Man, the dope’s that there’s still hope
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on May 20, 2007 
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Inspired by a little Springsteen (“Reason to Believe” actually came up on the iPod as I was writing this) …
The Yankees have Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte lined up to face the Red Sox starting tomorrow. Thanks to days off on May 24 and 31, that trio is also lined up to face the Red Sox on June 1-3 at Fenway Park.
Obviously that doesn’t guarantee anything. But better to have the big three lined up instead of Matt DeSalvo and whoever else.
It’s also worth noting that Roger Clemens told the Yankees he thinks he will need only one more minor-league start before coming back. So you can pencil him in for May 29 in Toronto.
(For those wondering what the title of this post means, those are lyrics from the song “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?” by the great Bruce Springsteen. Give a listen here.)
Not to be nitpicking here Pete, but isn’t “Reason To Believe” quite a negative song? “Doesn’t matter if it’s true or a chance or not, people will find a reason they need to believe”, sorta like that? So I hope that’s not what we’re doing here
).
(btw, in my opinion, this songs is part of a great combo with Johnny 99)
fantastic record.
it’s time the yanks got “skin like leather and the diamond hard look of a cobra”.
I still have hope… but I’m still concerned about the team. Let’s hope they can squelch my doubts, but that involve turning around a team offensive slump.
playing part of “Ragamuffin Gunner” is Tyler Clippard…he better not get “Lost in the Flood”
Wouter: No, a positive song. Final song of “Nebraska” and sort of a lead in to what Bruce was doing next. I think it’s a positive song anyway. Sort of a “no matter what happens, people find some reason to believe.”
Plus it ends with a baptism. Always a sign of hope, etc.
Deconstructing Bruce songs in a baseball blog. Love it.
“Seen a man standin’ over a dead dog lyin’ by the highway in a ditch
He’s lookin’ down kinda puzzled pokin’ that dog with a stick”
Is that what we’re doing with the Yankees on this blog? Poking a dead dog?
Pete:
Well, I believe I read it somewhere, I’ll try to see if I can find it again. But in the end, the nicest thing is the whole bunch of different meanings that can be ascribed to a song…My reason for seeing “Reason To Believe” as rather negative, perhaps even a sarcastic comment? The songs that came before that, the whole desolate, no-chances-anymore feel of the Nebraska album.
btw, great job on the blog, incidentally
).
I think a little Twisted Sister “We’re not gonna take it” is due to be a little rally cry for New York. I’ve been fooled with the 7-2 win over the Mariners and the 8-1 win over the Sox, both times I expected a turnaround offensively. That’s why there’s three strikes in baseball, I’m calling it right now, Maine gets lit up tonight.
http://www.soxandpinstripes.com
I wasn’t thinking 82nd Street after yesterday’s game — I was thinking about the last verse of Cadillac Ranch: The long and dark, shiny and black hearst that’s pulling up outside of Shea today.
Cabrera is good. he is 22 he will be a good not great player..
he is a good fielder, has a great arem, and will hit 280+..
give it sometime.
if the other players were doing what they should 1B would be a non issue. also Cano is better then people think, he is in a slump hitting and thinking..
Clippard tonight
Mussina, Wang & Pettitte vs. Boston
Clippard, Mussina & Wang vs. Angels
Pettitte, Clemens & Clippard or my guess DeSalvo at Toronto
Mussina, Wang & Pettitte at Boston
Clemens, ???, Mussina & Wang at Chi-Sox
Pettitte, ??? & Clemens vs. Pittsburgh
OFF-DAY 6/11
Mussina, Wang & Clemens vs. Arizona
Pettitte, ??? & Mussina vs. Mets
OFF-DAY 6/18
Wang, Clemens & Pettitte at Colorado
(Clemens could fly home after the game vs. Arizona then fly to Colorado from Texas)
???, Mussina & Wang at San Francisco
(Clemens doesn’t have to travel)
OFF-DAY 6/25
Clemens, Pettitte & Mussina at Baltimore
Wang, PHIL HUGHES? & Clemens vs. Oakland
Pettitte, Mussina, Wang & Hughes vs. Minnesota
(Johann Santana will probably draw one of th first three thus is negated)
Clemens, Pettitte & Mussina vs. Angels
ALL-STAR BREAK
Wang, Clemens, Pettitte & Mussina at Tampa Bay 7/12-15
I just wish Cashman would make a minor move ot get a starter who could start the 3 ??? games (middle games of 3-game series with the Chi-Sox, Pittsburgh & Mets). ANYONE out there with M.L.B. experience BEFORE 2007? I mean trade Ross Ohlendorf cuz what good he is if he’s not even good enough to get the callup for one start with the Yanks? Karstens, Clippard, Rasner, DeSalvo, and Hughes got the call, a guy from DOUBLE AA (Wright) got the call, but not this guy Ohlendorf. What gives? I’ve rad he’s so bad with AAA, he’s not good enough, o.k. so trade him then. Where does he fit into the Yanks long-term plans? I mean next year’s rotation is already Wang, Mussina, Hughes, probably Pettitte picking up his $16M player’s option (free money) for 2008.
If – with a starting rotation of Pettitte, Wang, Mussina, Clemens, and whomever until Hughes comes back – the Yanks can’t play better than .500 ball and be a playoff contender, then they have bigger problems than what reserves they have coming off the bench.
