Game 1 is history (and a good thing, too)
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- October
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So much for Game 1.
But then the Yankees won Game 1 last year and what did that get them? Chien-Ming Wang was awful tonight and they lost. No further explanation is needed. It’s hard to win playoff games (or any game) with such poor pitching. It was the worst game of his career. He had never before allowed four walks and two homers in the same game.
Alex Rodriguez, meanwhile, is hitless in his last 15 playoff ABs and 4 of his last 43 with no RBI. Two ABs mean nothing, but it is what it is. The guy needs a big hit in October.
Back later with some audio and postgame comments.
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on Thursday, October 4th, 2007 at 10:22 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
The Yankees have won the last six Game 1s. It got them nowhere.
we’ll win game 2… bank on it.
Whoa:
There you go. I am sure the Yankees will come out better tomorrow. Besides, Andy’s back where he belongs. On the mound in October with the Yankees.
Go Yankees we’ll get ‘em tomorrow with Andy on the mound
1) Pettitte will dominate tomorrow. We will hit the righty Carmona hard.
2) Byrd and Westbrook at Yankee Stadium have no chance
3) Cleveland just showed us Betancourt up 9. If Joe did that to Chamberlain people here would be killing him.
4) The number of games the Yankees win this series. There will be no game 5.
Thats a classy job Pete. You know A Rod shouldn’t have even been the 5th story here.
It’s only one game and we have the ultimate bonus tomorrow. We have Big Game Andy Pettitte starting, which is definitely good news. There is nothing to worry about!!
Pitiful to watch….I hate when the other team walks our guy to load the bases,
and it doest come back to hurt them (A-Rod IBB in the 5TH).Posada swung at 2 balls in that AT Bat!
And Yes I would have bunted Jeter to move Duncan and Damon over.
I agree. No reason to mention A-Rod.
You know who stinks? Matsui.
“It is what it is” is a huge pet peeve on mine. It has no substance whatsoever and has been picked up by way too many people recently.
Disgusting game tonight. Wang really let me down.
yeah, did you NEED to try to show up a-rod pete?
please answer that.
Does this mean if the series goes to 5th game Wang will pitch the 5th game ON THE ROAD? That’s not good. Wang has been awful on the road. He is very good at the yankee stadium. This means Wang pitches 2 games(if the series goes to 5) and he doesn’t get to pitch at home. By the way Wang is something like 2.xx at Home and close to 5 away.
That’s one more dumb decision by Torre. And his explanation for pitching Pettite in 2nd game instead of 1st is as dumb as Lou’s decision to take out Zambrano after just 85 pitches.
Wow, didn’t realize it would be this tame on here, so far, compared to other places I’ve visited.
Guess if you lose, you lose uglily instead of heartbreakingly. Pettitte always seems to pitch better when his team is in trouble than when his team is on a roll. Don’t know if that’s just a coincidence or what, but you couldn’t ask for a better #2 starter, especially after a loss.
I’m pretty shocked neither pitcher was dominant tonight. That’s been the story of postseason games today, in contrast to yesterday.
The real question tonight is if we split the next two, what do we do? You cant start wang against sabathia in a game five and he is far far better at yankee stadium. So, can we pitch wang in game four at the stadium and pettitte in game five in cleveland if need be? That would be my solution but hey, Im no expert. But starting wright in game four last yr was a decision made by the experts and look where that got us to … another loooong winter.
As for game one, as I said before the game, the indians needed this waay more than we did. I like the next three matchups much more than this one. Especially looking at wangs numbers outside the stadium and sabathias second half numbers and numbers at home. All we have to hope for is that there is no and I mean no carry over into tomorrow as well there shouldnt be. If the offense, all of a sudden goes into a tailspin like it did last yr after game one, I will be f’in pissed. As they say, u r only as good as your next day;s starting pitcher. And I for one, like our chances.
We should have started wang in game three at home i guess…
We definitely didn’t win 2004 ALDS Game 1. I’m not positive about 2003. But definitely not 2004. Then we had a come from behind win in Game 2.
Mike F. I’m not Pete but i have an answer for you.
He didnt show up Arod.
Just simply stating his opinion. (And it is his blog last time i looked)
I agree that Arod needs a big hit in october. I think even Arod would agree with that.
Yeah .. Arod definitely gets a raw deal by the media in this city. But he shouldn’t have to be handled with kid gloves either.
yes, this was definitely A-Rod’s fault. If he doesn’t pop out in the 3rd, it’s a whole different game. It has nothing to do with Torre going with Wang despite his home/road splits, and then leaving him in too long, or Matsui playing despite his band knees and a dominant lefty on the mount. Nope, definitely A-Rod’s fault.
