CC forgets where he is, dominates in Oakland

Exhibit A:

I just checked out a few of the acronym stats I don’t understand in an effort to be a better-informed baseball writer, but I gave up upon seeing that Mark Teixeira is considered a defensive negative according to UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating). Anyone who thinks Teixeira is anything less than a godsend for the Yanks defensively is spending way too much time VORPing and not nearly enough time WATCHING THE GAME.

First of all, what is an “acronym stat?” HR? RBI? ERA? I suppose its a positive step that Mychael has finally realized people expect him, as a journalist, to be well-informed, but its ridiculous how quickly he is to dismiss information that doesn’t jive with common-sense, ESPN-approved, big-market punditry. Perhaps if Mychael had bothered to read up on UZR, rather than merely flipping through player pages looking for reasons to appease his statistical complacency, he would realize that over a three year sample UZR has Teixeira slightly above average at first. Perhaps he would also think about what it means to be a fielder who doesn’t get to balls that average players do. In any case, I resent being told I don’t know how to watch baseball by someone with his opinions on Bobby Crosby.

And the prediction about Cust/Everidge is based on what? When has Tommy Everidge ever shown the ability to be a “more complete” hitter than Jack Cust, at any respective level? And the part about not criticising Geren certainly seems to affirm Urban’s view that its better to have good intentions than to provide informative content.

hopefully these adjustments will pay off in the long run. If the scouts are paying too close attention they might see that he hasn’t been hitting at all lately.

Pack the bags yesterday.

By Cust not playing and being PH for. The writing may be on the wall and Urban may have that one pegged.

Mazzaro will get better with experience

Monday night the Yankee fans were kinda quiet and, at least in my area, good natured and polite. Tuesday, not at all. I felt like I’d been removed to the Bronx. They were loud, beer-swilling idiots. The guy on our left bought two beers in the fifth inning, just so he could make sure he was drunk by the time it ended. Don’t these people realize you don’t shit on the floor in someone else’s living room?

The past few years, Red Sox fans have been worse than Yankee fans. But the Yankees are making a comeback.

I don’t know if it played quite that way on TV, but the A’s really sucked in the field. Hairston ran a few routes that would’ve made Eric Byrnes proud. Sweeney had another brain-lock. And Nomar - there’s no way Nomar should be in the field at this point, and Everidge at DH. Given how many outs Mazzarro had to make, it’s really a surprise he hung in there for five innings.

Still not sure why Casilla hasn’t been DFA’d. Though at least he knows to run to first on a ball hit to the right, which is more than you can say for the other A’s pitchers.