson, David	11	0	4	0	9.2	11	3	3	4	17	1	0	0	2.79	.268
Gaudin, Chad	5	1	3	0	14.0	13	5	5	10	14	1	0	0	3.21	.232
Mitre, Sergio	5	4	1	0	23.0	26	14	11	6	14	2	1	0	4.30	.280
Aceves, Alfredo	8	0	2	0	19.0	17	10	10	1	15	3	0	0	4.74	.236
Burnett, AJ	6	6	0	1	37.1	38	25	25	17	40	0	4	0	6.03	.266
Chamberlain, Joba	5	5	0	0	23.0	31	21	21	15	18	1	2	0	8.22	.323
Coke, Phil	12	0	3	0	9.2	12	12	12	4	7	2	0	0	11.17	.308
Claggett, Anthony	1	0	1	0	1.0	2	2	2	2	1	0	0	0	18.00	.400
	101	28	27	1	257.0	241	123	117	94	251	21	7	8	4.10	.246

Positives

C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia has become easily the Yankees most consistent starter. That was after all what they signed him for and what they pay him enormous amounts of money for. But the Yankees have signed big name pitchers in the past and they have failed to adapt to life in New York. No such problem for C.C.. He’s averaging over 7 innings a start in recent games and in his last 6 starts, he has 5 wins and 1 no decision.

Phil Hughes. Hughes has found a role to suit his undoubted ability and we’re no longer surprised that month-by-month, he is one of the Yankees most used relievers and gives up few hits and less runs.

Andy Pettitte. Pettitte had an uneven month but his last start of August was his best in the pinstripes for some considerable time . I wouldn’t expect him to maintain that standard but he has been a solid part of the rotation.

Mariano Rivera. Another 8 saves during the month. Again only 1 run in the month. A walk every 3 innings. More than a strikeout per innings. He wasn’t quite as good as he was in July but this guy is in a field of one and he is a phenomenon.

Negatives

Anthony Claggett. Claggett’s performances at triple-A seem to make an obvious candidate for promotion. He arrives in the majors and he falls apart. So bad that both times he has been added to the roster, he is gone so quickly that he doesn’t seem likely to get two consecutive appearances at this level.

Phil Coke. Coke has seldom looked like the pitcher he was in 2008. August was probably his worst month of the year so far. He gives up too many home runs and on the month his ERA was over eleven. Fortunately for him the Yankees have had few left-handed options out of the bullpen so he is still on the roster at the September expansion.

Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain had a poor month but indecision amongst management and coaches about how they should keep from over-tiring him did not help him. At one point he had an eight day break between starts. That was a disaster. So on his next appearance, he made a 3 innings start. That was better but not much. Where does he go from here?

AJ Burnett. Burnett’s season has hit a serious decline. The Yankees need to get him out of this funk if he is going to be a meaningful contributor in the post-season. He is giving up more than a hit per inning and gifts the opposition more walks than any other starter on the team.

Surprises

Damaso Marte. I’m surprised to even see Marte back on the roster as early as August. I’m even more surprised that he has managed to bring his ERA on the season to below ten. In the few performances he has made since his return from the DL, he looks like a different pitcher than he has had at anytime since he joined the Yankees last season.

Brian Bruney. Bruney’s figures are much, much improved on what they were a couple of months ago but I have a feeling that at the moment he is riding his luck and that on a few occasions a wise decision by Girardi to get him off the mound – and an inspired substitution as seen him through. We’ll see how long it can last……

Sergio Mitre. Mitre’s most recent appearance was a revelation. Prior to that I’d been hoping that he could get the Yankees through to the end of the fifth and keep the scores even. In his last game, he looked much stronger….. and then he was hit by a batted ball and you wonder whether that moment will ever come again.

Alfredo Aceves. Aceves has looked very wobbly at times recently. Somehow he keeps coming good when the Yankees really need him. He now has 9 wins in relief. Very peculiar.