Pete,
I know I argued earlier in the season and you kind of said some stuff about it too but shouldn’t Cashman rethink the whole theory: we have 8 other great hitters so a defensive 1st baseman is fine. With everyone else struggling it doesn’t help to concede hits at a power position. I didn’t think it would matter to much but I think it is going to cost this team some runs. Isn’t there a back-up catcher out there somewhere that can play better than Nieves. He has one more hit than YOU and he didn’t even stay on base after that. Cairo is fine, he is as good as most back-up infielders in the league and not many are going to come here to sit behind Jeter and Cano all season.
You just answered your o
That’s a lot of rotation figuring. Incidentally, Ross Ohlendorf is hurt.
whoops, you just answered your own question. Who would give a MLB experienced pitcher for a struggling AAA prospect? That’s something only Billy Beane could pull off.
“I just wish Cashman would make a minor move ot get a starter who could start the 3 ??? games (middle games of 3-game series with the Chi-Sox, Pittsburgh & Mets). ANYONE out there with M.L.B. experience BEFORE 2007? ”
well, Chan Ho Park and Sidney Ponson are sitting by their phones.
Moose, Clemens, Pettitte, and Wang, and you want the Yankees to make a trade? i’m not sure that makes sense.
Dint
Whoops Todd Drew answered my question, thanks Todd. Even though Ohlendorf is injured right now, he is a potential rookie-minimum making fifth starter for some team’s next year rotation somewhere down the road if not to begin 2008.
I just don’t think he is with the Yanks with Rasner, Karstens, possibly Clippard, Jackson, etc. ahead of him,thus is expendable.
If/ when Ohlendorf gets healthy and if yet another Yankee has to miss 2 or 3 starts, the Yanks could trade him for a fill-in unless they keep going to the well with DeSalvo who I think needs more time to develop, so my “Ohlendorf for a fill-in” trade idea still holds weight. I’m hoping Clippard or DeSalvo does so well, the Yanks wouldn’t need to make a trade, but that’s asking alot from two guys with a combined 4 M.L. starts after tonight.
F.y.i. a team could trade a guy for Ohlendorf to make room for an M.L.B. ready AAA kid in the rotation or trade a struggling AAA pitcher for Ohlendorf and hope Ohlendorf is better. It’s done all the time.
Uh, no Pete, it does not end with a baptism but with a man left at the altar:
“Congregation gathers down by the riverside
Preacher stands with his Bible
Groom stands waitin’ for his bride
Congregation gone and the sun sets behind a weepin’ willow tree
Groom stands alone and watches the river rush on so effortlessly
Wonderin’ where can his baby be
Still at the end of every hard earned day people find some reason to believe”
Not a bad metaphor, but hardly a positive one. After the agreement to construct family under the contract of marriage, plans are scrapped and the party is over before it began.
Very apt, actually, considering this season.
And, in terms of opening on to what Bruce does next, please don’t tell me you’re one of those fans who considers Born in the USA an upbeat album? Like Brce said to Reagan, “Listen to the lyrics, Mr. President. Listen to the lyrics…”
Along the lines of hmmm, above –
Murray Chass in the Times’ (who’s work I generally like) had a column today giving credit to the Mets for signing Chan Ho Park, Aaron Sele and Jorge Sosa as starting pitching insurance; he uses this as an example of why the Mets are successful to this point.
Well, the Mets are successful, but not because of these guys. Park was released, and Sele is in the bullpen; presumably, if he were any good, the Mets would not have let Mike Pelfrey go 0-5.
As others have opined, I don’t see how taking on has-beens and never-were’s is going to improve the team.
My point is why trade Ohlendorf low? Nobody expects him to be a career AAA pitcher, it’s how will he perform in the majors, so why trade him when he’s both hurt and when he’s not hurt, struggling? Especially just to get a five starter for 6 weeks or so. Will that fillin be better than Desalvo or Clippard? If he is, we just gave away a guy who could be as good for multiple years rather than two months, the deal makes no sense.
The Mets success has nothing to do with retreads like Park or the Pelfrey bombing. They’re top 3 starters have pitched really well and the bullpen has been great.
And you don’t trade top prospects especially top pitching prospects with talent for fill in starters. That’s why you have depth and youth so you don’t have to do that.
I think Chan Ho Park accepted an assignment to pitch for the Mets’ new AAA team the New Orleans Zephyrs. Been there, done that with Ponson, but I could deal with him for one start. He could be as good as DeSalvo vs. the Mariners or be as bad as DeSalvo was against the Chi-Sox. If he does o.k., say 5 IP 3 runs, give him another start. If he stinks but the Yanks win 12-7 (Ponson gives up say 5 runs in 3 1/3 IP), give him a chance at redemption. This goes for any guy they get
Just a question…has anyone heard an update about the Raja? I don’t think he is a viable option for those ??? days, but everyone just stopped talking about him. Last I heard the Raja was convinced he needed TJ surgery and Cash was sending him to see Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman for a 5th opinion. Anyone hear of anything since then?
heres a great stat from one of the papers today
damon easley 6 homeruns
damon + abreu + matsui = 5 homers
Are you kidding me, i seriously thought we had a “dream outfield” at the start of the season
cairo was fine in 2003, hes is an abomination right now. the redosx have alex cora and the mets have damon easley to back-up their middle infielders. both are heads and tales above cairo. cashman spent 200mm putting this team together but he couldnt over pay mark loretta to come here. look what he gave klye farnsworth.
some people have said the bats are ready to break-out and i agree. but we have no idea how clippard will react to the big stage. hopefully they avoid an embarrassing sweep before the sox come to town.
yake the baby to the river…kyle william they called hom. wash the baby in the water, take away little kyle’s sins…
my favorite bruce phrase. why? my first name is kyle and my middle name is william. a remarkable coincidence i grew up a springsteen fanatic
Did anybody read Nick Cafardo’s baseball notes column in the Boston Globe today? He said that the locker room is the worst it has been in Torre’s tenure, but then does not come up with anything that makes any sense. I could certainly understand if the clubhouse needs some fire and that Torre does not provide that anymore, but I have heard nothing that indicates these guys are sniping at each other. There is always a guy like Farnsworth who makes some comment or a Giambi type comment in the NY and Bos markets, but nothing to me seems like this team is coming apart at the seams.
Pete, can you confirm? If it would compromise your role in the locker room….I understand….but nothing I have heard or seen strikes me as a team turning in against itself.
I am willing to concede that this might not be our year, but there is a pretty weak schedule coming up in June and there is always the wild card. I am confident that the offense comes out of this funk and the Yanks are at least playing for something in September. Will the Yanks win 95 games and make the playoffs? We shall see, will they be competitive….I think so. It is a long year.
To turn against guys like Cano and Cabrera at this point seems short sighted.
Did I miss something? Why is Desalvo out of the rotation?
I would not take another crack at Sidney Ponson starting for me/my team under any circumstances. He has not shown that he has ANYTHING left. Just putting a warm body out there to get shellacked makes no sense. Clippard, DeSalvo, etc. gives us a better chance.
“Did I miss something? Why is Desalvo out of the rotation?”
Because the grass on the other side is always green!!!
Jake
Ohlendorf is not a “top pitching prospect”. He is now a suspect not cuz he’s injured, but because almost EVERY AAA Yankees starter has been called up before him to make a fill-in, that’s how bad he is this year BUT some teams would take a chance on him. Teams swap minor leaguers for minor leaguers all the time and sometimes it’s to give guys a change of scenery, mostly it’s to see what you can come up with for the big club. I wouldn’t even mind getting a minor-leaguer who could get the callup. It’s not a vet but it’s better than calling up Chase Wright again. Ohlendorf is behind many Yankee prospects for the fifth starter job for next year and beyond, so truth be told I’d trade him for Chan Ho Park in a second cuz at least Park has had SOME experience and success in M.L. and would be the perfect fill-in starter. Maybe he’s Aaron Small II in that instead of going 10-0 like Aaron did for the ’05 Yanks, Park gives the Yanks 2 or 3 decent starts out of 3 and they win 2 of the 3 games if not all three regardless of how he does.
In case you haven’t noticed, Karstens and Rasner are out long-term. Hughes won’t be back until later next month. Chase Wright had his moment in the sun, hopefully he’ll be back up one day, just not this year. I’m hoping Clippard does well enough the Yanks wouldn’t need to take a flyer on a fill-in, but if a halfway decent one with a little success in M.L. were available, make the deal. Sure Small cost nothing but money, but you name me ONE Yankee starter after Eric Milton who’s amounted to anything and Milton is done.
Jake Westbrook doesn’t count cuz he was used to acquire a biiig reason why they won the 2000 World Series (David Justive), so that trade was worth it and the Yanks did go to two World Series after that, so losing Westbrook was no big deal, he hasn’t exactly won anything with Cleveland. Where’s Yarnall, Claussen, etc? I’m hoping if DeSalvo returns, he gives even a little less than what he gave vs. Seattle cuz even 5-6 IP is great for a callup.
“cairo was fine in 2003, hes is an abomination right now. the redosx have alex cora and the mets have damon easley to back-up their middle infielders. both are heads and tales above cairo. cashman spent 200mm putting this team together but he couldnt over pay mark loretta to come here. look what he gave klye farnsworth.”
you guys have to understand that you can’t FORCE someone to sign with the Yankees. why would someone like Loretta want to sign with the Yankees, who have a 24 year old All-Star 2Bman and Jeter at SS? what opportunity is there for him?
the Astros gave him $2.5M + $1M in incentives.
what do you really think Cashman should give a utility guy to make him come here, $4M? $5M? what would it take to make Loretta accept that role??
also, Ken Rosenthal explicitly said during yesterday’s broadcast that Damian Easley had the opportunity to CHOOSE between the Mets and the Yankees and that he CHOSE the Mets b/c he thought the Mets had an easier road to the playoffs.
this tells me Cashman pursued him. you can’t force people to sign. and just because someone didn’t sign, doesn’t mean Cashman didn’t do his due diligence on them.
Alex Cora had a 58 OPS+ last year and currently has a 160 OPS+. really, would you have argued for signing him BEFORE the season?? no, you wouldn’t have.
you are simply picking guys who are doing well and complaining that Cashman didn’t sign them. it’s so easy to do that.
but all you know during the off-season is the info that is available up to that point. and at that point, there was nothing to say Abreu and Cano would suck, while Easley and Cora would be all-world.
Joe from Long Island
You’re wrong about Ponson cuz he showed he had enough in spring training to crack Minnesota’s 2007 rotation. I’d give him one start. Sure the N.Y. media and fans like you would bash the move, but it’s just one start and could be two maybe three starts depending on what he does. Who expected Aaron Small to win even his first start let alone go 10-0?
I didn’t? I figured he was a one start or two proposition and he hadn’t a fraction of the success Ponson had with Baltimore. Let’s see what Ponson does a second time around again which could be a one start/ one shot deal and he could be told this is it for him. Again, if he does well, give him another start, just like DeSalvo who got two more starts after his debut.
If Clippard bombs tonight and vs. the Angels, someone will be in his place cuz the Yanks are 10.5 games back right now.
They can’t afford to take flyers on callups anymore after tonight. They need experienced M.L.ers who could give them at least 5 IP. Not what you want out of your starter, you want more, but that’ll do for a throwaway like Ponson or whoever they get.
Yankees Rotation Through….
You make an argument. I’m just (slightly) more pessismistic about what Ponson could offer than you are.
i never would of expected abreu or cano to do this poorly. i think anyone would of thought on our bench was awful thereby not giving torre any chance but to keep sending robbie and his smile out there. i hope cano is just in a slump and has a break-out month coming.
while i ddidnt realise easley chose the mets over the yankees, cashman should of done a much better job on the bench. do you really think posada will not fade terribly this year because he never can get a day off. maybe i’m wrong but i think he could have it tough in the 2nd half, more so then most catchers.
cashmans overpaid for mussina/matsui/farwsworth/damon, he could of spent a bit more on this bench.
and i dont think alex cora will hit 350 plus all year, either way hes still a better option then cairo. thats not even a discussion.
hmmmm
Mark Loretta took $2.5M + $1M in incentives to play every day for a Houston team with no chance whatsoever of winning the World Series this year unless they make four clones of Roy Oswalt. So if it was about money and playing time for the World Series ring-less Loretta, I’m glad he’s not a Yankee.
I was thinking more like Tony Graffanino who could back up at 2B, 3B, and SS, but oh well…I’d have taken a flyer on Alex Cora.
As far as Damian Easley, he’s no one whatsoever to choose between the Yankees and the Mets. He didn’t choose the Mets over the Yankees cuz the Yankees never inquired about him.
If they did, it would’ve been reported in the N.Y. Post and/ or Daily News as a blurb which it wasn’t, so it didn’t happen, so that’s his smacktalk or him being sore the Yanks didn’t want him to be their utility infielder in 1998, 1999, or 2000 when he was winning jack shit with Detroit and wherever he was playing at the time and the Yankees were spanking his ass along with the rest of the A.L. Remember this guy was a nothing for the most part before his prematurely called “ressurrection”. Talk about a neverwas trying to make himself feel important. And talk about a Yankee-hating FOX scumbag like Ken Rosenthal trying to stir up shit between the Yankees and Mets. Did he tell Damian Easley the Yankees are the ONLY team to have made the postseason every year since 1995? Guess not, too busy trying to hate the Yanks and forget the long haul of things, like it’s only 5/19, now still only 5/20.
Despite the 2-8 ball the Yanks have been playing, they have just as much a chance to make the postseason as the Mets do given their talent, demonstrated ability to hit the cover off the ball as late as last month, and the arrival of Clemens shortly (like Peter said probably 5/29). I’ll take Wang/ Pettitte/ Clemens/ Mussina over Maine/ Perez/ Glavine/ El Duque in the postseason anyday (Glavine in Game 3 so he starts Game 7 in the N.L.C.S. or World Series. The Mets could have Perez and El Duque switch places).
Ponson made the Twins rotation to keep the seat warm for their rookies, I’d rather have Desalvo do that so we can have a true understanding of what he offers us, you can’t EXPECT either to do well, so I’d rather see our youth than a hasbeen making a second turn after being given away.
You’re wrong about Ohlendorf, he hasn’t been skipped over solely because he is “that bad” he has been skipped over because he is an unfinished product. The very fact he is a high prospect is the exact reason they are overlooking him. You don’t call your gold up to make spot starts. And yes, I’m aware they did the exact same thing with Hughes, which was why it was so controversial, but Hughes was much closer and has a higher ceiling than Ohlendorf to begin with. Ohlendorf struggling and now being hurt doesn’t help his chances, but he was not overlooked because he is a terrible prospect.
Joe From Long Island
I hear you given Ponson’s recent times, but here’s the thing:
the Yanks recently drew two guys with near 8 ERAs going into their starts, and both guys shut down the Yanks, so you never know. Whoever thought Aaron Small would go 10-0 let alone 2-0 in 2005? I sure didn’t.
Hopefully Clippard will do well enough to buy all the starts ’til Hughes returns.
Will the real DC Yank stand up?
Ok I’ve just about had it with this board.
Somone is making a case for Sidney Ponson?!?!?
That is beyond absurd. I know they’re some really dumbass fans out there but this is ridiculous.
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!!!
DC Yank: The clubhouse is no different than it was last year. Better if anything because the perenially gumpy Randy Johnson is gone. The Yankees do not have chemistry issues.
Ohlendorf not a top pitching prospect? I guess you didnt read any scouts notes from the spring. From different organizations.
You know some guys struggle when they get to Triple A for the first time. It doesnt mean they arent top prospects and have no shot for the majors. Its called adjustments. But hey lets trade every young guy with talent who struggles for retread 5th starters.