I thought Wang should have pitched at the Stadium in Game 3 as well.
Torre always says Game 3 is very important,especially when you might be down 0-2.
Wang is wonderful at Home.I would have thrown Mussina in Game 1,Pettitte in Game 2,Wang in Game 3,Clemens in Game 4,Pettitte/Mussina/Hughes/Everybody in Game 5
i just fear moose starting game 4. hughes was awesome tonight ( despite the solo shot)
are you guys comfortable with moose?
Jeter 0-4, 1K, 2 men left on base
Posada 0-4, 2 K’s, 5 men left on base
Matsui 0-4, 2 K’s, 5 men left on base
Melky 0-4, 1 K, 1 man left on base
Arod 0-2, 2 walks, 1 man left on base. And he’s the batter you single out?
Pete, I love your hard work, but tonight you get the gas face.
if we go to Game 5, Wang can’t go. he can’t pitch in hostile situations (away in a deciding playoff game)…Andy could go depending on his pitch count tomorrow. Andy can go on shorter rest, no doubt….at that point, you have to live for today and can’t think about tomorrow, b/c there may not be a tomorrow.
Yowza, that was ugly. Any word on Minky?
Why r u guys getting on arod, they didnt give him nothing to hit, he try his best all the pitches was in and in. If u say it was matsui fault that a different story.
Dont worry game 1 is nothing now if we lose tomrrow then we should worry
I heard that A-Rod was goin to “take the walks” if the opposing team was going to give them to him.
Why then would you swing at the first pitch in the 3rd Inning after Sabathia had just walked Abreu on an excellent AT Bat!!
Reminded me of previous Post Season At Bats.
I have this feeling that the Rockies are going to the WS this Year.And that was this morning.
Too typical a loss.How many times do we see these type of losses before something is done.This team has weak pitching, and an unbalanced lineup in which everyone wants to hit 600 foot HRs. Not a bat handler in sight. Old man Lofton outplayed every Yankee in the lineup. Leading the Majors in runs & homers is fine in regular season when most of these runs are scored against mediocre pitchers. Post season is entirely different…Just another embarrassing game…Who put together this pitching staff?
Shut up about A-Rod.
Its gonna be Pettitte, roger, wang, Pettitte
Cause it be normal rest
jeff, thanks i don’t like your answer and i stick by what i said.
there were SEVERAL guys that could have been pointed out by pete, but weren’t.
Matsui has been pitiful. Who woulda thought that the other Matsui (Kaz) would hit a grand slam with the bases loaded today while our Matsui looked like month old sushi at the plate.
if we are down 2-1 in game four I SAY Wang in game four and Pettitte in game five. This is our entire season we are talking about here – u cant give it to moose like we did wright last yr. You cant start wang in game five against cc after tonight’s disgusting performance. How could torre leave wang in sooo long that there was no way we would get back in the game and then, use our long man. Its what he always does and he never learns.
no offense, but the fact that the yanks havent won game 1 in past years and failed to advance to the WS is NOT a good reason to rationalise a loss tonight.
I like that perez and betancourt both pitched tonight so they prolly wont be able to pitch tomorrow. Tomorrow we can have pettitte go five, chamberlain two and Mo two and be fine with the day off on saturday.
Shut up about arod he didnt get anything to hit and if u want to blame someone for the lost its wang, matsui, and posada(swing at 2 balls in the 5th inning)
Wang certainly wasnt keeping his pitches down.When the Indians 2B Cabrera hit that shot to make it 4-1,I knew that he wasnt going to have a good game.
Anyone know how many pitches Wang threw??
Why pitch to ARod when you have Posada and Matsui swinging at balls? When they walked ARod to load the bases with only 1 out those two should have made the Tribe pay. They didn’t.
Wang should be grounded. Don’t use hime in ALDS again.
Hughes/Mussina for game 4 , pettitte for game 5 if necessary.
wang threw 94 pitches and 58 strikes
you’re absolutely right kubah. that was the tuning point in the game. if we’d gotten that hit there it would have been a different story.
Pettitte can go game 5 on normal rest if needed and if it gets that far. Game 4 would be short rest for Wang. If it gets to a Game 5 it’s got to be all hands on deck. Start Pettitte and then go from there.
Game 4 can be split between Mussina and Hughes with Wang also available. But having Moose/Hughes ready for 4 and Pettitte/Wang for 5 gives you two starters to go to in case there’s another blow-up.
win game 2 and everything is good to go.
Thank You Dave!