August in the Bronx – #1 – the Batters

Posted on September 2, 2009 by twilightdawning

So, August has come and gone and within its spread, the Yankees rose to the head of the pack in Major League Baseball and looked confidently towards the post-season. September will involve the expansion of rosters and will provide me with plenty of time to absorb the sights and sounds of the new Yankee Stadium as I make my first visit to New York this year. Let’s see who came up with goods in the heat of Summer and who came up sadly lacking. Batters first:

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – August
Name	G	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	SH	SF	SB	BA	SLG	OBP
Jeter, Derek	28	122	27	46	17	6	0	6	5	14	1	1	4	.377	.574	.403
Pena, Ramiro	7	8	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.375	.375	.375
Cano, Robinson	28	118	19	41	16	13	0	5	2	13	0	0	0	.347	.585	.358
Damon, Johnny	24	98	21	32	16	8	0	7	7	14	0	0	2	.327	.622	.371
Rodriguez, Alex	25	92	19	29	12	3	1	4	18	23	0	0	1	.315	.500	.442
Teixeira, Mark	28	109	17	32	26	7	0	6	17	19	0	1	1	.294	.523	.391
Hairston Jr., Jerry	24	41	10	12	10	3	0	2	6	5	1	1	0	.293	.512	.388
Matsui, Hideki	24	89	16	25	25	2	1	8	6	11	0	0	0	.281	.596	.333
Posada, Jorge	20	75	9	21	16	7	0	4	8	24	0	1	0	.280	.533	.345
Swisher, Nick	25	94	14	26	16	6	0	5	17	24	1	1	0	.277	.500	.384
Cabrera, Melky	27	103	13	23	13	5	1	2	5	12	1	1	3	.223	.350	.264
Molina, Jose	14	40	5	8	3	0	0	0	5	9	0	1	0	.200	.200	.283
Hinske, Eric	14	29	3	5	2	3	0	0	4	10	0	1	0	.172	.276	.265
Ransom, Cody	2	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
		1022	175	303	172	63	3	49	100	181	4	8	11	.296	.508	.361

Positives

Derek Jeter. First in the line-up and first on my list. The captain has had a simply outstanding season and he has even managed to improve as the year has gone along. He added 12 extra base hits to his .377 BA on the month, his defense is better and as always he has the perfect demeanour to give the team the lead and example they need.

Robinson Cano. Cano has had some problems in the field but there is no taking away from his offensive production. He’s had his best ever year for power production and has continued to hit for average and he is a great singles hitter. Unfortunately, his patience at the plate has suffered, resulting in too few walks, as his ability to gain singles has increased but all-in-all, it’s still been a good year for him.

Johnny Damon. Damon had his best month of the year and gave the Yankees something to think about when they think about leftfield for 2010. No question that they could improve defensively but in extra base hits he is second only to Cano, on the month.

Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez also achieved his best month of the year – which to be fair wasn’t difficult but still bodes well after his early season surgery. 2009 will still be a year he wants to forget for all kinds of reasons but that .442 OBP is a bright indicator of good things to come.

Negatives

Cody Ransom. At the beginning of the year, Ransom, who has seen some limited time in the majors before, seemed to have his best chance of making the grade. From April to July, he messed up every opportunity he was given and in August, his inability to hit a single finally saw him demoted to Triple-A and more significantly removed from the 40 man roster. He struck out three times in the four at-bats he was given in the early days of the month which really shows his problems.

Eric Hinske. Of the pairing of Hinske and Hairston who were brought in when Gardner headed to the DL, Hinske has been the poorer. He achieved a meagre 5 hits in August – 2 singles and 3 doubles. If it wasn’t September (which brings with it extra spaces on the roster) it would be difficult to justify keeping him around.

Jose Molina. Molina vs Cervelli – Posada’s days of playing 7 out of 7 were always going to be limited but they’re now behind him. This means that the backup catcher is going to get significant playing time. Youth vs experience. The Yankees went with experience and in some ways that has paid off but it is Molina’s lack of production in the hits column which suggest that youth might have been the better choice.

Melky Cabrera. Since the night, he hit for the cycle, Cabrera’s batting production has slumped to the kind of problems he had in 2008. It has been a rollercoaster year for him but he needs to turn it around one more time before the post-season.

Surprises

Hideki Matsui. Matsui who looked like he was on his last legs (pun intended) just a few weeks ago, had some fluid drained and had a flush of power as the month came to its conclusion. He led the team in home runs for August including a couple of nights when he encouraged the ball to leave the stadium on more than one occasion.

