Bronx, N.Y., June 7, 2005 — I may be one of your luckier Yankee fans because I got to see some West Coast baseball last week. But if you’re thinking my good fortune derives from having missed the drudgery that has been Yankee baseball of late, take your your pain and frame it in the hometown radio feed from K.C. and Minnesota via XM radio and you’ll see that I dodged no such bullet. And although the 1970s’s It Never Rains in Southern California promise held true, there was more cloud than sun on the left coast while I was there, even if the hotel pool and hot spa were enjoyable nonetheless.
No, the highlight of my trip to the land of the O.C. was not the sun and the fun, but rather spending two enjoyable days at two different ballparks, one new to me and the other new to the whole sport. After my first ever trip to 43-year-old Dodger Stadium (the AL Angels were on the road), I crowned my trip in San Diego’s Petco Park, witnessing the surging Padres host the holding-it-together-with-duct-tape Cubs. I’ll duck the entire PETA vs. Petco debate by simply reporting that San Diego certainly seemed quadriped-friendly Saturday evening, as they were celebrating “Dog Days of Summer” Night, and literally hundreds of dogs escorted their humans around the field in a Puppy Parade as 1950s recording artist Patti Page regaled us with How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?
The Stadium reminds me of Camden Yards, although the outfield is even more busy. The seating was comfortable and kept you in the game, the food was varied and tasty, but the visiting Chicagoans belted the Pads 11-5 on the strength of 10 runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Although I’m sure Mr. Ryan Falkenbourg doesn’t see it this way, the second of those two frames was memorable, as the righty reliever did a 2001-Jay Witasik impression, allowing eight hits, an intentional walk and one strike out to his first 10 batters. “You don’t see outings like that every day,” we murmurred among ourselves.
But though I was delighted to see another new ballpark, this formerly Dodger-phobic (you’d have to remember Sandy Koufax to share the feeling) Yankee fan wanted to see the gorgeous and pristine Dodger Stadium. This historic ballpark, situated on a hill overlooking downtown Los Angeles, has big blue letters spelling out “Think Blue” (think the “Hollywood” sign) showing over the left center field wall. Similarly, while 29 teams show bloopers on their jumbotrons, in L.A., they’re “blue-pers.” More legs may have been waiting to entertain me on the field pregame in San Diego the next night, but more bodies partook in “Cheerleader Night” in Chavez Ravine, and eight or 10 groups of preteens and teens of varying numbers dazzled us with their enthusiasm and flexibility. The kids were for the most part well-behaved, except for one small boy in the left field corner who broke from his group every time a Dodgers player strolled between the bullpen and the dugout. I saw this clearly from my seat behind third because the Dodgers are one of the very few teams that have their home dugout on the third-base side.
And the bonus was that through the luck of the draw, Friday night was former Yank Jeff Weaver’s turn, facing Milwaulkee Brewer Sal Capuano (pitching against the Yanks this Wednesday). The Yankee transactions surrounding Mr. Weaver are many and varied, but even if you question the delight some Californians take in Jeff’s 13-13 record and 220 innings pitched in 2004, it’s undoubtedly better than what he provided in New York once he was acquired for a group including current Blue Jays southpaw Ted Lilly midseason of 2002. (Ironically, Lilly always pitched better than his record for the Yanks, as would Weaver this night.) The book is still out on both Ted and Jeff, but Yankee fans can only hope 2005 brings some retribution for the way Kevin Brown, picked up for Weaver last year, collapsed in Pinstripes when needed in late summer/early fall 2004. This book may be in its last chapter; few expect Brown in the Bronx in 2006.
They don’t open the huge parking lot gates until 120 minutes before first pitch in L.A., and Friday that was 5:40 pm. Brewers center fielder Brady Clark jumped on Weaver’s first pitch for a single to right, and although Jeff coaxed a slow bouncer from third sacker Jeff Cirillo on the 1-1 pitch, it rolled through the vacated second base position as Jeff Kent was covering second on a hit-and-run. Weaver was throwing mostly fastballs that topped out at 89 mph at the start; he would peak at 91 mph later. Mixing in a slider he couldn’t control early, he walked Geoff Jenkins on the second 3-2 pitch to load ’em up, and Carlos Lee pounded a 3-1 fastball and drove it 437 feet to left center for a quick 4-0 Brewers lead. Nine pitches later the first inning was over on three easy outs that would prefigure Jeff’s work to come.
Unfortunately for Weaver, Brewers lefty Capuano was very good, or perhaps the L.A. offense was bad, as no Dodger player not named J.D. Drew or Jeff Kent managed a hit until Olmaedo Saenz homered to close the gap to 4-2 leading off the home sixth. Capuano held L.A. to five hits, a walk, one hit-by-pitch and two runs while whiffing seven through six innings. But it took him 113 pitches, and both bullpens struggled to a 7-5 Milwaukee win once the starters left. Sal’s fastball topped out at 87 mph, but he mixed it with an effective slider, and his occasional change of pace froze several batters.
Weaver was really good. His first-inning line of four runs on three hits and a walk was almost identical to the one he left with after seven (he allowed two more walks and Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy reached on a Cezar Izturis error). He began mixing in a hard-breaking curve with his fastball and slider and Lyle Overbay (in the third) and Carlos Lee (in the sixth) struck the only two hard-hit balls after the first. Jeff threw 18 of 28 first-pitch strikes, including eight of the last 10, and he notched six of 15 swings and misses (and two strike outs) in his last inning too. His 76/43 strikes/balls ratio (my count, mlb says 77/43) was very good, but the big bad first hung over him and the crowd the whole night. L.A. burst out of the gate this year, but “freefall” is the word to describe their season now, or it would be if it didn’t apply so strongly to my struggling “Bronx Bombers.”
Being a Yankee fan means always having to say you dread that last trade of a young pitcher. It will indeed be difficult to ever justify the moves involving Ted Lilly, Jeff Weaver, and (yes, I haven’t forgotten) Yhency Brazoban when considering the work of the aging, health-imperiled Kevin Brown. Javier Vazquez and Brett Halsey bring similar nightmares in early 2005 after they were the price paid to bring Randy Johnson to New York. But if the Yankees revert to the team that averages five or six runs a game and make the last several weeks a distant memory, and Johnson helps bring in a ring, we may learn to live with Vazquez’s and Halsey’s future.
And who knows? Perhaps their futures will be as clouded and conflicted as those of Lilly and Weaver. Maybe Jeff and Ted will both continue to pitch well but underachieve. It was certainly the story of Weaver’s appearance in Dodger Stadium last Friday night.
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!