Dint
Bullshit to that. Ponson made the rotation because his track record overall as in his entire career including his good years which got him a multiyear deal with Baltimore shows he is good enough to be a fifth starter and he earned the slot. What “rookie” was he keeping a seat warm for? If he had pitched well for the Twins, the Twins would’ve had him sit in that seat for as long as he was good and even for 2-3 bad starts after being good.
I’d rather see no has-been in this rotation, too, but I don’t want to see callups pitch like one. I could give a flying fuck if Clippard’s line is 3 1/3 IP, 8 H, 5 R (all earned), 1 HR, 4 SO. If he did that, he sucked just as badly as a has-been making the same start. “He did badly but he’s only a kid.” PBBBBTTTT!!!! He did badly cuz he’s a kid who isn’t ready yet. yes, Ponson is a has-been but he is ready to pitch by virtue of being a veteran and again, he had to make my guess 4-5 starts in spring training for Minnesota to crack their rotation. You think he cracks it sucking? They’d have cut him after 2 or 3 bad starts. I don’t care if Ponson is demoralized. I do care that Clippard might be.
Ponson is not the answer. This year is the first time there is actually minor league depth to make the starts. As for trading Ohlendorf, this is not the time, it is the lowest point of his value.
Umm, Slowey, Bonzer, Baker, Garza? Do you want me to continue? The twins have been waiting on all of these guys to be permeanently major league ready and this does not include Ramon Ortiz and Johan Santana. Needless to say they had hope Ponson and Ortiz would pan out long enough for their high prospects to be ready, but they haven’t, just like Ponson wouldn’t here. If both are gonna be for sale, I’d go for Ortiz anyway, at least he shut us down.
So no, it was not because once upon a time Ponson was an ace for a season with the Orioles. You are right though, if Ponson pitched well he would have stayed up longer and given the kids more seasoning, thats the logical plan for any fill-in, but either way Ponson was not a long term solution or even a full season solution for the Twins, it would make no sense to bring him here. I would trust Clippard (whom you have made predictions about and have not seen him pitch yet) or Desalvo (who has made two out of three good starts, more than Ponson can say) over Sidney until Clemens and eventually Hughes returns.
http://cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/.....y/10186179
There is an article btw about the Twins prospects.
Rufus you’re the dumbass if you think an endless parade of callups is a viable fifth starter for 4 or 5 starts until Hughes returns. At some point the Yanks will have to go outside AAA for an answer if Clippard stinks and DeSalvo stinks again cuz they’re 10.5 games back and this isn’t extended spring training where we test guys to see who clicks. Ponson for one start only then another if he’s good in it, Dufus. Or someone else if not Ponson. I never said Ponson only. Learn to read. It’s not the end of the world if Ponson makes a start. The Yanks could do what they did for Chase Wright: pound the hell out of the ball and allow Ponson to pitch 5 innings, get smacked around a bit, but walk away with the win. Win ugly in that game if need be, who gives a shit. It’s up to the other starter vs. Ponson too.
Hey Jake I’ve read that Micah Owings was better than Ohlendorf even before this season. Testament to that is Owings is Arizona’s fifth starter right now and doing o.k.
Cashman should’ve just asked for Owings, he would’ve got him. Then again this is the same guy who blew $46M on Kei Igawa for 5 years instead of holding on to Randy Johnson making only $16M for this year only.
Here’s my scouting report on Ohlendorf based on the real world, not rotoworld:
“No shot to crack the 2007 Yankees’ rotation with Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, Igawa, and Pavano then Rasner, Karstens, and possily Phil Hughes as reinforcements.
So bad in AAA, AAA starters Karstens, Rasner, Clippard, DeSalvo, and Hughes have been called up before him. An AA pitcher Chase Wright was called up before him.”
That’s a pretty strong indictment: SIX guys called up before you. That automatically makes him not a “top prospect”. A healthy Humberto Sanchez would’ve been in front of him. The main acquistion in the Johnson trade was Luis Vizcaino, not Ohlendorf.
Lastly, he has no shot with the Yankees whatsoever with all the guys in front of him plus free agents and possible trade acqusitions, so I could care less if he has a shot or “no shot for the majors”. Ohlendorf to Cleveland for Paul Byrd? I’ll sign up for that cuz it beats sending out a rookie every week to ten days. Let Ohlendorf pitch in AAA Buffalo for all I care.
Nothing is set in stone, but the Twins hope to start the year with a starting rotation of Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, Boof Bonser, Ortiz and Ponson.
“As for what that means for Matt Garza, Glen Perkins, Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey?
“It makes them all work harder to change our minds,â€? Gardenhire said. “We have great young arms. You’re looking for a few veterans so you can give a little more time to these young arms [in the minors], but if that doesn’t happen, like we’ve said all along, we’ll go the other route.”
This from February 21st. http://www.startribune.com/blogs/christensen/?p=11
Ponson was nothing more than an experiment to buy time, nobody expected him to be in a big league rotation for long, he was keeping the seat warm. The guy is no longer a solution for any AL team.
12-7 gets us to 30-30. At 30-30, after the hamstring maladies and hitting slumps and Luis Vizcaino, we could take stock that things could be worse, and move forward to something better. They have to play decent baseball, but I still have faith that this team can do just that.
Wrong again Dint. If Ponson was pitching well, you don’t say
“Well this kid who’s never pitched a M.L.B. game in his life is ready to come up, so Ponson and his 3-1, 3.75 ERA in 5 starts has to go.” You don’t fuck with a good thing. BTW Einstein if these guys are sooooo good, the ones Ponson is “holding a seat for”, how come they needed another month or month plus after spring training to be ready? I see no difference. You either win a job out of spring training or you get called up if a guy really sucks. Ponson really sucked, that’s why he got released. B.T.W. Baker was last year.
Ponson being Baltimore’s ace at one time didn’t factor in to the Twins signing him, o.k. gotcha. They signed him for what he did in his bad seasons after he was their ace then with St.Louis and the Yankees. Do you realize how ridiculous you sound? Common sense says the Twins signed him because since he was Baltimore’s ace once, they figured he could be at the bare minimum a servicable fifth starter for part of the year if not for the whole year for a cheap price. That’s the reasonable gamble they took and it didn’t pay off.
I never made a prediction about Clippard, this is what I said in so many words:
I’d rather have Ponson get bombed and released after a start than demoralize Tyler Clippard for a start or two, or three if the Yanks are really hamstrung for arms. It’s getting there i.e. available arms with Clippard and DeSalvo being the only options right now and I got news for you: 1-4 in 5 starts before Hughes returns no matter who starts if he does return (which is no guarantee) would be disastrous. Check the Yankees win-loss record in games callups make this year, THAT’S why they’re 10.5 games out today -and could be 11.5 after todayif they lose and Boston wins today. I’d rather lose with veteran fill-ins than callups cuz scouts don’t see callups suck up here, o.k?
I just threw up a little bit….did somone mention Sidney Pontoon….did not read the context but glancing at it was enough to make me ill….
The clubhouse caterer will be the first to know if he is coming back, the guy called me crying when Colter Bean got called up and lays awake at night sweating out if Bruney, Bean and Britton are ever up at the same time.
The Sox are taking the Braves apart….
Steve Miller “time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the future”
Tom Petty “I am free…free falling”
Jim Morisson ” this is the end my only friend the end…”
I hope Clippard is wearing Nieves gear out on the hill tonight….finger, leg, who knows what is next ?
“12-7 gets us to 30-30.” -Matt Waters
.500 after about 1/3 of the season sounds really bad but considering what this team has gone through, it seems reasonable. But anyway you look at it, we have to play at least .600-.700 ball the rest of the way to make a run at the division, BEGINNING TONIGHT!!!
this braves/sox games is making me sick
Edwar Ramirez had 31 K in 15 2/3 IP at AA Trenton. He was brought up to Scranton AAA where he had one game. 2 IP. 6 up, 6 down and 4 K’s.
So why in heck is he back at Trenton!!!!!
Today at Trenton, 1 IP, 1 Hit, no runs and 2 Ks.
For goodness sake, promote the guy to AAA, keep him there and if he does well, trade Farnsy and use THIS GUY!!!
Tonight’s the night no doubt about it. We had lunch with my wife’s cousin today in from boston, big red sox fan, nice guy, just misguided. I still remember clearly having dinner with them in Oct 2004 the day after the Yankees won game 3 to be up 3-0, and he was despondent. He conceded that it just wasn’t there year. Then we kow what happenned. He was giddy today, probably about the same way I was on that Oct day. That’s fine, he has the right to be happy, everything has gone right for his team this year. I write this not to depress us faithful Yankee fans, but to remind us, baseball and life have a strange way of turning around when things seem the darkest.
Those of us watching closely, know the Yankees are close. No one expected to win that game yesterday even before Rasner broke a finger much less after it. And the Yankees were in it. Despite the results, I’m as excited as I have been all season for them to put it together. I think that starts tonight. Keep the faith.
ANY call-up is better than Ponson. He gave up 54 hits, 17 walks and 31 runs in 37 innings for the Twins. Yeah, he’s the answer.
Some of the 20/20 hindsight here is unbelievable
Alex Cora’s 2006 OPS: .610
Miguel Cairo’s 2006 OPS: .600
Career:
Cora: .662
Cairo: .675
Cora’s got a streak where he’s hitting like Babe Ruth, and now people will kill Cashman for signing Cairo instead. Please…
20/20 hindsight
Like I said, you can argue about Phelps and Mientkiewicz vs other choices at first..
But a lot of this is all about guys like Abreu, Damon and Cano struggling mightily, and about an unbelievable streak of pitching injuries
By the way – Ross Ohlendorf IS pretty highly regarded in the organization. As far as I know, Nardi Contreras has tinkered with both Ohlendorf and Jackson – so I don’t think you want to look at results there in a vacuum. Before his last start (where he was hurt), Ohlendorf had several solid starts in a row
I’d also say that talking about Eric Milton and the lack of pitching prospects was more an indictment of the Tampa mafia and hacks like Billy Connors, and some very poor drafts.
Oppenheim has done a solid job drafting talent, and Contreras has done a fabulous job developing guys. The number of solid to great pitching prospects in the Yankee system is fairly staggering – almost as staggering as the injuries
We all know about Hughes… We lost Sanchez (arguably ahead of Hughes), Rasner, and Karstens (neither of the last two are prospects). Ohlendorf is on the DL.
On the cusp: Wright, Clippard
A little further: Marquez, Horne (AA)
Further still: Kennedy, Chamberlain (high A)
In the distance: Betances
Let’s be fair and reasonable here…
Oh and breaking news, Mike Lupica is an ass. He wrote a long article today ripping the Yankees for not being able to win a game the other team was trying to give away. Did he not notice that both teams played shoddily in tough conditions. Did he make any disparaging remarks that maybe the Mets aren’t as good as they should be, letting a crappy team like the Yankees get back in it? It’s like anything the Yankees did badly was the Yankees fault and anything the Yankees did well was the Mets letting them. Royal ass. His new thing is almost daring the Yankee brass to fire Cash and Joe. He is so frustrating to read.