Jerry Hairston Jr. Aside from the error he made during Pettitte’s most recent outing – when Andy looked like he might have a stab at a perfect game – this has been a very good move for Mr Hairston. .293 BA and .512 slugging percentage are both significant markups on his numbers prior to joining the Yankees.

Ramiro Pena. Ramiro’s name is very near the top of the above list which is sorted by batting average. He’s proven himself to be more than capable in the infield (the team’s hope that he would also develop skills in the outfield doesn’t seem to have really worked out). Somehow, when a roster move requires someone to make the dusty bus trip back to Scranton, his name comes to the top of that list as well, too often.

Nick Swisher. Swisher has proved that he can be a good clubhouse presence and a threat to produce home runs. His ability to produce a good batting average has not been so consistent. This month he bucked the trend and hit .277 which is still below the team average for the month but a marked improvement.

New Albums on the Horizon (and an old title just to spice the pot)

Posted on March 21, 2009 by twilightdawning

Two of the artists I respect most have new albums coming in the next few weeks.

First up is Bob Dylan whose new album is due on cd and vinyl on the 28th of April. I think the artwork is dreadful but I’m sure the musical content will be better. It’s called "Together Through Life"

Next is John Foxx who, as I’ve mentioned before, has been working with Robin Guthrie. Their album will also be on cd and vinyl and will appear the first week in May. It’s called "Mirrorball".

On a more personal note, I’ve been working on remastering the sound on three albums for a band from the 70s and 80s called Sad Cafe. I now have a provisional release date for the first of these. The album also called Sad Cafe will be on Renaissance Records in the States on the 21st of April.

I mentioned John Foxx. Another album he has been busy on dropped through my letterbox this morning. This time he’s worked with Steve D’Agostino and Steve Jansen (ex-Japan). I’ve not shown the artwork for this one before so here goes:

Mr Foxx is frighteningly prolific.

What other discs would I recommend at the moment?

Walter Becker – Circus Money (not just because I was involved in the release of this one)

Alice Cooper – Along Came A Spider (oh, another one I was involved in)

Mostly Autumn – Glass Shadows
Bob Dylan – Tell Tale Signs

Revue Noir (Debut EP – featuring Sam Rosenthal from black tape for a blue girl)

Sam Yahel Trio – In the Blink of An Eye

Rubicks – In Miniature
Frankie Valli – Romancing the Sixties (one for the nostalgists – but very good!)

Marie-Juliette Beer – The Garden
Barclay James Harvest – Revolution Days (just happens to feature Ian Wilson and Mike Byron-Hehir from Sad Cafe, did I mention I’ve been remastering for them)

Bob James – Urban Flamingo

Saviour Machine – Legend 1

Son Volt – On Chant and Strum

Danilo Perez – Panama Suite
Richie Furay Band – Alive (Catch my interview with him on Cross Rhythms on the web and in Natural Progressions Magazine in the world of print)

Enough for now………….

The Twilight Dawning 1st Annual Yankees Baseball Awards

Posted on January 14, 2009 by twilightdawning

That’s TWI-D (Twilight Dawning) not TWIB (This week in Baseball)

Using the rules I explained so clearly yesterday, here are the Yankees players who fared best according to my bi-monthly updates during the 2008 season:

Batter of the Year 2008: Alex Rodriguez
Pitcher of the Year 2008: Mike Mussina
Bench player of the Year 2008: Wilson Betemit
Relief Pitcher of the Year 2008: Mariano Rivera

Most appearances without getting mentioned in the Twilight Dawning reports:
Jonathan Albaladejo (7 games)

For the record, here are the total points gained:

Batters

A. Rodriguez 6

B. Abreu 3

J. Damon 2

D. Jeter 1

X. Nady 1

R. Cano 1

H. Matsui 0

J. Posada 0

J. Giambi -1

I. Rodriguez -2

M. Cabrera -3

J. Molina -4

Bench

W. Betemit 6

B. Gardner 2

C. Ransom 2

C. Moeller 1

J. Miranda 1

J. Christian 0

M. Ensberg -1

A. Gonzalez -2

S. Duncan -2

R. Sexson -2

Pitchers

M. Mussina 6

M. Rivera 5

B. Bruney 4

J. Veras 4

K. Farnsworth 3

J. Chamberlain 2

A. Aceves 2

D. Giese 2

P. Coke 2

C.M. Wang 1

Andy Pettitte 0

Carl Pavano 0

E. Ramirez -1

H. Sanchez -1

B. Traber -1

R. Ohlendorf -1

S. Ponson -1

D. Marte -2

C. Britton -2

P. Hughes -2

L. Hawkins -2

K. Igawa -2

D. Robertson -3

I. Kennedy -3

D. Rasner -5

There’s the odd anomaly (Rasner simply wasn’t that bad, he was just simply left on the roster longer than other struggling pitchers!) in this but I think it is surprisingly evocative of the way the season went.

It’s fifteen years since my first trip to Yankee Stadium. It was a privilege to be there again this season and particularly to be present for the final game at the old Stadium. Hopefully, next year will see them back in the post-season.

When September Ends (#1 – the Hitters)

Posted on October 5, 2008 by twilightdawning

So the regular baseball season is over and my most recent trip to the Bronx seems quite a while ago. The playoffs continue without the Yankees for the first time since 1993 (we would have won it all in ’94 if it wasn’t for that damn strike). My hopes are pinned on the LA Dodgers principally because of the Joe Torre link.

Anyway time to survey the second half of September.

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – September

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SH SF SB BA SLG

Cabrera, Melky 13 3 6 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .462 .462

Miranda, Juan 10 2 4 1 1 0 0 2 4 0 1 0 .400 .500

Jeter, Derek 76 15 26 9 1 0 3 12 11 2 0 2 .342 .474

Betemit, Wilson 30 4 9 5 5 0 1 0 9 0 0 0 .300 .567

Cano, Robinson 94 13 27 12 8 0 1 2 12 0 2 1 .287 .404

Gardner, Brett 53 9 15 7 3 1 0 2 11 1 0 6 .283 .377

Rodriguez, Alex 79 16 22 23 2 0 6 13 20 0 1 2 .278 .532

Abreu, Bobby 87 19 24 17 4 1 5 14 16 0 1 7 .276 .517

Ransom, Cody 38 6 10 3 2 0 2 6 11 1 0 0 .263 .474

Moeller, Chad 16 3 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 .250 .313

Damon, Johnny 88 16 22 14 1 1 6 9 10 0 0 4 .250 .489

Rodriguez, Ivan 37 5 9 1 3 0 0 1 5 0 0 3 .243 .324

Matsui, Hideki 43 2 10 5 2 0 0 2 11 0 0 0 .233 .279

Giambi, Jason 84 11 19 12 6 0 4 12 25 0 2 0 .226 .440

Nady, Xavier 103 11 23 17 4 0 4 7 16 0 1 1 .223 .379

Molina, Jose 28 3 4 3 0 0 1 1 11 1 1 0 .143 .250

Cervelli, Francisco 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 .000 .000

Pluses

Derek Jeter. Jeter saw the season out with his strongest month at the end of a season where he seemed a little jaded. No such problems in September when .342 BA on the month edged him over .300 for the season

Brett Gardner. Gardner also saved his best to last. He was a big threat on the base paths and with .283 on the month was able to use that threat more often. Little in the walks column though.

Robinson Cano. Cano was so inconsistent this year. The benching that Girardi dealt him was too late in the season but at least it upped his personal endeavours.

Minuses

Hideki Matsui. We gained nothing from delaying Matsui’s surgery. His power dissipated and he looked distracted at the plate. Hope his surgery doesn’t hinder his role in April or we will have really lost.

Jason Giambi. Still produced something in the power columns and had patience at the plate but .226 BA was way lower than acceptable for what is hopefully his last month in pinstripes.

Xavier Nady. Spent too many nights at DH in September and had by far his worst months in pinstripes.

Surprises

Melky Cabrera. All the signs are that he may well be done in the Bronx but with a strong final month with Scranton and then his .462 when recalled by the Yankees, it is hard to see why they don’t intend to persevere. Defensively he is strong and even after a poor year, he still outhit Gardner.

