Sunday, May 5, 2019

It'll Never Fit If You Force It

Look, I like Star Wars as much as the next guy -- although I was a Star Trek fan first, and will always prefer Gene Roddenberry's creation to George Lucas'.

But if we're going to have a Star Wars day, it should be May 25, the anniversary of the Day in 1977 when the first film (now retroactively known as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) premiered.

By making it May 4, a pun, "May the Fourth be with you," it sounds, well, forced. You know the old saying: It'll never fit if you force it.

Furthermore, the idea of having a Star Wars Day at ballparks is a little silly. Especially since, by May 4th, it tends to be getting a little bit warmer.

Have you ever put on a mascot costume? I did. I tried out to be my high school's mascot once. That suit was hot. I'm not kidding, really hot. How hot was it? It was so hot, no punchline was necessary. I didn't get the job. It's a good thing, because the guy who did get it went to the University of Wisconsin, and got to be their Bucky Badger, one of the best-known mascots in college sports.

Now, imagine you're at a major league ballpark, with 40,000 people in the stands, and you're wearing Darth Vader armor, or Stormtrooper armor, or a big hairy Chewbacca costume. Yeah, that's not something I would want to do.

Nevertheless, yesterday was Star Wars Day at Yankee Stadium, and there was a giveaway, a bobblehead doll of CC Sabathia dressed as a Jedi Knight. Promotions. Hmpf! Bobblehead dolls. Hmpf! A Jedi craves not these things.

What does a Yankee Fan crave? Winning.

J.A. Happ started yesterday's game against the Minnesota Twins, and the Force was weak in him. I found his lack of command disturbing. He went 5 2/3rds innings, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, although just 1 walk. I said he had a lack of command, not control.

Miguel Andújar and DJ LeMahieu were reactivated from the Injured List, and James Paxton was put on it. Paxton will be reevaluated in about 10 days, so it doesn't look too serious. LeMahieu went 2-for-4. Andújar went 1-for-3, but he also made 2 errors at 3rd base, 1 in the 2nd inning, the other in the 7th. In the end, though, neither one affected the outcome.

Luke Voit went 0-for-4, and his on-base streak stopped at 42 games. He reached in his laat 11 games of last season and in his 1st 31 this year. Gary Sanchez clubbed another long home run, 444 feet, in the 8th, but it wasn't enough.

No, the problem was gopher balls. Happ gave up a 2-run homer to Mitch Garver in the 3rd, and a solo homer to C.J. Cron in the 6th. Journeyman pitcher Jake Barrett gave one up to Nelson Cruz in the 9th, going 436 feet, Cruz' 2nd straight game with a home run of long distance.

Twins 7, Yankees 3. WP: Jake Odorizzi (4-2). No save. LP: Happ (1-3). It was the Twins' 1st win at Yankee Stadium since June 26, 2016, almost 3 years.

The series concludes this afternoon, moved back to a 4:05 start due to the weather. Domingo German starts against former Yankee Michael Pineda.

And may The Force -- or something -- be with us.

No comments: