Today in The Journal News
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- August
- 8
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There was nearly a brawl, the Rocket pitched a gem and the Joba Chamberlain Era started. It was an eventful night in Toronto.
Jason Giambi felt like an explorer as he traveled the minor leagues.This notebook also has word on roster moves, some harsh words from Josh Towers and stats on Melky Cabrera’s big roll.
You can tell a lot about a player in bad times. As writers, we often remark about how some players are more quotable after losses because that’s when they’re the most honest.
So it was interesting to observe the reactions of Brian Bruney and Miguel Cairo today when they were taken off the roster. Bruney quickly packed his bags and stormed out of the room. “No I don’t,” he said when I asked him if he had a minute to speak.
Bruney then knocked over a chair on his way out of the room.
But at least he has a team to play for. Cairo was designated for assignment and could well be released. But he walked around, embraced all his teammates and then stood at his locker and said what it meant to him to play for the Yankees.
“It’s hard because I’ve been here three years and it’s a good group of people. The coaches are unbelievable and there’s a good manager. For me, it was an honor to be here,” he said.
Bruney is only 25, so let’s give him a pass. But it’s too bad he wasn’t around to see how Cairo handled himself.
As for Cairo, it made sense that he was the one to go. But I’m not sure the Yankees are a half-game out of the wild card race without him. Back in June, when the only other choice at first base was Josh Phelps, he filled in admirably.
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on Wednesday, August 8th, 2007 at 3:22 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
I hope Bruney can get his control under control. He could be valuable in September.
PS. Any word about Edwar?
Thanks for the insight, Pete. I’ve always liked Cairo and hope he finds his way back. You could tell he took pride in being a Yankee by the way he played.
Bruney’s a good kid, just a little lost. Age is not an excuse, he’s still an employee of the Yankee organization and should act accordingly.
O/T but the guy who caught the record ball tonight was a Mets fan who was with his friend who’s a Yankee fan. I’m glad the Met fan got it, wouldn’t want to have a curse. lol.
Mel–The guy bought the ticket the day of the game because he and his friend are on their way to Australia today, I think.
I don’t blame Bruney for being upset but there’s not point since he will be back in September most likely or maybe even sooner.
Too bad that Cairo has to leave. The way he handled himself is really impressive. I’ll miss him!
I never realized Bruney was such a hothead lol
Anyway, Josh Towers needs to remember exactly who he is before he goes and disrespects someone like Pena. I mean is he serious? He’s 30 yrs old and has a 5+era. In ten years no one will even remember his name.
BTW Pete, in your column it says Pena didn’t want to comment. But I read in another column that he actually cursed and said “Tell him to get someone out” after being told of Towers’ comments.
E-roc,
You’re right, they were on a layover.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=2965703
Barry was cool about the ball, saying that it belongs to the fan.
I wonder if he’s taking it to Australia with him? *Kangaroo “Jack” 2*?
Bruney needs to just let it go. He’s lucky to even have a job. Just work your craft and we’ll see u in September.
I wonder if Ian Kennedy would pitch in Clemens’ spot if he were suspended. That would be tight. I know he’s not on the 40 man roster. Kevin Reese would gladly give up his spot, lol.
Clemens said he made some adjustments to his mechanics by looking at some videos of himself. I guess that’s why his splitter was working last night. A 45 yr old still trying to make himself better. UNBELIEVEABLE!!
Unbelievable? Nope. Just a consumate professional. Which is what Clemens is and has been for most of his career. Which is why he is a good role-model to have on the team, and so was Cairo.
Sorry to see Cairo go, but it did make sense. Maybe he’ll clear waivers and accept an assignment to AAA for a few weeks. Miquel did a great job for the Yankees, and should they manage to get to the World Series, I hope they vote him a share. He deserves it.
What a day…I like Cairo too….just laughed and waited for Clemens to plunk somebody…The Yankees win… the Pink Sox lose..Clemens was spot on…Jorge blistered the ball!!!! Ditto Melky!! did I say it was an awesome game?
I’m sorry to see Cairo go as well.
He never gets his dues, he has played very well for the yankees, filling in when he has had to through the years and doing a good job at it.
At the beggining of all the years he was here, the bench was always criticized because Cairo was a part of it. but he showed to be a valuable part of the bench when needed. He hit when others went down, stole bases, provided good defense.
He is a great guy to have on a team. It’s a shame he’s older now and not such an asset anymore. Good luck to him.
I wish the very best to both Brian and Miguel. I enjoyed watching both of you. I don’t judge Brians reaction, he is a passionate player and he was upset. His reaction was probably the best that he could manage in the moment. Atleast he didn’t do or say anything rude, something that he would regret. (The chair was just in the wrong spot at the wrong time). He will probably regret not saying goodbye to his teaammates.
i don’t blame bruhney for how he handled it . he didnt pitch too bad . he probably didnt expect it . i didnt either . to me , it shows that he wants to play .
Toronto seems to have taken on the personality of their skipper, John Gibbons, former career minor leaguer as a player, and Shea Hillenbrand’s old sparring partner. Note to Gibby: There’s scrappy and then there’s unprofessional. Scrappy is a brand of tough, but clean, play that wins you games over the long run. Plunking A-Rod AGAIN and mouthing off after the game about Pena, not a career minor leaguer as a player, was unprofessional.
What does that say about Gibbons? Maybe Shea was right about the Jays’ ship sinking. Funny how Shea and Gibby never got along. They are more alike than not.
The Jays were bush league last night and it cost them the game.
They threw at Arod on Monday and that should have been it. Instead, their soft tosser decides to do it again, with guys on base no less, and it almost touched off a brawl.
Funny thing is, it was GREAT for the Yankees. Duncan’s slide shows why the guys in the locker room respect him. Old school, hard, went right after the glove (which is what you are supposed to do) to knock the ball out. Big time pla, and it led to a big inning.
Chamberlain? Gotta love him shaking off Posada to throw his slider. As Jorge will realize, the slider is not only his “out” pitch, its the pitch that gets his mechanics back in place.
I have seen Chamberlain pitch 8 times in person this year. I am telling you, he is the best pitching prospect the Yankees have had over 20 years. Yes, even better than Hughes.
Hughes is terrific but, this kid is better. His stuff is nastier and that’s saying something because Hughes has great stuff. His makeup, like Hughes, is off the charts.
Hughes and Chamberlain are the type of guys who dream about having on your team at the same time. If they stay healthy, its scary how good they will be.
Chamberlain will be much better in his next outing. He got out the butterflies and Jorge now knows how his pitches move, what he likes to throw and when he likes to throw it.
Last night was the most enjoyable game to watch this season. Clinched another series win, saw the debut of Chamberlain, Rocket was terrific, and this team showed the kind of backbone that’s been missing since the end of the 2004 ALCS.
Great night all around.
And if Bruney showed no emotion everyone here would be killing him right now.
I’m glad he knocked over a chair. I’m glad he’s mad. Maybe he’ll work hard to get back here which he will be in 3 weeks anyway.
So will Cairo.
Hopefully the Yankees will vote Cairo a full share of postseason winnings.
Now SJ44 is happy with the Yanks???
This is the same guy who was jumping off the ledge a month ago and even as late as last week was saying this season was over. It was history. They had no heart. It was over. Plan for ‘08.
Now he is happy, says they have backbone and thinks they can win???
Maybe you should never have gotten off the bus like real fans, SJ44. Fair weather doesn’t begin to describe you.
Josh Towers is bush league.Hes lucky to even be in the bigs and his mouth is going to get him DFAd very soon.