Juan Miranda. I saw his debut in Pinstripes and seemed to be the only guy in the Stadium who knew who he was. Given that, I didn’t expect him to be in the lineup that night or this season or to hit as well as he did. Likely to end up in a trade in the close season but he has, at least, increased his value.

Wilson Betemit. He would have been on my list of players that I wanted to see shipped out of the Bronx at the beginning of the year but he has had an excellent second half of the season and should be allowed to come back in a bench role next year.

Final Night at Yankee Stadium

Posted on September 23, 2008 by twilightdawning

So how was the final night at Yankee Stadium, Darren? Well, I’m back in London and feeling very jetlagged so I might as well gather my thoughts and write them down.
A few days earlier I’d arrived early at the Stadium in order to have a final mooch around Monument Park. That night they closed the line into the park five minutes after the Stadium opened and I didn’t get in. So when they said that they were opening the park at 1.05 pm for a game that didn’t begin until 8.05, I wasn’t going to fall for it again but I did want a good long time to soak up the atmosphere so I arrived in the Bronx about 3. There was a guy on the Stadium gate announcing that Monument Park was already closed – no surprise there – but I decided to go in anyway get myself a hot dog and see what was happening. So I moved forward and presented my ticket. The attendant ran it through his swipe machine – and said there was a problem and that I should go to the "Will Call" window. Mmmmmmm…… I began to worry. But confident that all would be well, I walked round to Will Call. The woman there told me that the season ticket holder who had sold this to my ticket broker and then gone on and re-issued it to himself which is technically very out-of-order but meant that the ticket belonged to him and not to my ticket broker and consequently, no to me. Now, life is beginning to look very grim. Tickets for this game have been changing hands for $20,000 – $70,000 so I’m not about to head to a scalper. Looks like time to head back to Manhattan and settle back to watch the game on TV.
I’m waiting on the subway station when the fog of misery lifted enough to decide to ring my ticket broker who is a good guy and whose fault this wasn’t. I checked my cellphone and found that I hadn’t brought the number with me from the UK. Even bigger crap. Decided to ring my mate, Graham, in London, who is a pastor, only to find he was still at church taking service. Tried my sister in Yorkshire, who didn’t even know I was abroad and, lo and behold, she went on the internet and found a number.
Dialled the number. No answer. Ansaphone message but crucially giving me his mobile. Rang the mobile. No answer. Left a desperate message. Rang again. Still no answer. Mentally gave myself a cut off time that I was going to give back up and decide to do something more fun than sit in a subway station. ……… And then the phone rang. Broker Tim sounded very concerned and said he would call back which he did. Ten minutes later, call he did, and said he’d found a alternate ticket. Amazing. All I’d need was some photo I.D. and it would be at Stub Hub to collect. Only one problem….. my only photo identification, my passport, was in Manhattan and I was in the Bronx. Oh, okay, says Broker Tim, I’ll see what I can do to sweet talk them and get them to break their own rules and give it you without. Somehow or other, he pulled this off and ten minutes later – still only 4 o’clock – I was in the Stadium.

So my own personal crises aside, what else happened? Well, there was marching bands and a whole bunch of guys in the outfield dressed to appear as the 1923 starting line up. There were the greats of years gone by – those who are still in this world and didn’t have another game to be involved in this night. There was Reggie Jackson, Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neill, Yogi Berra, Moose Skowron, Bobby Richardson, David Cone, David Wells, Don Larsen, Chris Chambliss, Willie Randolph and a cast of many, many more. There were the sons, daughters, and wives of those who died young. Crowd going crazy and joy unconfined for the devoted baseball fan. So much to see and do that the beginning of the game was definitely going to be at least half-an-hour late. Film and sounds and heroes.

When the game did actually begin, the Yankees were struggling behind a sub-par performance from Andy Pettitte. He gave up two early runs and Waters was pitching well for the Orioles and to be frank the Yankee bats seemed a little over-awed by the occasion. This really had been the story of all the games I had been too. Starting pitching which didn’t look up to the task and the bullpen to the rescue. The problem with this was it had stretched the resources of the ‘pen to the limit and several of the guys had gone out to the mound several nights on the trot.

And then it happened. Remembering where they were the Yankees came to life. Unlikely singles from Matsui (0-for-16 in recent at-bats), and Molina were followed by a home run from Johnny Damon. Pettitte gave up a third run but a two-run homer from Jose Molina (only his third home run of the season and it turned out to be the last ever fence-clearer at Yankee Stadium) in the bottom of the fourth restored the lead.
And then to the bullpen. Veras, Coke and Chamberlain once more delivered the goods. By this time the Yankees had extended their lead to 7-3. And then everyone was on their feet. Enter Sandman once more pumped from the public address. Rivera coming in from the bullpen. Field of Dreams, indeed.

The rest of the night produced laps of honour, speeches from Derek Jeter and more plays of Frank Sinatra’s recording of "New York, New York" than I could count or care to remember.

All this and in bed for three in the morning. Great, great night.

It ain’t over ’til it’s over

Posted on September 22, 2008 by twilightdawning

So no more games at old Yankee Stadium. What a night! There were ticket problems, celebrations and a good game of baseball – all of which I will probably write about at greater length but for now, it is a great memory and a great sadness that they’re actually going to demolish the place and sell it off piece by piece. There’s a great editorial in the New York Sun this morning which condemns this and I entirely endorse the author’s position. If this isn’t a national and a global treasure then I don’t know what is (hey, I’m biased). Turning all of the stadium or part of the stadium into a museum should be the obvious thing to do but somehow that’s not what is going to happen. Very disappointing, very strange.
I’m left with some great memories but there could be some more. I’ve made around 50 trips there over the last 15 years. I would want to be able to go back.

Pavano – a waste of money and energy (but the Yankees win)

Posted on September 20, 2008 by twilightdawning

Sitting just behind the Yankees dugout last night, watching Carl Pavano struggle horribly for the first four innings, it didn’t look like the Yankees were going to pick up their second win of my stay but they did. A home run from Robinson Cano and some exemplary relief from Brian Bruney, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Coke got us through to Mariano Rivera and the inevitable although there was a wobble before the game finally came to its conclusion. 3-2.

Weather here is still hot and sunny. Fell asleep in Central Park in the green,green grass. It’s nice to relax and be away from work.

Mooooooose………………….

Posted on September 19, 2008 by twilightdawning

Fine game for Mike Mussina in Yankee Stadium last night. In truth, he had a pretty poor first innings (which was partially due to some doubtful calls on the plate umpire’s part) but after that he was smooth sailing. Bobby Abreu – the guy the "insiders" say is on his way out of the Bronx on the end of the season but whom this journal reckons should be the rock they build next year’s outfield around – hit two home runs in his first two at-bats. As usual in September there were a whole bunch of debutantes now the season is winding to a close with no hope of the post-season. So I got my first look at Juan Miranda (first base & the 17th Cuban ever to play for NYY), Humberto Sanchez (subject of many whispers over the last two years but whose arrival in the Bronx has been much delayed by injury) and Francisco Cervelli (whose appearance was too brief to figure out much about other than he is a catcher).
Jeter continues to enjoy a strong finish to the year. The stadium is pretty full but the empty seats are mostly in the most expensive areas which is interesting given that their policy for the "new" Yankee Stadium is to increase the expensive seating areas and private boxes and reduce the numbers seats available for typical baseball fans. Two guys I met had paid $250 for their seats and left in the fifth innings. Now there’s fans for you.

Aside from baseball, I took the ferry over to Staten island and did some exploring (okay, I looked round the baseball stadium there, too) and had a good day soaking up the sun in Manhattan. I’m just heading to Central Park and then tonight it is Yankees play Orioles.

Ch-Ch-Changes

Posted on July 26, 2008 by twilightdawning

It’s been a grim few weeks. But there have been some glittering things in the dross.

First highlight was the Bob Dylan “Drawn Blank” exhibition at Halcyon Art Gallery near Green Park in London. A few years ago, Dylan was a writer and his “Chronicles” book was well-worth the investment. A few months ago, he was given a Pulitzer but I’m not exactly sure what for. This isn’t to imply he doesn’t deserve one. I’m just not sure why then. Now he’s an artist. And somehow he still manages to always be on tour and make the occasional album.

“Drawn Blank” however is a little unusual even by Dylan’s standards. First published in book form in 1994, these drawings were hardly noticed. Then his critical rating was low and nobody cared what he was drawing. Now painted, the “Drawn Blank” exhibition comes at a time when his star is in the ascendancy. Consequently, it is all over the broadsheets (The London Times, no less) and is worthy of an art gallery exhibition on the continent and two here in the London and no doubt some others I’m missing. Then, no-one cared, now the £1250 signed prints are all sold out and the first book is selling for £400 a copy. Strange. Of course, with Dylan, we’ve encountered this before. When he went electric, he was a Judas, until we decided he was a genius. His “Jesus” shows were dire for many, but are now spoken of as amazing feats where an artist like Dylan chose to perform only new songs in a show of passion, energy and commitment. Then few could see past the evangelism and booed his accompanying girl vocalists. I’m waiting for the “Empire Burlesque” reassessment.

I purchased the 1994 book of “Drawn Blank”. I purchased the 2008 book of the same drawings painted. I thought they were okay. Some good, a few very good. However, seeing them extremely well presented at the Halcyon, moved them up a notch in my estimation. Well worth seeing.

Second highlight. John Foxx’s “Tiny Colour Movies” at the Apple Store, Regent Street, London. Musical artist again but this time not paintings but films. Now I’m not much for the world of contemporary commercial films and I hate most cinemas. I do mean hate. So that I have now gone to see “Tiny Colour Movies” three or four times must mean that this set of films has something more going on than simply being the work of one of my favourite musicians and the fact that I have to keep going beacuse despite my persistent requests Mr Foxx will not put it on DVD.

Tiny Colour Movies is a collection of 14 concept pieces assembled from the home movies of a bygone generation. It is moving, thought-provoking, vivid and imaginative. It has a tremendous ambient soundtrack which the artist accompanies his films with, standing alongside, like the pianist adding sound to a silent movie. It is quite, quite wonderful and if it comes to a town near you, I might just follow it there.

Finally, on this smorgasbord of updates, a little baseball. Surprise, surprise. As the trade deadline approaches the Bronx is seeing new faces. First in was Richie Sexson. Now in 2007, Sexson, then at Seattle, hit .205 BA with 21 home runs. Fortunately, he turned this all around by storming to .218 with 11 homers by the first week of July. Not surprisingly, the Mariners released Richmond Lockwood Sexson. I’m not quite so sure why the Yankees decided to sign him later in the month. Perhaps it had something to do with that florid name. At least they didn’t invest in Bonds. I’m not holding my breath for this acquisition to be a great success. Indeed, I’m praying that by the time of my return to the Bronx in September, he will have headed toward waivers. We’ll see.

More significant (hopefully) was the trade made yesterday which has brought Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte over from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Marte, who actually spent a little while in the Yankees system a few years ago but never made it to 161St. and River Avenue, is that crucial item a left-handed relief pitcher. Occasional promotions for Billy Traber and Kei Igawa have not added such a thing to the roster for very long. Marte with his 3.47 ERA, 4 Wins (no losses), and 5 saves seems a much better prospect.

Nady is a good addition at least because Matsui and Damon are not likely to see much time in the outfield for the remainder of the season. However, there may be more. His contract has another year beyond 2008 and he is 5 years younger than Damon. He is batting .330 with 13 home runs. There might be quite a lot in this for the Bombers.

A slight downside to this came in the final detail of the trade. The original detail suggested that the Yankees were giving up Ross Ohlendorf and three minors who were barely on my radar. Now Ohlendorf looked good earlier in the year but then his mechanics fell apart and he might not be a huge loss but I was a little more disappointed with today’s update. The news is that the Pirates final list for the trade sees Jeff Karstens heading over to Pittsburgh. Now I’m not sure quite where Karstens’ career was headed (he’s been rather injury prone) but I’ve followed his career since seeing his early appearances for the Staten Island Yankees some years ago. I’m disappointed that he will never be established in the Bronx. It was an interesting journey.

The final footnote to this was that the very disappointing LaTroy Hawkins was designated for assignment and that Kei Igawa was removed from the 40-man roster and outrighted to Scranton (AAA). The Yankees are paying him in excess of $5 million – and they finally seem to have given up on him. Now that’s an amazing story.