Cold weather unnerves Halos
NEW YORK – Playing games in inclement weather can play games with your mind.
Most times, the players focus on trying to keep warm then trying to field groundballs, pop-ups and fly balls.
If you are used to playing in such conditions as the Yankees do for the first seven weeks of the season, this is not a big deal. In fact, it is to be expected.
If you are the Angels, you feel as if you have gone from the tropical temperatures to somewhere in Siberia. Being on a baseball diamond was probably the last place they wanted to be.
On a cold, damp, rainy night in the Bronx, where the temperature were more representative of a late season football game than Game 1 of a baseball league championship series. The Yankees looked prepared to deal with the surroundings, while the Angels were looking for a place to hide.
Over the years and as the Yankees have seen first, hand, the basic theme that surrounds this feisty, talented Los Angeles Angels is the way they are fundamentally sound on defense. They are regarded for their ability to make routine plays, and at times, spectacular.
The Minnesota Twins had the same reputation before the Division Series.
However, through four games, each team has resembled the New York Mets, making them look like a bunch of Gold Glove winners.
Blame the weather, the crowd, or whatever. The Angels collectively played one of their worst games defensively in losing 4-1 to the Yankees. In the elements, they looked slower, older and lacking communication.
With many players wearing long turtlenecks and others even resorting to ski wear to cover their ears and face (perhaps they were wearing long johns too), chances are the team from the left coast were out of their element.
In the bottom of the first inning, leftfielder Juan Rivera had set the Yankees inning up by wildly missing cutoff man Erick Aybar on a ball hit down the left field line by Johnny Damon to put runners on second and third with no out.
Mark Teixeira struck out and Alex Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. With two out, John Lackey was able to get Hideki Matsui to what was supposed to be the final out of the inning on a pop out to third base.
Aybar and third baseman Chone Figgins were converging on the ball as it was descending to the ground. One could have been assertive and taken control of the play. Wearing the ski equipment to cover the ears, neither player could hear the other amidst the noise at Yankee Stadium. Perhaps they each lost the ball in the lights. Instead, the ball dropped in between both of them on the infield dirt. Damon rounded third to score the Yankees second run.
You could see the reaction of Lackey on the mound, demonstratively showing his disbelief that the ball was not caught. He knew that runs were going to come at a premium against CC Sabathia, who in the top half of the inning overpowered Angel hitters in a preview of what was to come over the course of his eight innings, giving up only one run in an absolutely lights out performance.
In the bottom of the sixth, Lackey got the first two outs of the innings and was set to keep the game at 3-1. Melky Cabrera drew a walk, and was able to advance to second on a pickoff attempt that went past first baseman Kendry Morales. Derek Jeter then singled to centerfield. Cabrera was set to come to the plate, but the ball went past the glove of Torii Hunter got past him a rolled for a while, eventually allowing another run to score.
All of this was very "un-Angel like". Of all the years since this "Angels Hex" has been in play, they have been the ones to make all of the plays. In sweeping the Red Sox, they made all of them, finally eliminating their years of coming up short.
Yet, it was in New York where it all came to a halt. Lackey battled through 114 pitches and 5 2/3 innings to hold the score at a manageable 4-1, but he had pitched much better and without the miscues, likely would have had a better fate.
If they are going to beat what appears to be an unbeatable Yankees team, catching the ball would be a good first step.
Otherwise, giving the Yankees extra chances will mean a quick exit.
NEW YORK – Playing games in inclement weather can play games with your mind.
Most times, the players focus on trying to keep warm then trying to field groundballs, pop-ups and fly balls.
If you are used to playing in such conditions as the Yankees do for the first seven weeks of the season, this is not a big deal. In fact, it is to be expected.
If you are the Angels, you feel as if you have gone from the tropical temperatures to somewhere in Siberia. Being on a baseball diamond was probably the last place they wanted to be.
On a cold, damp, rainy night in the Bronx, where the temperature were more representative of a late season football game than Game 1 of a baseball league championship series. The Yankees looked prepared to deal with the surroundings, while the Angels were looking for a place to hide.
Over the years and as the Yankees have seen first, hand, the basic theme that surrounds this feisty, talented Los Angeles Angels is the way they are fundamentally sound on defense. They are regarded for their ability to make routine plays, and at times, spectacular.
The Minnesota Twins had the same reputation before the Division Series.
However, through four games, each team has resembled the New York Mets, making them look like a bunch of Gold Glove winners.
Blame the weather, the crowd, or whatever. The Angels collectively played one of their worst games defensively in losing 4-1 to the Yankees. In the elements, they looked slower, older and lacking communication.
With many players wearing long turtlenecks and others even resorting to ski wear to cover their ears and face (perhaps they were wearing long johns too), chances are the team from the left coast were out of their element.
In the bottom of the first inning, leftfielder Juan Rivera had set the Yankees inning up by wildly missing cutoff man Erick Aybar on a ball hit down the left field line by Johnny Damon to put runners on second and third with no out.
Mark Teixeira struck out and Alex Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. With two out, John Lackey was able to get Hideki Matsui to what was supposed to be the final out of the inning on a pop out to third base.
Aybar and third baseman Chone Figgins were converging on the ball as it was descending to the ground. One could have been assertive and taken control of the play. Wearing the ski equipment to cover the ears, neither player could hear the other amidst the noise at Yankee Stadium. Perhaps they each lost the ball in the lights. Instead, the ball dropped in between both of them on the infield dirt. Damon rounded third to score the Yankees second run.
You could see the reaction of Lackey on the mound, demonstratively showing his disbelief that the ball was not caught. He knew that runs were going to come at a premium against CC Sabathia, who in the top half of the inning overpowered Angel hitters in a preview of what was to come over the course of his eight innings, giving up only one run in an absolutely lights out performance.
In the bottom of the sixth, Lackey got the first two outs of the innings and was set to keep the game at 3-1. Melky Cabrera drew a walk, and was able to advance to second on a pickoff attempt that went past first baseman Kendry Morales. Derek Jeter then singled to centerfield. Cabrera was set to come to the plate, but the ball went past the glove of Torii Hunter got past him a rolled for a while, eventually allowing another run to score.
All of this was very "un-Angel like". Of all the years since this "Angels Hex" has been in play, they have been the ones to make all of the plays. In sweeping the Red Sox, they made all of them, finally eliminating their years of coming up short.
Yet, it was in New York where it all came to a halt. Lackey battled through 114 pitches and 5 2/3 innings to hold the score at a manageable 4-1, but he had pitched much better and without the miscues, likely would have had a better fate.
If they are going to beat what appears to be an unbeatable Yankees team, catching the ball would be a good first step.
Otherwise, giving the Yankees extra chances will mean a quick exit.
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