I consider Jones to be the goat of this game

[24fps]

But here's the thing about the whole "gliding" complaint: if a player sprints to where he THINKS the ball is going to be, and it ends up going further in the direction of that sprint, sure, he's in a better position. But what if it ends up being a bit in the opposite direction? It could go this way or that way. Players will always automatically pace themselves to try to end up where the ball is going in a natural way and that's all Jones was doing, and I don't think it'd be easy or maybe even make sense to try to force them not to. He could have caught it, absolutely, and in my opinion it was an error on him, but I don't blame someone for timing their way to where the they think the ball is going to be and then adjusting as they see adjustments necessary. I don't think it was an error in Jones's approach, I just think it was an error in his perception. He didn't realize where it was going until too late.

So your point is that AJ's skill set wasn't up to this particular play. I agree. Perhaps he should rethink the whole notion of pacing himself.

[NoVaO]

This was not a case of him coasting. He initially mis-read the ball off the bat, evidenced by his first instinct to move in. He clearly had trouble tracking the ball in mid-air given the meandering route he took to the ball. Run in a non-straight line, head turned almost completely around looking up in the sky, knowing you're headed straight for a hard, lightly padded wall and see if you're running at full speed. Not to mention, if you're running at full speed and aren't sure where the ball is going to land, you risk overrunning the baseball.

If he was able to track the ball successfully, he could have put his head down and run straight to the spot he determined it would land, full speed. That's impossible to do if you aren't successful in tracking the ball while it's in mid-air. It's possible the ball hit a bit of a jet stream as well and took off on him. Clearly he didn't think it was hit as well as it actually was.

People are trying to see stuff that isn't there. He's human. It's not lack of effort and trying to look smooth. Sometimes players simply don't make the plays. It wasn't an easy play to begin with. His mis-judgement made it that much more difficult to catch.

[Todd-O]

Wow guys, I disagree. Did Jones miss it? Yeah, he did. But that was a routine fly ball that got caught in the wind. They showed the flags blowing out like gang busters...

Adam Jones has made some sensational plays over the years... To imply that he somehow was standing out there celebrating himself and blew it because of that, well, I disagree.

He took a step in, yes, but recovered... It was misjudgment on the effect of the wind once he recovered. That happens. Just so happens that it happened to him last night at a very in opportune time.

I can't believe, tho, how a lot of you are jumping all over him. Come on guys.

[UpstateNYfan]

This really can't be a thread started by Frobby, it must be Roy Firestone. Too blame this on one player, one run that ties the game early in the game is absurd. This was a team loss except for Gonzalez.

[jtschrei]

It was a collection of things. Yes, Jones has to catch that ball. Tough play, but he's still got to catch it. It definitely led to a run. But McClouth has to stay on the base. Hardy, Wieters and Jones have to hit. Buck has to stop taking his best hitter out of the game for Endy freakin' Chavez. Jim Johnson has to not miss with a belt-high fastball on the inner half on a 1-0 count. There were alot things. The reality is that no team is going to win very many games in Yankee stadium only scoring 2 runs.

What's frustrating is that I feel like we haven't played our best baseball. There have been mistakes like the Jones non-catch in every game.

[Brendan25]

Jones and Wieters are showing their youth at the plate.

[blid]

So your point is that AJ's skill set wasn't up to this particular play. I agree. Perhaps he should rethink the whole notion of pacing himself.

That wasn't really my point. Look at it this way, if you're going back full speed, and it comes up short, it's that much harder to change direction. If you're just running back to meet the ball and it keeps carrying you can just keep increasing your pace and adjust as need be. Adam's problem wasn't his pacing, but that he just didn't recognize where the ball was going to end up on time. He didn't catch it because the wind probably came into play a bit and he probably misjudged it too (and he definitely got the wrong read off the bat).

[allquixotic]

Our "best" players just aren't that good. Our pitching is the real deal, even some of our starters, but the lineup is a joke. Middle of the pack when they're red hot. Down in the cellar with the Mariners when they're not. And they're not for most of the season and all of the postseason.

You just can't have the entire lineup slump for the entire postseason. It's completely unacceptable. I am really regretting the Jones signing right now, and I hope we don't sign Wieters long term, or Reynolds. Way too streaky to ever win a do or die.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Tapatalk 2

[Brendan25]

Our "best" players just aren't that good. Our pitching is the real deal, even some of our starters, but the lineup is a joke. Middle of the pack when they're red hot. Down in the cellar with the Mariners when they're not. And they're not for most of the season and all of the postseason.

You just can't have the entire lineup slump for the entire postseason. It's completely unacceptable. I am really regretting the Jones signing right now, and I hope we don't sign Wieters long term, or Reynolds. Way too streaky to ever win a do or die.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Tapatalk 2

[The Wedge]

I really love that specific meme.

You know who's a notoriously streaky guy? Raul Ibanez.

[Timber]

Jones should of made the catch and usually does but Jeter hits a good up and tight pitch off the handle that travels to the warning track (baseball gods love that guy). I believe the swing and ball off the bat local had Jonsey take that first step in and not make a read on the ball. More upset with AJ for not moving Hardy over late in Game 1.

[SombodysMom]

It's insane to put it on any one player. If Hardy or Wieters or Thome or Davis gave us ANYTHING at the plate, that one run probably wouldn't have mattered.

Agree. They've lived and died as a team all summer. This was a team loss.

[machadoschoop]

This was not a case of him coasting. He initially mis-read the ball off the bat, evidenced by his first instinct to move in. He clearly had trouble tracking the ball in mid-air given the meandering route he took to the ball. Run in a non-straight line, head turned almost completely around looking up in the sky, knowing you're headed straight for a hard, lightly padded wall and see if you're running at full speed. Not to mention, if you're running at full speed and aren't sure where the ball is going to land, you risk overrunning the baseball.

If he was able to track the ball successfully, he could have put his head down and run straight to the spot he determined it would land, full speed. That's impossible to do if you aren't successful in tracking the ball while it's in mid-air. It's possible the ball hit a bit of a jet stream as well and took off on him. Clearly he didn't think it was hit as well as it actually was.

People are trying to see stuff that isn't there. He's human. It's not lack of effort and trying to look smooth. Sometimes players simply don't make the plays. It wasn't an easy play to begin with. His mis-judgement made it that much more difficult to catch.

Misjudgement falls on the player too. I was pissed when he didn't catch it, but furious when he looked up at the flags after he missed it. The flags were there to check before Jeter's ball was in the air and the jet stream towards right center is a well-known factor at that stadium. Fundamental awareness of your surroundings is supposed to be a hallmark of an All-Star player in a key defensive position and a hallmark of Buck's "nuggets". It was just piss-poor baseball.

When you look at the ball that got under Hardy's glove and his brain fart heading into third, look at Wieters' pitch-calling and inability to hit ANYTHING, Johnson's sudden flammability, and Jones' all-around suckitude -- it just makes you wonder if there is a layer of deeply-ingrained "we suck because we're Orioles" in these guys that Buck and maybe nobody can strip away. The guys that have been getting the job done in the playoffs are total newbies this year.

[Aristotelian]

Jones should of made the catch and usually does but Jeter hits a good up and tight pitch off the handle that travels to the warning track (baseball gods love that guy). I believe the swing and ball off the bat local had Jonsey take that first step in and not make a read on the ball. More upset with AJ for not moving Hardy over late in Game 1.

I don't think it made it to the warning track, and it wasn't that far in the gap. Bottom line, it was a catchable ball and he is supposed to be a gold glove centerfielder. I give him the benefit of the doubt that he was not trying to "look smooth" but it does not help his cause that he was blowing bubbles before he had an accurate reading on the ball.

On top of that he is still making mental mistakes at the plate. That last AB everyone in the stadium knows the 0-2 pitch is going to be a slider in the dirt, but he is still swinging and flailing away like an inexperienced rookie. Jeter or just about anyone on the Yankees checks his swing on that pitch and that is the difference between them and us right now.

At least Wieters and Thome made solid contact a few times each and are mostly swinging at good pitches. AJ is making mental mistakes when he is supposedly our best player. I love AJ but he needs to focus and play better than he is, and yes, he more than anyone else deserves the blame for last night.

[Braydog 9]

Remind me if Jones has done ANYTHING at the plate that has made a real difference in 4 playoff games or even longer that that.

It is not anything special but didn't he have a single following a Davis walk which gave the O's runners on first and second with no outs last night (I forget which inning). But, of course, no one got them in. If one of the next three hitters gets a base hit, we are having a different discussion tonight. It is not all on Jones.

As for the play in the field. Terrible, terrible misread. No excuses. But he wasn't dogging it. He just misread it very badly at a bad time.