The Yankees are losing on purpose to get rid of the bandwagoning fans. I like it… Lets start winning now. I’ll be here till they are finished with their 162 game season even if they end up behind Tampa Bay at the end of the year.
Go Yankees!
Jeff I’m on the exact same page
Wow, the Braves just broke up the Kason Gabbard no-hitter. You know things are just going the Sox’s way when guys like this pitch better than Tim Hudson.
Cmon Braves!!!
“Ok I’ve just about had it with this board.
Somone is making a case for Sidney Ponson?!?!?”
just to be clear, when i first brought up Sidney Ponson, i was being VERY sarcastic.
i can’t believe that wasn’t obvious.
Jeff NJ –
Keep the faith.
I seriously think they should let me pitch. I was pretty good in stickball.
- Steve
http://http:sharpie-productions.blogspot.com
“I was thinking more like Tony Graffanino who could back up at 2B, 3B, and SS, but oh well…I’d have taken a flyer on Alex Cora.”
i like Graffanino, but he has been TERRIBLE this year. the Brewers gave him $3.25M and he is hitting .196/.269/.247. my guess is if he were a Yankee the exact same people would be ripping Cashman for signing him. and given his salary, i’d bet Cashman could have him tomorrow for a C- prospect.
Cora was never a free agent. Boston re-signed him on 11/17/06, which is before the free agent period. so there was no “taking a flier” on him.
as for Easley, fair enough, i am just going by what Rosenthal said on air yesterday. if you think he’s lying, ok.
Cairo has had 16 ABs. he’s not really what’s wrong with this team. the bench is less than ideal, but the problem isn’t Cairo, it’s CANO.
A large part of this season so far has been the immense luck of the Sox front office and the enormous cloud over the Yankees. Granted, the Yankees look like they have mailed a few in this year and have been lacadasical, but Cora hitting over .400 as a utility man? Beckett being undefeated including a 5 run comeback in the 9th becasue the Orioles pulled a dominating starter? No injuries, anywhere, on the Sox? Varitek revived? Pineiro, Donnelly, Romero, Tavarez all being solid until recently? Law of averages, these things will catch up to both teams. The Yankees almost have to be above .500 in the end because Pettitte Wang, Mussina have never won 8 games to finish a season and that is their pace right now. The Yankees have lost 6 starters and started 7 rookies and the Red Sox just now are missing starts for the first time (Hansack shlacked last night, Gabbard good today). Varitek has proven he can be injury proned, Posada is yet to. Pedroia, Lowell? These guys aren’t gonna keep up hot hitting all season long. Lowell has a history of slowing down, Youkilis isn’t going to bat .400 every week with three homers. Things are guaranteed to improve for the Yankees and all but a foregone conclusion that the Sox cannot maintain this pace. So far, everything Epstein has done has been flawless this season (Okajima?) whereas everything Cashman has done has fallen apart.
Jeff in NJ: Avoid Lupica, Mr. Met himself, if he pisses you off that much. You can’t take sports journalism so personally, or else they’ve got you. Its designed to get a strong reaction out of the reader, positive or negative, makes no difference. That’s why Jay Mariotti has a job, frightening but true. The journalistic merit of sports writing doesn’t hold much water when a guy like Lupica obviously roots for the Mets ["our Mets", he often calls them in his Sunday soap box] and openly disdains the Yankees. It’s just not worth getting mad over, though I must admit it pisses me off royally from time to time. Oh, and I don’t mean to insult sports writers at large or the field itself, because the great ones are really great [Angell, Boswell, go back further with Red Smith] but the whole fire stoking aspect is a definite annoyance. Whatever though, that’s the nature of the beast.
“Citing unnamed sources, The New York Daily News reported Sunday that the Yankees will consider voiding Giambi’s contract if it’s determined he used steroids after they signed Giambi as a free agent in 2001.”
Always have to watch out for articles supported by unnamed sources, but Giambi is making a ton of cash over the next 2 years and looks physically shot. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do try and void his deal just because of the money involved. You could buy a lot of players with his salary over the next 2 years. If cashman has a right handed power bat in his sights and has a legal case, I bet they try to void it.
I’m personally on the fence about whether I want to see him go. I like him, but I think his contract is weighing us down given the production. I also think this will silence other players from speaking out about steroids.
As John Belushi said – was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor – the Yanks are sinking but they are not done yet.
did that mean to say Germans?
“did that mean to say Germans?”
Watch Animal House, or at least go to Yankee Stadium.
Ohhhhhhhh that scene. Ok, I figured it was intended, hence why I asked. I have not seen all of that movie all the way through.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K92OVFeGgIE
Yes Dint. Its a famous line from Animal House.
Germans? Forget it, he’s rolling.
and the Red Sox win once again…
man. no breaks in sight.
mike its the 7th inning 4 runs is nothing ahha relax
Red Sox haven’t won yet… it’s only the 7th inning.
hahaha ok now I remember. Thanks for the clip, excellent timing too!