All the quitters know who they are. They know they gave up in May on this team. Everyone knows they’ll be the first ones cheering when we do well.
They tried to trade Towers 2 weeks ago for a bag of balls. He called out his GM, team, and manager.
Now he’s playing tough guy?
Don’t worry, Lanny.
As soon as the Yanks fall behind in a game the SJ44’s of the world will say the season is over and Cashman stinks and Torre should be fired and Cano should be demoted and A-Rod traded.
it’s the quitters MO.
There is a reason you do not give up on the Yankees and a team lead by Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada.
They got too much heart and have been thru it way too many times. This team was too talented and had too much pride to roll over and play dead.
Hey were only 5 out.Still not enough time?
Cairo actually played pretty good this year. He actually hit which is surprising for him.
Once he went in and Phelps was cut the team responded.
They play 6 more games with the Sox.
How is 5 out not enough time?
JIm Clark: There is no way they don’t, if that is indeed what the process they use…. He has been very valuable this year.
I’m loving the crow all the quitters are eating right now.
I can see being pissed off being 21-29 but to be mopey and say the seasons over????
Really coming back to bite them in the asssssa.
LOL.
Maybe Brower can actually help the bullpen.
I’ll miss you Miggy
FARNSWORTH CLEARED WAIVERS!!! (according to today’s new york post in the article Joba Security).
Bruney got screwed plain and simple. He’ll be back before September. it’s just a matter of time before Brower blows up and he’s released.
Cairo hit? What games were you watching? .252/.308/.318
A.B.K
August 8th, 2007 at 9:17 am
FARNSWORTH CLEARED WAIVERS!!! (according to today’s new york post in the article Joba Security).
PETER….pray tell what happens now ? What will the Yankees do with Krazy Kyle ? Get us the inside scoop, Man ! GO…fight…WIN ! ( LOL ! )
Let’s not be so quick to jump on SJ44. I for appreciate his comments, he is a bit reactionary to the current state of affairs, but who isn’t? He said earlier in the year the team as constituted wasn’t good enough and he was right.
Things changed, the team has improved due to 1)the veterans playing much better (Mats, Abreu, Cano, Damon), 2)the move to put Melky in CF everyday and his offensive emergence, 3)the improved bench (Giambi, Duncan, Betemit, Molina > Phelps, Thompson, Cairo, Nieves), 4)Andy Phillips taking hold of the 1st base job playing outstanding defense and hitting more than enough, 5)New Relievers including Joba, 6)the return of Phil Hughes will hopefully pay dividends soon, 7)the reemergence of a dominant Mo.
All around the team is rolling on all cylinders, now it’s time to show the top teams in the AL, the Yankees are a force to be reckoned with again. Cashman, Torre and whoever is running the Yankees deserves tremendous credit for rebuilding the team on the fly.
The Umpires have to do a better job. The great Bob Gibson would not have been so great had he been pitching in this era. Warnings are good sometimes. Other times not so much. Towers obliviously threw at A-Rod. The umpires knew that. They also knew who was pitching for the Yanks last night (Clemens). Based on Clemens’s history he should be given a free shot at a Blue Jay (no head or knee shots). Now he and Torre were thrown out and face possible suspension. MLB should recognize its history (Gibson, Spahn, Paige.) Even Pedro. Ejections and suspensions should be warranted and not automatic.
Lanny-
No offense mate, but SJ44’s comments on here are regular, insightful and intelligent. The main reason I don’t comment on here often, but read everyone else’s comments everyday, is that I’m not convinced I have anything better to say.
Fair weather fan applies more to you than SJ44 – never hear from you except when the Yanks win. Nothing to say when they lose.
The Blue Jays haven’t done themselves any favors in the image department in this series. They miss Rodriguez in the first game. Their middle infielders sprint off the field to avoid confrontation with A-Rod later in the game. Their middle infielders sprint off the field to avoid confrontation with the fearsome Johnny Damon after a force groundout.
They finally hit A-Rod in the next game. And the “tough guy” enforcers are journeyman Josh Towers (of the immortal 8.42 ERA/.343 BAA in 2006) and Matt Stairs. Way to go, dudes.
Perfectly said, Billy Beets.
Should be a good game tonight, Halladay has been going well again. High emotions, should be a tight game. Nice to finally have Viz and Mo somewhat rested.
‘The Answer’ finally showe dup on the bronx last night and it AWESOME!!
Check It Out!!
http://www.jabachamberlain.com
Jeff NJ,
Yes, things have changed, but the point is it was idiotic to think they wouldn’t change. Anyone with any common sense knew the veterans would not play that poorly for the entire season, and everyone knew Cash wouldn’t stand pat. This resurgence was not hard to predict. The bench has been addressed, and Cash has almost made over the bullpen and will continue to improve the team by hopefully trading Farnsworth for a prospect and eating half of his salary and then replacing him with Edwar.
The message baseball sends is that it is okay to be the aggressor, but not a defendor. It was clearly apparent that Josh Towers was throwing at A-Rod purposefully. In this instance, it is he who should have been ejected. I am also a little befuddled in that prior to the last series with the Blue Jays, both teams were warned that if anything unseemly happened both teams would face some sort of punishment. I guess the warning expired?
If one team gets a “free shot,” then the second team should get a “free shot.” Usually, after that, the incident is closed. Then if anyone escalates the situation, THAT should result in ejections, suspensions, whatever.
It seems to me that the Yankees are always in a position of defending a teammate who’s already been hit. I can’t remember the Yankees being the aggressor in too many instances.
I got a feeling the Sox trolls won’t be out in force today.
Things just got a little tighter in the Northeast part of this country.
Bob from NJ -
I believe most fans hoped the Yankees would get back to speed, but I don’t think it was (is) unreasonable to think that they could still fall short. The start to this season was abysmal (whatever the causes) and they had a lot of ground to make up. I’m ecstatic that they are back in this thing, that both the wild card and division title are within reach. But they will be playing tougher teams coming up, and I don’t expect there to be as many 9-run games. I think their starters are up to the task. The bullpen is still a question mark, and that, I think is going to be the difference maker.
I am happy that changes have been made, weaknesses are being addressed. But they still have to play the games. And Boston will be playing the same “weaker” teams we have been playing. There is still a lot of time left in the season.
I’m rooting with all my heart for the Yankees to continue this level of play and hoping they prevail in the end. No one should be chastised for how they react to the rollercoaster ride of the season. There are ups and downs and it is possible to have hope and despair simultaneously.
i haven’t watched chamberlain at all, but there’s a buzz about him that says he’s the real deal. i agree that last night was the best game of the year. there was a little bit of everything. gibbons trying to go old school when clemens was pitching shows what a baseball dunce he is.
i think part of the reason that sj44 and a lot of people have had a change of heart about right here right now is that this team has made some significant changes that take care of the present with the future intact.
i for one couldn’t stand going with the first base platoon, marty miller, and nieves.
what’s not to like about this team right now.
yanks have a very tough stretch of scehdule to go during august . tigers , tribe , angles . real tough . this is where the yanks either make or break the season . the rotation is at full strngth , the line-up is clicking which leaves the pen . joba , viscy and mo will be 7 , 8 and 9 . honestly , i would rather have bruhney than farnsworth in the pen but you have to play the guy that gets the big $$ .
Dano,
I didn’t say he wasn’t intelligent and thoughtful and had dreamy eyes.
I said he was a quitter and he said the season was over. Go back and check the archives. There are plenty of examples of SJ44 saying the season was over. If he is as intelligent and thoughtful as you say he is he’ll confirm that and admit what he said.
He gave up on the season in May. Unforgivable.
I’m sure he’ll come up with something to throw cold water on the team with the best mark since may 30.
@billybeets:
umm. . .there are no “free shots” in Major League Baseball. that’s absolutely ridiculous. the reality is, the blue jays got their chance yesterday, and while it was clearly in retaliation for the Howie Clark incident, the umps could have (and did) passed it off as an isolated incident, rightly warning both managers/benches.
yesterday’s incident was quite obviously intentional – it was so easy to tell from Josh Towers’ reaction – and the umps definitely should have ejected Towers and maybe even Gibbons. at the very least, a warning should have been issued then – that would have made the subsequent expulsion a lot easier.
with that said, the Clemens ejection was entirely deserved. that was clearly retaliation, and there’s no place for that in MLB. Clemens and Torre deserved to be ejected there, and whether or not they face suspension, this was their own doing.
note, however, that i’m not necessarily saying that it wasn’t worth it. i’m quite pleased with the Yanks actually – for years, they’ve been regarded as a soft team who don’t have the balls to issue retaliations like that, presumably because they fear suspensions.
guess not. not only was it Clemens (as opposed to a young pitcher, who usually gets charged with such a nefarious task), but the Yanks pasted the Jays even without Torre, so they clearly have no qualms about doing this exercise again if another team goes after A-Rod.
on a related note, Shelley Duncan is fitting really in the team makeup. not only did he make that excellent takeout slide as SJ44 pointed out, but during the bench-clearing near-brouhaha he went straight for Matt Stairs and made sure he kept his distance from A-Rod. no punches thrown, just did his UN peacekeeping work. i’m a big fan of this guy.
Bob from NJ is totally right.
It was ludicrous to think that this team wouldn’t turn it around at some point.
I think everyone that jumped off the bandwagon in May is back on now.
Lanny,
Back in May, an awful lot of people didn’t think the Yankees would come this far. They weren’t playing good baseball. Why isn’t it okay to acknowledge and be happy that the Yankees have turned it around, and embrace that? Are people not allowed to have a change of heart?
Towers should have been ejected right away.
And they should end this warning stuff. It is a horrible way to police the game.
It’s like giving a team a free shot and the other guy can’t defend himself.
And my point Doreen is that they are quitters. To quit in May is ridiculous. With the talent this team had and the the history they have. It blew my mind then and it blows it now.
People can have a change of heart. But at least be honest. The fair weather only goes so far. The quitters obviously don’t have any pride or backbone. Luckily for all of us the Yankees do.
And regarding changes of heart, I would just like to say that I was one of the people who were skeptical that Shelley Duncan would have an impact on the major league team. I was wrong. Does that mean I can’t cheer for him now? I’m glad I was wrong. He’s way more impressive than I remember him being at Trenton, and from things I’ve been reading about him, he did a lot of work to change his approach and has gotten very good results.
And about “bandwagon” fans — I believe they would be people who don’t show up during the low times. SJ44, and others who’ve voiced their displeasure with the team at one time or another during this season, have been here for the whole season. I don’t think that fits the definition of bandwagon.
I don’t see how one can defend the people who threw this team under a bus because they went thru a bad stretch.
You really want to read terrible stuff about this team?
Go back and check what was said here in the comments sections during the Colorado and SF series’.
Ouch.
Doubting whether a career minor leaguer can hack it in the big leagues is a big difference from giving up on your team in May, Doreen.
I commend you for sticking up for the quitters. But come on.
Voicing displeasure during low times is fine. It should be voiced. But openly quitting? I guess if you can’t understand that we’ll agree to disagree.
No real fan quits on their team in May.
Unless they live in Pittsburgh or Kansas City.
It’s not like the Yankees haven’t come back or anything.
Right???
LOL.
There were plenty of people here who said the season is over. They just don’t post 9 paragraphs about it every hour like SJ44.
POOR SJ44 HE SPEAKS WHAT’S ON HIS MIND WHICH IS GOOD,I TAKE IT FROM THOSE MAKING CRITISISM THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN WRONG OR NEVER CHANGED THEIR MIND? MUST BE GOOD TO BE PERFECT……….. I HAVE ALWAYS LIKED THIS TEAM… THE SCARY PART IS THEY ARE IN THE THICK OF A PENNANT RACE , AND I STILL DON’T THINK THEY HAVE PEAKED YET
Someone that says the season is over and then a month later is praising the team is pretty solid textbook definition of bandwagon fan.
Quitting is if you stop watching, stop reading, stop being caring about what the team does. If you’re still here, day-in, day-out, even after that horrible stretch in Colorado and SF, I doubt you’re a quitter. You may be a “doubter,” but not a quitter.
Everyone has a different way of dealing with the emotions involved in following a team. Let’s not throw each other under a bus because we react in different ways. Also, remember that for some, writing on this blog is a catharsis — a way to vent the immediate feelings after a game, win or lose. People on this blog vascillated between “they’re toast” to now, “we’ll be on top of the division by the end of the month.” It’s just a totally emotional reaction. Doesn’t even begin to gauge people’s “loyalty” to their team.
My father-in-law was a Mets fan. Never missed a game. NEVER. But he was their biggest critic. Being a fan is the epitomy of the love-hate relationship.
towers should have been tossed. when you have pitchers throw not just at him, but at his knees, on first pitches on consecutive days, it’s pretty obvious what was going on. clemens did the right thing. he protected his teammate. and did it by throwing a center mass shot, not head, not knees. poor job on the ref’s part. then cano gets hit.
oh, and sj has only ever pointed out what he thought needed to happen to bring the team back into contention. funny enough, the moves he suggested have, for the most part, happened, and the teams now in contention. now the fair weather fans come out of the woodwork, and feel that they have to bash the people who’ve been here through the rough times just to show how great they are. give it a rest. sj gives the most in depth analysis of not just the team, but the minors here, and is one of the reasons this board is as good as it is.
In this case, Jeff, I am perfect. I’m not a quitter. I didn’t give up and say all was lost.
Unlike you, I can spell “criticism”.
NOPE AND YOU CAN’T SURVIVE IT EVEN IF YOU CAN SPELL IUT
Doreen, you make a compassionate argument for defending quitters. But get real already.
Just because a guy cares doesn’t mean he should be absolved of saying the team was dead.
Who cares anyway. These people know who they are and they know what kind of fans they are.
Yes, the schedule has been weak, but that’s the point. All you had to do in May was take a glance at the schedule and you would have realized that with the trade deadline and the soft schedule by this point the Yanks would be right in the thick of it…which they are. People who wrote off Abreu, Cano, Moose, Melky, Damon, etc. lost sight of the length of the season and the track record of those players.
Anyone with a brain knew in May it was only a matter of time. With that said, I would think it was more a product of over-reacting and not really understanding the game than actually not liking the Yanks. Whatever the case, many people are eating their words.
It’s not about quitting.
It’s about not having any faith.
No faith in players like Jeter, A-Rod, Rivera, Posada, Wang, Abreu.
The list goes on and on.
The people that gave up and said trade everyone have no faith.
Anyone with common sense would know these are the Yankees and they always make a run.
or did they forget 2005?
I love how the quitters brigade bands to together to defend themselves when they jump back on the bus.
These are the same people who wanted A-Rod gone in November, Vizcaino DFA’d in May, Cano demoted in May, and Abreu traded.
Take anything they say with a huge grain of salt.
They were always going to make a run.
They just need the SP healthy and pitching in turn.
Good pitching leads to wins. As simple as that.
They got the Sox lead down to 5. Which is manageable. They finally put some pressure on the Sox which is nice.
Now we’ll see how their fans handle the players underperforming. They got a free pass for 4 months. Now lets see them get on the Lugos and the Drews.
Things are getting interesting.
Imagine if the pen didn’t blow 15 games this year????
I just want to say what Towers said about Pena was very cheap. Who is Towers anyway?
I, personally, had faith that the yanks would make a run. What I didn’t have faith in was that everyone else would tank. At the low point, we were not even close to being in control of our destiny. I know the Sox always tank, but I wasn’t about to count on then tanking quite as much as they have. Or Cleveland, or Detroit, etc. Thinking that it’s possible your team won’t make the playoffs isn’t always a lack of faith. They dug themselves a big hole in the beginning of the year, and the way the team was playing and constructed at that point, and the way other teams were playing, I didn’t know that they’d make it out of that hole.
I love how everyone that wrote the Yanks off in May is now a thoughtful and smart for giving up on them.
How does that make sense????
Everyone gave the same critique. The pitching stunk. The couldn’t get a big hit. The lefty bats were not hitting. The pen was getting overused.
It wasn’t brain surgery.
Even if you do root for the Royals you still have faith that early in the year. That is what baseball is all about.
Will –
I agree with your point. There were so many teams that had to, for lack of a better word, “cooperate,” that it seemed that even if the Yankees played, well, like they’re playing now, it might be too much to overcome.
“Being a fan is the epitomy of the love-hate relationship.”
Well said Doreen. I agree, people who are here objectively discussing the team are entitled to their opinion as much as anyone else. I have been pretty positive most of the way and I have enjoyed SJ44 slowing turning his opinion around. He never stopped being a fan. It’s one thing to go after a troll or an obvious hater, but those are different folks than critical fans.
I actually find it much more annoying when people come on here and want to rehash history by attacking old postings.
Similar to when you fight with your significant other, if you have a disagreement with them and right away you go into well 6 months ago you said this and 3 months ago you did this, well you won’t be Significant for that person too much longer. It’s childish and destructive.
and how is it that the people who haven’t been regular posters are calling the people who have been the bandwagon jumpers? it would stand to reason the new comers are the ones jumping back on the bandwagon? but then again, what do i know.
This board was insufferable during the losing with the quitters and the trolls and the sox fans.
So, let me get this straight here. You lacked faith because the Yanks trailed the Seattle Mariners???
Weak.
Jeff NJ –
I like your analogy!
I am thankful I held on and kept up hope. I knew they were going to make a little comeback. They are too good not to.
I’ll give a pass to all who doubted. They should know better.
We are a full 5 games back and only 49 games to play….there is NO WAY we can make up those 5 games, right ? ( RIGHT ? BOSTON ? RIGHT ??? ) LOL !
There is a huge difference between being a fan and being a quitter.
Every fan had some doubts when they were 8 games under. But not everyone quit and said the season was over.
A huge difference.
Boston fans have got to be getting nervous. It is part of their DNA.
Bruney can only be recalled within 10 days if an injury occurs on the big club ,correct? If no injury he must stay down for ten days if I’m not mistaken. Now would be a good time for Clemens to vent some anger about getting thrown out on Farnsworth or have kyle suddenly have back tightness. Have him sit out a few days then send him to SWB on a rehab assignment.Bring Bruney back up!
Murphydog great post on the personality of Toronto. Gibbons seems like a bitter guy and the team took playing tough to a level of playing stupid and classless.
SJ44 is a smart guy. He like this team alot more then the old team becuase this team is not the old team of 2 months ago.. They have hughes and chamberlain 2 guys with I would say considerable upside. Melky playing everyday, and whole different bench. These are things many have been barking for for the whole season..
They still need an arm or 2 more in the pen; I see Browers stay being short and I swee one addtl. pen move.
I see Britton or Ramirez getting the call real soon… If they have 4 reasonably consistent bullpen arms this team is real SCARY…
Clemens is a friggin freak, the guy is 45 and his stuff has suffered but he still can win and pitch well… I shake my head at him everytime he pitches. I am 1 yr older and cannot believe he can do what he does at his age.
Hoepfully phil and Joba watch and listen to him and ANdy and that will help insure a great future for both.
Brian Cashman is the GM of the yr..Laugh………
Bye sheff, unit, wright, one FA signing(and a bad one) used his in system talent to improve the joke bench and bullpen that has so underperformed it is a joke..
I have a GREAT idea Lanny, let’s chase away possibly the most knowledgeable contributor on the board by calling him a “quitter” and “fair weather fan” so that we can no longer hear any of the good information that he has for us, especially regarding prospects. Great idea, buddy.
SJ44 may be critical much of the time, but he’s rightfully so. Maybe he’s a little harsh on some (Mussina! lol) but he certainly makes the conversations quite more productive and interesting. He has gone to see Joba pitch in the minors, Lanny. I think that’s a Yankee fan. Have you gone to see Joba and Ian Kennedy 8 times or more? No. You havent.
Neil B writes; with that said, the Clemens ejection was entirely deserved. that was clearly retaliation, and there’s no place for that in MLB. Clemens and Torre deserved to be ejected there…
There’s no place for it? Really?… part of the game, my man, part of the game.
They are still going to need another reliever to step up and become reliable. They got three. I’ll count Joba is one because his stuff is just too good. Whether that is Brower or Edwar or Farnsworth or Villone or whoever. It is a must. Someone who can take the ball and get outs.
Doreen makes many good points, but the best is “Everyone has a different way of dealing with the emotions involved in following a team.�
Everyone being different shouldn’t be an outlandish idea in the world’s most diverse city, but for some reason it seems to be an issue here sometimes.
I love it when they are freaking out in Boston. I just checked a few of the Pink Sox blogs and they are seriously trying to use metrics and math to prove that there is no way their team is going to fold. It’s hilarious.
I’m just happy we’re scaring them and getting closer every day. I was getting a little sick of all the pontificating about how the Red Sox re-invented the wheel, once again, this season and how the rest of baseball should weep at their sheer magnificence.
If we didn’t get back into this, we would have been treated to an August and September of Gammons wearing a courdoroy blazer with leather elbow patches sitting in a candlelit wood paneled study in his weathered leather armchair playing an acoustic guitar and singing his “Ode to the gritty gutty Dusty Pedroia” only to be followed by George Will reading an improvisational epic poem about Youkilis’ facial hair and Ortiz’s chinstrap sideburns.
I can’t wait to let this current group of Yankees loose on the likes of Boston, Detroit and Cleveland.
We’re a better offense. We’re a much much better defense and our pitching is getting stronger. If we get our bullpen straight, and I believe we will, no one will want to play us for the next 2-3 months.
I’m hoping to hear reports about Theo babbling in the fetal position clutching his manilla folder filled with metrics that prove the Red Sox are the superior team as we whip past them into first place.
The only way to prove you have a mind is to change it from time to time.
Because he has seen minor league games makes him an authority now?
I’m not saying anything about his intelligence or fandom or anything else. Not about him or any other quitter here.
I’m just stating a fact. He quit on this team.
It is indisputable. He quit on the 2007 Yankees. That’s it. Now you can say anything you want to that. Whether they were justified or not. It’s true. That makes one a quitter.
No matter how many minor league games they watch.
I almost gave up on them early in the season.
It did not look good. It was hard to watch.
Luckily, I didn’t.
A lot of fans dealt with the early losing badly.
But they didn’t quit and say the season was over did they?
To me that’s not being a quitter. You can call it whatever you want. Or I should say, you can spin it anyway you want.
Now i got to listen to people justify their doubting the Yanks?
If I wanted that i’d go to Sox board.
“I’m hoping to hear reports about Theo babbling in the fetal position clutching his manilla folder filled with metrics that prove the Red Sox are the superior team as we whip past them into first place.”
Theo’s Metrics that Sox are the superior team
Sox 68-45
NYY 63-50
Just saying
I guess you just didn’t read my post. If he gave up on this team, why was he taking time out of his days to watch prospects play for the future of this team? He may have given up hope of the playoffs but he didn’t QUIT on his team. He’s been here on this board every single game. Watching, discussing. You can realistically give up hope of the playoffs but still not have QUIT on your team. If he stopped coming to these boards and we never saw him again after 21-29 and then he just came back today, I’d say what you’re saying. But he’s been here, so just stop this nonsense and let’s talk about something more important – The Yankees.
Forget the past.
The ones who lost their way should apologize to the baseball gods and get back on the bus.
You know who you are out there.
Badlands, you gotta live it everyday
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price you’ve gotta pay
We’ll keep pushin’ till it’s understood
and these badlands start treating us good
I hope Towers stays in the Jays’ rotation (instead of being DFAed, which it was rumored he would be even before last night’s game)…I want to see him run his mouth the next time he faces the Yanks at the Stadium. Hope he gets his freakin’ loser ass pounded then (by Shelley Duncan or one of our other gentle giants!)…
hey lanny-
i’ve gone around with sj44 more than once . he’s pretty damn good for someone not in the clubhouse.who the hell are you?
or did you just jump on the bandwagon. sj44 has been here the whole time.
I still maintain that even if you had your serious doubts about the Yankees’ resurgence, even if you said their probabilities to win the division or wild card were low to none, it doesn’t necessarily mean you quit. AND, especially if you’ve maintained a presence here or elsewhere (in front of your t.v. or radio, or even the newspaper, for instance), then you didn’t quit.
And even if people did quit and come back, I say, hey, the more the merrier! Join the party.
Jeeze, give it a rest already with the “my Yankees boner is bigger than yours!” What a waste of time. Some people act as if their lifeblood is being sucked out of their veins! This is a shooting match no one can win.
a fire burns in toronto. slowly. quietly. invisibly.
deep inside the vicious hippopotomous, the deadliest of all animals known to man, is the image of the source of the fire. one man. the clemens that is roger.
it burns. those who offend it will burn. those for whom it burns will be warmed.
in faneuil hall an old man collapses. in the union oyster house a family is sickened by the vision they see in their bowls of clam chowder: the heat of clemens makes the cream curdle. the clams form into tiny fists. frankie valli licks his own knee-cap.
it has begun. it will continue. do not visit boston. a city of rags and fetid powerbars will it become, home to folk groups and peruvians.
alex will say “ha!!!�
clemens will bang his fist.
I wouldn’t listen to what any fan ever said.
The word “knee jerk” comes to mind.
Thank God Cashman has some sense.
wood is good – Excellent post. Couldn’t have said it better myself! We should be talking about the Yanks and not fighting with one another about who was/is the biggest believer in this team.
You stole my nickname Pollyanna!
I often just search through the comments for “SJ44″. He’s not the only good poster, but he’s the best. In this thread:
Comments by SJ44 – 1
Comments referencing “SJ44″ – 14
Er, 15.
one porkchop! one!
Pollyanna – You need to collect all your posts and publish them in a little book. I know I would buy it! Funny stuff, man…
Thanks Randy l. Insightful.
Still no one disputes that he was a quitter who gave up.
My point is made. Thanks for your time, Randy.
i have been posting here since may under this name. you are like bridget fonda from single white female. i have no time for imitators, i have to get these guys on here totally pumped like gary coleman.
SJ44 is a good poster, but sometimes I fear this is turning into the SJ44 blog/fan club rather than the Lohud Yankees Blog. No man is a god…
Lanny,
We all know there are a lot of people here who gave up on this team.
We knew that back in May.
Ok, Pollyanna. Ok. Get me Gary Coleman!
So, how about those Yankees?!
Pollyanna Porkchop — Actually, that would be Jennifer Jason Leigh in Single White Female since she’s the psycho who imitates Bridget. Please get that straight.
Since I’ve been reading SJ44 since April I’ll say this. I can leave him. Try reading his posts during or after a loss.
Suicide worthy.
Yanksox:
What have the Sox done to keep pace with the Yankees resurgence? Yes, the Sox currently have a better record, but how do you how can you ignore the fact that the Yankees have shrunken a 13+ game lead to 5? If the Sox even played close to the pace they were playing in the beginning of the season, all this blog would be talking about is the wildcard. The fact that the division is within reach is a pure reflection of the Yankees continued improvement against the Sox average play.
Quoting the current records is simply resting on your laurels. A very dangerous place to rest at this present time.
Just saying…
I’m sick of all the fans who are jumping back on the bandwagon.
We’ll see what happens. I bet after the next loss they’ll jump right off.
Great article on yankees.com about the Yanks coming to Arod’s defense. Love the last line…
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com.....;fext=.jsp
Going thru the archives is fun. You can make a book out of SJ44’s quitting and giving up. I don’t know how some of you can pray at the altar of SJ. Because he goes to minor league games???
Here’s one calling for a rebuilding in May:
SJ44
May 26th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Bad teams complain about calls. The Yankees are a bad team. Led by Torre today, they are now complaining about the umpires. A waste of time.
Want to do something positive? Don’t pull starting pitchers for garbage relievers in the 4th inning of a one run game and don’t bat a guy who no longer can hit in the leadoff spot. Those are situations you can control. Whining about calls? You have no control over it.
Was the call bad? Probably so. Bobby Abreu has now struck out looking 5 times in the 8th and 9th innings with the tying runs on base this season. For whatever reason, he doesn’t swing the bat in those situations anymore.
I think Torre was just trying to give cover to him, as opposed to trying to make some kind of “statement� about the umpiring. This team doesn’t argue calls on the bases when guys are out by two feet. Now, they are going to whine about balls and strikes?
I didn’t hear the Red Sox whine about the 3-1 pitch to Youkilis with the bases loaded Monday night that was CLEARLY outside.
They should shut up about the calls and play baseball.
Last year, Abreu hit .338 as a Yankee, and was an on base and RBI machine.
Hindsight is always wonderful when folks complain about the Abreu trade. No Abreu, no playoffs last year.
This year, like with Damon and Giambi, he hasn’t been the same player. Why? Who knows.
More importantly, who among all of us would have predicted it? Not only with Abreu but, with the entire offense, sans ARod, Jeter and Posada?
Some things are unexplainable and the inability of this team to hit is one of them.
Bottom line, its not a good team. What can they do about it? Not a whole helluva lot until the trade deadline, then they need to clear the decks of as many guys as possible.
One bad year? Everybody has one. No big deal. Keep this team intact, one bad year becomes two, which becomes three, etc. Wrong way to go.
It may even involve eating some money on some deals. How would you like to be Brian Cashman going to George and telling him how many millions of dollars he has to eat in contracts in order to move guys? That won’t be a pleasant conversation.
But, it will have to happen if they want to fix what’s broken with this team.
More than the talent issues, which are many, their spirit is broken. Its a listless, lifeless team that, truth be told, doesn’t come to play everyday and doesn’t compete.
Winning teams hate losing more than they like winning. They only have a handful of guys who feel that way.
The rest? Its all fun and games, laughing and joking away.
Now, the joke is on them. One of the five worst teams in baseball, with an obscene payroll, whom NOBODY is fearful of anymore.
Its not going to be an easy climb back and it can’t happen unless they can begin (somehow) to de-construct the team this season.
If they wait until the off-season, they won’t be able to fix all that’s broken.
Its tough to watch and it is a shame but, it happens to every team in baseball at some point. Its just time to rebuild.
i couldn’t tell them apart, it’s like enrique wilson and willie randolph.
Did Farns really clear waivers??
How is the bullpen situation going to shake out? I guess it’s now, for the most part, Viz in the 8th, then Mo. Is the 7th inning going to be shared by Joba, Villone and Brower? Karstens, Villone and Brower are capable of multiple innings? This is still the one piece that’s unsettled, but I think it’s the key to the post-season. No doubt, Yankees win the slugfests, but close games? That’s still the Achilles’ heel.
I guess the ones who quit can blame it on being emotional.
They were watching a terrible team at the time.
I don’t think the rebuilding caucus has many members left in it.
YanksSox has to be having a nervous breakdown.
_No doubt, Yankees win the slugfests, but close games? That’s still the Achilles’ heel._
Are u kidding there will be no close games for the Yanks, the GREATEST OFFENSE of all time will blow the opponents away.
All Sox fans, even up 5, have to be having a little doubt.
Especially since they are only a 500 team the past 40 games. And they can’t hit. And Papi has been a choke artist.
With Superman, aka Roy Halladay, pitching today, we may have to settle for 2 out 3. Which isn’t bad, if we can keep that pace up the rest of the year.
Do we still want to trade Cano??????
No???
The Sox are not playing good ball.
If they can get this lead down to 3 before they play it may get even hotter in Boston.
NYY –
I like your optimism, but 5-4 the other night in Toronto was a close game. They won that one, so I’m hoping that’s a sign of the times to come.
I’ve learned not to look at pitching matchups to determine a winner.
Johan Santana would be 20-0 if that were the case.
They are starting to play much better in 1 run games.
Which is the sign of a good team. Battling. Holding on.
You don’t go 42-21 and not win the close ones.
offtopic, but which manager of Leiter’s do you think ordered him to bean someone?
I didn’t expect him to say, and was kind of surprised he admitted as much as he did…
I’m genuinely excited for the rest of the season. it’s too abd the Tigers and Indians are getting healthy playing the Rays and Sox. Two horrible teams.
“If the Sox even played close to the pace they were playing in the beginning of the season, all this blog would be talking about is the wildcard.”
Yes this is true, but I don’t know many Sox fans, and there are probably no Yanks fans, who actually believed the Sox were going to play .700 ball for the entire length of the season.
At the same time I don’t know any Sox fans or Yanks fans that believed the Yanks were going to play sub .500 ball for the entire length of the season. The fact that the Sox got up to 14.5 games up was slightly unbelievable.
Looking back to the All Star break when the lead had been brought down to 7. The Yanks have played at an absolute tremendous pace. They went through an ‘easy schedule’ and did exactly what they needed to, to make this a division race. Mop the floor with sub .500 teams.
But at the same time the Sox haven’t played average ball either they have kept a solid pace and have played 15-11 ball since the break and went through a tough patch in their schedule. There was not a time I believed that the Yanks wouldn’t make up ground before August 10th.
Now we are coming up on that point and the Yanks will be tested while the Sox will not. Can the Yanks keep up this pace against the Playoff contenders and can the Sox mop the floor with the has nots. We will have to wait and see.
I figure from here til the 28th the Sox will pick up 1-2 games on the Yanks and it will be 6-7 up by the time they are in NY.
It will be a September division race, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
*I am not proof-reading this so be prepared for bad grammar.
Beating Halladay would be the icing on the cake.
This is where Wang shows hes the stopper.
The Yanks showed some fight in the 5-4 game and instilled hope in me that we could actually pass the Red Sox this year. When we play the Sox next, 5 out of the 6 games will be close. We’re going to have to step up in all aspects of our game if we are going to come out of those series winners.
How did the Sox have a rough patch in their schedule?
They had the first 11 at home after the break!!
And against the likes of the Royals!
Spare me.
They are choking. Deal with it.
Isn’t farsworth clearing waivers not suprising at all? THe suprise wouldve been if he was claimed, i think, and that would have allowed us to force a trade with that team.
Who expected the Red Sox to play great ball all season?
They are the Red Sox.
Let history be your guide.
I think we have a fair shot against Halladay today with Wang going against him. The matchups that have me worried are those in the upcoming series against Cleveland. Carmona goes against us in the first game, and then Mussina is pitching for the Yanks in the second game. Hope the offense stays hot!
Lanny:
Let’s get our definitions straight. Bandwagon fans lack a depth of knowledge of the game and the team, offering only the obvious or something they glommed from SportsCenter. They only post when things are really bad or really good and generally over react because they don’t get the nuances. They quickly disappear when they realize they are out of their depth and that throwing attitude around instead of knowledge isn’t enough.
Like Joba, SJ’s stuff is some of the best. SJ is knowledgeable, insightful, a valued contributor and a real baseball guy. If you read his posts and absorb the message you might learn something.
I’m not worried about the Sox. I just want to continue to play good ball. Things will take care of themselves if we keep winning.
I was looking at the highlights of posada’s two run double after the incident and arod was coming in *hard* and if that throw was any closer, I think Zaun would have ended up at the backstop. Arod was looking to hurt someone and it looked like he was hoping to get a chance to take out a Jay.
Pollyanna Porkchop – I thought it was Willie Randolph and Chone Figgins?
As for you YanksSox and the Red Sox 5 game lead, the only metric I have is this — the Red Sox played lights out for 2 months while we basically took the first 2 months off.
Since then, they have never resembled the team that started out as hot as they did and our players are finally playing up to their potential (and then some).
We’ve improved our rotation, our defense and our bench significantly since the first 2 months of the season where the Red Sox built up most of their wonderful metrics that people are clinging to right now. They added to their strength in the bullpen, but that’s meaningless if they don’t outscore their opponents and on nights when Beckett and Matsuzaka (sometimes) don’t pitch, they are having trouble outscoring their opponents.
They are not that team from the first 2 months anymore and haven’t been that team from the first 2 months for quite some time.
Tavarez is no longer pitching above his head, Schilling is a question mark, Lowell and Youkilis have cooled off and Ortiz has lost a good chunk of his power and has become a singles hitter.
I’ll take my chances with Wang, Pettite, Hughes, Clemens, Mussina the rest of the way vs. Beckett, Matsuzaka, Schilling, Wakefield and Lester. While their bullpen has more depth than ours, I don’t think they have a clear advantage in starting pitching or in the field. Their defense has been atrocious of late and their clutch hitting has resembled ours from the first 2 months of the season.
Those things may not be on a stat sheet in a folder, but they are all happening. If the Red Sox continue to play down to their competition (like they did against KC, Baltimore and Chicago last month), they will have a difficult time. The Devil Rays improved their bullpen with Wheeler. Just having Wheeler and Al Reyes in the back of their bullpen makes late inning comebacks against them a little harder than usual.
Loren – Good point!
Thanks murphydog.
“If you read his posts and absorb the message you might learn something.”
I guess we’d all learn how to abandon ship and quit when the going gets tough.
Right??? A solid message!
How hard is it to apologize and say you were wrong about giving up and quitting??
Zaun would have been Ray Fosse’d if there was a play at the plate when A-Rod was coming.
Good morning, guys. Life is good, there’s no reason to argue. lol.
There was a time (14.5 back) when it looked really bleak. I was almost ready to hang up the pom poms for the season. That flicker of hope almost died out, but there was a little part of me that said, “C’mon these are the Yankees. There’s always a chance for that miracle Yankee run”. It was stop and go for a while, which can be just as frustrating. But lo and behold, what did the Yankees do? They turned it around.
They haven’t made it yet, but they definitely have a chance. They have the right attitude now, they want it more than the other team. The Yankees have no pressure right now, they can just go out and play ball. We’ll see how galvanizing yesterday’s game will be. Winning breeds confidence which breeds winning, even against the good teams they’ve yet to face.
What’s my point? Many of us felt like there was no way the Yankees could get back into the race, but we must’ve had some hope, right? Otherwise we wouldn’t keep coming back here, engaging with other fans who hadn’t really lost hope, no matter what they write on a blog.
I wish Kyle had done the dirty deed, then we wouldn’t have to worry about him coming into the game for 5 days. I also hope A-rod appreciates what Clemens did for him. He was pitching an absolute gem and at his advanced age, there may not be many more opportunities. He may also lose close to $900K. Wearing Pinstripes? Now that’s priceless.
Wang – 3.49, 13-5
Halladay – 4.13, 12-5
The Sox are a good team. Not every team can play great ball all yr long. They also haven’t had any injuries besides Schilling. That will catch up with them. No adversity to speak of. That will come. They are still the best team right now. But that can change in a hurry.
I’ve said for a week that Farnsworth was going to clear waivers with no problem.
Nobody is going to claim a completely unreliable headcase who has $7 M left on his contract.
This is no surprise at all.
Halladay is good but so is Wang.
I’d be more shocked if someone actually claimed Farnsworth.
First off, my cap goes off to Miguel Cairo. He was a class act and definitely filled a hole at 1B during a critical stretch.
Bruney, you’re upset and that is understandable, but get your act together.
Josh Towers, you are a bush-league quality pitcher who got tattooed yesterday. Tony Pena is more of a ballplayer than you will ever be.
Alex Rios, how is that bruise feeling?
Lanny, go away if you aren’t going to talk Yankees.
Meanwhile, Skip on First Take thinks A-Rod “deserved” being hit by the pitch. He’s quite a character. Maybe A-Rod did deserve being hit. But not in the knee. He did say the Jays went too far though.
Skip’s so polarizing with his views. I think he is paid to go strongly one way or the other. He’s no baseball expert, but he definitely makes me laugh constantly.
Would anyone else agree that the Jays have gigantic cajones to go out there and throw at A-Rod when Roger Clemens is on the mound?
How dumb can you get?
Why do you people get so worked up over blog comments?
Who cares?
99% of you are out of your minds anyway. Most fans are ready to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge after every loss.
Lanny,
You have derailed.
Who isn’t talking Yankees myrtle? I forgot you were the defense lawyer for the Quitting Crew.
A-Rod did deserve it. He got it in game 1. All the Yanks respected it because they knew he deserved it.
He didn’t deserve the one in game 2.
Is Farsnworth outta here yet?
Munsons Cap,
Actually, I usually jump of the Manhattan, but thats just me
You can make the case that Towers cost them the game.
Besides his crappy pitching.
We should be able to trade Farns. He’s just taking up space at $7 million. Trade him to the Phillies for PTBNL.
Does anyone really care if we win the division or the wild card? Just get into the playoffs and I’m happy.
E-ROC,
Maybe I missed something, but what does PTBNL mean?
Adam,
I agree. Get in the playoffs at all costs.
When it comes to the division, I think it is just an added bonus to see the Red Sox in their natural position: below the Yankees.
“Does anyone really care if we win the division or the wild card? Just get into the playoffs and I’m happy.”
extra home playoff games are nice. kinda dilutes the demand for tickets a little.
PTBNL is a top ten prospect. Not sure where I saw that list, but i KNOW i saw that name somewhere…
Player To Be Named Later
E-ROC,
Thank you.
Some say that bad teams lose the close ones.
Others say that teams with large run differentials (i.e. blowing away teams) are good ones. And that teams that lose a lot of close games are unlucky.
Early in the season, the Yankees were a good team that was playing badly. No matter how much the other team tried to give us a game, poor defense and the bullpen refused to take it.
Good to see the team back on track. There was a time when once they got behind they gave up. Now they won’t quit until the final out. That’s all we wanted to see, whether or not they make the playoffs. lol.
Some would say PTBN or PTBNL.
It’s pretty clear that Cashman is not going to eat $7.5 million. You might as well stop talking about getting rid of Farnsworth.
The correlation between run differential and wins and losses has been well documented. Teams records tend to end up around where the run differentials indicate they should.
IF we get in to the playoffs, I definitely feel a lot better when I look at our starting pitchers as opposed to the past 2 or 3 seasons.
The bullpen is something of a work in progress with all these newbies coming in. People talk about Joba being the next K-Rod, well, let us not forget how effective Mr. Hughes has the potential to be.
I cannot explain how much I love seeing these young guys in the pen and dugout. Duncan, Phillips, Hughes, Joba. A serious injection of youth and energy that this team has lacked for years. I also believe that having rookies to toy with and have fun with even further loosens up the clubhouse.
I love the “carry the candybag” story.
PBL,
Thanks. That bodes well for the team (and us fans).
I honestly don’t get the logic behind keeping him because of his contract size unless we are holding out for a trade opp. We are going to pay him $7 million either way. If we are a better team with someone else (Edwar and Britton, whose salary would not significantly change) then we get more for that $7 million by releasing him.
Amen Lanny,
Anyone who ran and hid behind their mommy’s skirt at the first sign of blood back in April has balls jumpin’ back on the bandwagon now.
If you quit, you quit. There’s no coming back when things get good again. Those of us who believed through thick and thin get the glory. The weak-willed softies who quit after one month of bad baseball (one freakin’ month!) get to live with the shame.
Roy Halladay vs. Seattle on July 22
IP H R ER HR BB K
9. 3 0 00 00 1. 3
“Duncan, Phillips, Hughes, Joba. A serious injection of youth…”
She-Dunc and AAAAndy aren’t young.
What’s with the candybag? I thought he had to carry the bag o’ balls, but it’s really candy. Do they suck on it while they watch the game?
They’ll probably keep Kyle through this season. Gauge the interest (if there’s any) from the waiver process and deal him in the off-season. They’ll take some loss, but can probably get a better deal in the offseason because no contender’s going to take him on. It’s clear he belongs in the NL.
Larry – player to be named later.
(why do I think I was late in getting Larry that information?)
We won’t have to eat Kyle’s whole contract just to trade him. We’ll have to pay at least half of the remaining dollars on his contract. I’m quite sure a team will bite like the Phillies. Maybe the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will want him.
what was towers line against the yankees supposed to be again?
I’d be more scared, Fear Factor, but yesterday you were posting fake lines about how badly Joba would pitch and whatnot. It’s their ace against ours, should be nice to watch if they’re both on top of their game and even better if theirs isn’t.
mel,
Evidentally the Yankees carry an equipment bag full of candy to the bullpen each game. The most recent addition to the team is responsible for carrying it out there.
