Sydney Ponson, Hitler and Liza Minelli walk into a bar...

Friday, August 11, 2006
Home Game 56
Angels 7 Yankees 4
Subway Race Winner: 4 train
Cap Game: #2



Ok, so I don't have a punch line, but all 3 of those people made an unwanted appearance tonight. Ponson in the 5th, when a stomach virus-stricken Lidle had to leave after 4 innings. Hitler, well, I'll get to him later. And Liza was heard during the sad walk out of the Stadium.

Lidle started out good enough. He struck out 3 of the first 4 batters he faced. Then he gave up a solo shot to Anderson. Ok, at least no one was on. He was kind of shaky in the 3rd, giving up 3 hits, including a 2-run shot to Izturis. But, he settled down in the 4th. The Yanks came back with a run in the bottom of the inning. A-Rod got the first Yankee hit of the game. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Giambi single.

So with the score now 3-1, Ponson came in to pitch in the 5th, and proceeded to give up 2 more runs. He did his best Jaret Wright impression and managed to get hit by 2 balls right back at him. The first ticked off his glove making it impossible for Green to get the out at first. The next hit actually bounced off of Syd and landed in front of him. But he didn't know where it went and the runners were safe. He pitched a scoreless 6th but gave up another run in the 7th. With a runner on third Izturis singled to center. When the ball went past the infield I saw Jeter actually put his head down in a "shit, not another one" way.

We had no clue as to why Lidle was pulled. He didn't seem hurt or anything. On the post-game I learned that Corey had a stomach ailment was very weak. He told Joe that he could give him 4 or 5 innings. If the Yanks had a decent option to start tonight, it would be easy to question the decision to let Lidle pitch. But I would take 4 innings from a Corey Lidle with intestinal trauma than a start from Sydney Ponson.

The Yanks tried to chip away, but they just couldn't get any good rallies going. A-Rod had a pretty good night at the plate (2-4, with a HR and 2 runs scored.) He was robbed of a single in the 6th when he hit a laser to center, but Figgins dove forward to make the catch just before it hit the ground. Everyone thought it was going to drop, even Jeter who was nearly double off second.

Now about that Hitler thing. When Fasano is up at bat, they use this picture on the Diamond Vision. It's from his stint with Colombus in 2004. Well, in his AB in the 7th, it looked like the A/V guys tried to draw a mustache on Sal. From where I was it looked like a black blob under his nose. Someone shouted that he looked like Hitler. So the "Hit-ler Hit-ler" chants started up. A good amount of people joined in. (It got really loud at one point.) Some did the "sieg heil" thing with their arms. It was one of those things that was so very wrong, but I couldn't stop myself from laughing. I think I did so because I was so shocked.

Random Notes
– With all the recent security issues going on at the nation's airports, we are now required to open and sip from any drinks brought in from the outside.

– Before the game, Jeter was presented with, uh, something (don't remember what he actually got) for being named to the All-World team for the WBC.

– When Nick Green makes a nice play in the field, the organist plays a few bars of the Green Acres theme.

– My friend Dave totally called that double play that Giambi grounded into in the 6th. He also tried to take credit for the out that A-Rod made, although he said that he was going to strike out on high fastball. So I contended that it didn't count. Dave tried to argue, but Dave was wrong. Dave was a little tipsy tonight.

In attendance record: 23-14