I personally do not think the season melky had last year was a fluke…he should be starting everyday in right
Guys I live in LA. I saw Cora played for years he was not that good. he is in his 30′s also..
look at Ian Kinsler who I think will be a good pro, look at his april then May. It is a long season. I looked up Okajima the red sox set up mans # yesterday, in Japan they were pretty good but nothing that great. year to date he has a sub 1 WHIP and a sub 1 ERA..Do you think he will keep it up??Really…
yes the yank bench is weak but that can more easily be rectified… How about waive or demote cairo and call up Phillips, Phillips is not Rod carew but he is a much better hitter, with some power much slower but can paly 1b,2b, and 3B.. I guess then they have no one for Jeter at SS except the starting 3B….
The ship is not sunk, look when you get 7 inning or minimum 6 good innings from your starters the managers look much smarter…..
“Citing unnamed sources, The New York Daily News reported Sunday that the Yankees will consider voiding Giambi’s contract if it’s determined he used steroids after they signed Giambi as a free agent in 2001.�
“Always have to watch out for articles supported by unnamed sources, but Giambi is making a ton of cash over the next 2 years and looks physically shot. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do try and void his deal just because of the money involved. You could buy a lot of players with his salary over the next 2 years. If cashman has a right handed power bat in his sights and has a legal case, I bet they try to void it.
I’m personally on the fence about whether I want to see him go. I like him, but I think his contract is weighing us down given the production. I also think this will silence other players from speaking out about steroids.”
Didn’t we hear this 2 years ago when Giambi “apologized” and then slumped the whole season?
As much as it would be the right move to aggressively see if we can void it I really doubt we make much of an effort too. Giambi is a clubhouse leader whether that’s saying much or not and I don’t think they would try to cut him.
Cashmoney wouldn’t do it.
I just looked up the great Cora’s stats wow..
yea we should have paid he $5 mill a yr. he is a career 246 hitter in over 9 years with an OBP of 316, his big power yr was like 6 homeruns..
you experts are right he could be our all star 2B…
look at the #’s at the end of the year…..
Ramon Ortiz on Minny, appears to have cooled off a little also!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the good players are consistent.. How about Jack Cust we saw him with Baltimore, you think he will keep it up???????????????????????????????
“Didn’t we hear this 2 years ago when Giambi “apologizedâ€? and then slumped the whole season?
As much as it would be the right move to aggressively see if we can void it I really doubt we make much of an effort too. Giambi is a clubhouse leader whether that’s saying much or not and I don’t think they would try to cut him.
Cashmoney wouldn’t do it.”
oh, i don’t know.
i do NOT think the Yankees have the basis to void his contract based on his quote. it was way too vague.
that said, i think Cashman would have to seriously consider it if it were possible.
with luxury tax, the Yanks will be spending about $55M on Giamb for the rest of this season and next season including his $5M buyout.
cashman would have to at least look into it. it’s simply too much money.
No way they try to void Giambi’s contract. If they tried, that would lead to a LOT of litigation, and Giambi would claim that the Yankees either knew about or tolerated his steroid use. That would lead to a whole bunch of depositions, under oath. Does anyone think that MLB or the Yanks want to open that can of worms?
“If they tried, that would lead to a LOT of litigation, and Giambi would claim that the Yankees either knew about or tolerated his steroid use.”
this is a good point.
That is a good point about the litigation, and given it would probably take a while to work through, it would cast a very dark shadow in the clubhouse. The media feeding frenzy would be tough too.
Maybe the only scenario where they try to void the contract is if the yanks fall out of contention after the all star break.
Is there a song called “Keep the Faith”? That seems to be a cry that I’d call…oh and someone said in another journal that I read that Posada should break out the “Grind It!” t-shirts again…
Yes,there is a song called “Keep The Faith” by Bon Jovi,it’s cool
!
i like the fact that you guys are confident but all these idea depend on the worst case senario for sox and best case senario for yankees
Peter,
That’s great about Clemens early start! Why don’t they give him an extra day or so of rest and have hime pitch at Fenway? After that series on June 1st, the Yanks only see the Sox for 2 more times after the All Star Break??????
Oh that’s right they probably don’t want him to get shelled his first time out against the BEST TEAM IN BASEBALL! Better to let Whiney Moose and Non-factor Pettite (both with losing records) take the brunt of the sweep by the Red Sox at Fenway that first week in June!
Very tactical! better he pitches against a team like Toronto which are the Yankess basement dwell’in equals along with the rest of that pathetic division (Sox are running away from the pathetic pack!!!!)
Good call! That’s having that ol’fighting feeling inside!
All this talk abot putting our rotation up against the Mets in a World Series. You guys really have to be either kidding or smoking something to put you in your state of stupid! The Yankees are 2-8. They’re at the bottom of their division and are so far out of a wild card chance way behind the likes of Oakland and Cleveland.
The World Series. That’s funny. We’ll be lucky of we don’t get swept by Boston. One win would be a victory against this Powerhouse of a team! Oh my God! Their bench! Their pitching! Their closer! Manny, JD and Ortiz haven’t even warmed up yet and they’re already way ahead!!!!! This is their year. Boston’s new ownership will never let the Yankees ever win 4 World Series in a row ever again. These are 3 smart men who stepped up to the plate and put together a 2004 Chamioship team. They know how to win and they will dominant the next 20 years! Stop living in the past like all Yankee fans do and face the facts!!!!!
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why there are a lot of spam?
Where is admin?
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