Shelley Duncan was carrying it recently and commented yesterday about how happy he was that Joba now has the job
Adam,
I know Andy and Shelley aren’t ‘young’ but they are ‘younger’ than a bulk of the team and are off the Yankees farm. That is what I meant.
so no response to my Leiter question :/
Larry,
Thanks, I thought I read that the youngest reliever had to carry it. Maybe Pete can clarify? Very important question. lol.
Maybe they should carry a pinata of the other team’s mascot filled with candy and pitch at it.
SHe dunc is not young he still is 27 don’t bury him yet. also Phillips is 30 not 50..
joba and phil are 21…melky is 22 or 23 I forget and Cano is an ancinet 24..
the yanks minor leagues are the most stocked it has been if a LONG LONG TIME… they have like 4 good potential relief pitchers out for the yr…..
they have alot of talent at AAA, AA ,and A….
I figure from here til the 28th the Sox will pick up 1-2 games on the Yanks and it will be 6-7 up by the time they are in NY.
TOO FUNNY, DUDE !….Get ready to be WAY WRONG…by the time the Red Sox are in NY, they will have already given up the division lead, pal…..Up 6-7 games….YOU are a 100% Laugh Riot ! Have you seen the way the BoSux are playing ? They have been for almost 65 straight games, a simple .500 team and their pitching as of late ( starters and bullpen ) have failed them miserably… You think PapelPug and Gag Me are gonna get better ? They are both gonna be DL’d before the end of the season, IMO and then where will the RedSux be ? Hmmm ???
“Candy man”:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/sports/baseball/08pins.html?ref=baseball
Thanks, uh, …
I’ll comment first on Peter’s post:
wish well to Cairo. He was a good player – not great, but he served the team well. Unfortunately, the business aspect of competition outweighs the human aspect of competition. Especially in professional sports. Hope he finds a good fit somewhere. He deserves it.
Bruney’s just young. He probably realized what a good situation this was, and that he wasn’t doing anything to help. I say that with the additional sting that he helped last year’s late success. That has to hurt. So he’s upset. Hey, can’t blame him. I would be, too. At myself, at the organization for not sticking with me. Hope he can come around. I think he could still help us. Like the sentiment that’s been shared – hopefully in September for the stretch.
as far as SJ44 and any other posters that have criticized – hey, we haven’t done well this year. With the exception of the last six weeks… it’s been a rough go. And it’s the fans ultimate right to complain when appropriate. We all who devote a certain amount of heart and soul deserve to address woes once that amount of heart and soul start to hurt.
I echo other’s posts about SJ44 – he may be critical, but he’s a fan of the team like you or I. He doesn’t need to get blasted because the team’s doing well now. He’s articulating the fact that he’s happy that his team – your team – our team – is playing well, and winning. When they weren’t, he articulated that as well.
what’s astounding to me is that people just search for something to complain about. If it’s not the team, it’s some “fan” who once complained about the team… when they weren’t doing well. Huh? If he had gone negative at this point, then I would say some of you had a point. He hasn’t. He’s pleased… you’re pleased… we’re all pleased that our team is doing well. Why go negative and start jumping on the guy that he called a spade a spade… when it was?
I just don’t understand it.
be a fan. Be fans, together. Adopt Doreen’s mentality – “how ’bout them Yankees?”
okay.
off the soapbox.
go Yanks. Go get Boston.
The 2003 season opened with a Blue Jay catcher, Ken Huckaby,
dislocating Jeter’s shoulder. Jeter was out 6 weeks. He had to wait 10 minutes for Blue Jays medical assistance to get to him. Huckaby in full armor had run from home plate up to 3rd base to slam into Jeter. The Blue Jays should be reminded of this. I even heard Huckaby on a radio show after the incident saying he was entitled to do whatever he could to stop the other team.
sorry – I may have missed that whole argument, but I wanted to comment on it nonetheless. If I’m pass the prime time to write… well, so be it.
by the way – it’s no real secret that the youth on the team have contributed in a big, big way to the energy recently. I, like everyone else apparently, dig it. I hope it carries over… say, into October?
“Last night was the most enjoyable game to watch this season. Clinched another series win, saw the debut of Chamberlain, Rocket was terrific, and this team showed the kind of backbone that’s been missing since the end of the 2004 ALCS.”
Agreed. While its tough to say that it was one rockets best games, it was right up there. He was absolutely fantastic.
Play of the game: The slide. Worth the price of admission in and of itself. Plays like that are part of the reason why baseball is the greatest sport ever. A small nuance that most will never see, yet had a huge impact on the contest.
Chambermaid was good although I am cautiously optimistic. I appreciate the enthusiasm and certainly hope he turns out to be exactly what you are promulgating.
Ease up on Brower though. He needs and deserves a full look. I think he can be effective for us. Time will tell.
I think the plunking was actually very good for us. It will further ignite an already terrific team.
As I said when the yanks were 14.5 back, they are going to take this division.
The only question is who will the wild card be?
BJ
“Does anyone really care if we win the division or the wild card? Just get into the playoffs and I’m happy.”
I do. As a pathologic Yankee fan, I take almost as much pleasure in the Sux failures as our success. Nothing would top off another brilliant collapse than seeing them actually miss the playoffs after leading the division for most of the season.
BJ
Wow this thread has been fascinating!
Bandwagon, schmandwagon, who cares? Let’s talk about the team, huh? There’s a lot of good stuff happening!
The thing that stands out to me watching last night was this team has a fire that it didn’t the first two months of the season. The younger guys playing well, and their spirit has the vets loose and laughing. Although it got serious last night after the A-Rod beaning the were having a great time on the bench prior. Did anyone notice after Jorge was thrown out at second for the SECOND TIME, he was getting major grief from Melky. JORGE snapped at him and Molina had his windshirt pulled up over his mouth to hide the fact he was busting up laughing. It was great!Teams that are loose play better and the Yanks looked liek they really didn’t have any emotion earlier this year.
Also, Josh Towers is a punk with a big mouth. Baseball players have long memories. Towers is lucky he is in the AL and doesn’t have to face other pitchers (e.g. Clemens, or Pettitte) for the rest of the year.
I can’t get over how many feelings are hurt on this blog.
Everyone can and does contribute what they think to this blog regarding the Yankees.
Who is to say what should and should not be written on here?
Don’t take everything so seriously, its just a debate about the greatest baseball team ever. Agree to disagree.
susan mullen-
a catcher has a right to knock a runner off home plate. he doesn’t have a right to knock a runner off third. the umps actually blew that call because jeter was safe and then knocked off the base. no one on the yankees fought the bad call because they were more worried about jeter. in huckaby’s defense there’s not many plays made by the catcher at third. i think the giambi shift was on if i remember right so no one covered third. at any rate huckaby is dead wrong if he defends that play. i understand it happening in the heat of battle, but there’s no excuse for defending it now.
if he ever gets back to the majors, drill him… and then again so he knows it wasn’t an accident.
The bullpen won’t be right until Bruney returns. He can deal and maybe this time in the minors will help him regain his control.
So Bruney is the key to the pens success????
Maybe if he didnt walk a man an inning.
I’d like to win the division myself.
But as long as we get in the playoffs, I’ll be happy.
Can Bruney — assuming he says mad — refuse the assignment to Scranton, go free agent and sign with another team?
(however, that’d be cutting off his nose to spite his face, as the old saying goes)
(that’s “stays mad”, not “says mad”…
The Red Sox will win the World Series against the Rockies, Mike Lowell World Series MVP.