You are right Kubah…they should have made them pay…especially Posada…he had a 3-0 count
If we didn’t have Giambi sitting on the bench, there might a good reason for Matsui to be the DH in tonight’s game. I would like to know why he has to be in EVERY game. Why can’t he sit occasionally like everyone else does? Why does it take an injury to put him on the bench, why can’t the fact that he has been putrid at the plate and we have Giambi sitting there enough of a reason to at least have Matsui sit one GD game to let Giambi DH? And Matsui does not belong in LF where he cannot hold Damon’s jock either.
unhappy fan if we are down 2-1 u wanna give the ball to moose for a game four over wang? No way – look at wangs numbers in the stadium this yr. Wang had four bad games at the stadium this yr in total. Let up more than 3 runs in less than 6 innings.
Hey Peter what do you think of bringing back Wang in game 4 and Pettitte for game 5? Can you tell us if Torre is asked that and what Wangs stats are on short rest? Thanks.
i think we’ll all be feeling OK when we win tomorrow. i’m sure none of us were counting on winning against CC, but i for one am just a bit shocked at just HOW bad wang was.
especially sad after we had CC on the ropes.
Bank on this: If there is a Game 5 it would be Andy Pettitte on the mound in Cleveland.
If the Yanks are lucky enough to have a Game 4, it might be Wang on short rest.
Very hard to gauge this series after this awful loss. One thing though — after watching so many years of postseason baseball (too many to count) you get a feel about certain things. For example, Cleveland’s 2-out hitting was beyond ridiculous tonight. Meanwhile, the Yanks couldn’t buy a RISP hit. Those things tend to reverse if the series stays alive long enough (think ALCS 2004). Last season the Yankees mashed Detroit in Game 1, then lost a heartbreaking Game 2. I remember joining Kasey at that point in declaring the series lost. It just “felt” lost at that point and I didn’t think the Yanks had a chance in Detroit.
For that reason, I think Andy’s game is simple: Win, and the Yanks take the series. I honestly believe that.
IF Andy simply pitches “ok”, don’t be surprised if Joe pulls him after 5. With all this off time we’ve had plus the off-day on Saturday, Torre may very well pitch Joba 2 full and Mariano 2 full.
Its only 1 game and u not letting wang pitch again, are u on drugs u rather have mussina than wang? tell me why
Torre already said he’s not afraid of letting Wang pitch again.
even if we win tomorrow – u cant have wang pitch against cc at the jake in a game five. Not after tonight.
And why does Joe bring in the subs for Minky who at least has an excellent glove and gives us great “D”? Why didn’t he bring in the subs for Matsui? Is he afraid of some kind of an international incident? Does Matsui have something written into his contract that he cannot sit on the bench like everyone else? I could care less myself I just want the best Yankee team on the field with the best chance to give us a win.
They could have slugged out of this game. No? The RISP performance was awful and if it was better, then the whole pitching approach would have changed.
We won game 1 last year, how did that work out?
We just need Andy to pitch tomorrow and it will all be ok. I just wish A-Rod had gotten a hit in garbage time tonight to make sure he doesn’t turn the bat to sawdust on us. Jeter and Matsui too (although I would bring in Giambi to DH)
hes not afraid to let wang pitch again but would he be afraid to let wang pitch at the jake in a game five again? Id have to say yes. He is dumb at times but not that dumb
Pete
Would A-Rod like a hit. Yup. Did he get his butt on base twice tonight only to be left standing there. Yup. Hitless is never good but give the rest of the teams stats too. Like Jeter is 3 for his last 15 postseason at bats with 0RBI and 3 strike outs. Don’t get me wrong, Ilove the captain and am not harping on him. Just pointing out that you may not looking at A-Rod under the same microscope.
I have to agree that playing Giambi over the injured Matsui is more of an option right now.At least Giambi might walk,which would mean more pitches by the Tribe.
Damon and Abreu were the only offense tonight,the others stunk together not just A-Rod,I just couldnt believe that he swung at that first pitch,even after he walked in the 1st Inning.
CC was on the ropes….and they didnt do more to make him fall in the first.
I’ll post it one more time for posterity. retrieved from retrosheet.org
1996 ALDS – Lost game 1 vs Rangers, Won in 4
2000 ALDS – Lost game 1 vs A’s, Won in 5
2001 ALDS – Lost games 1 + 2 vs A’s, Won in 5
2003 ALDS – Lost game 1 vs Twins, Won in 4
2004 ALDS – Lost game 1 vs Twins, Won in 4
Posada and Matsui behind Alex tonight was just as bad for this game as Wangs performance. It really drives me crazy that 3/4 of our lineup refuses to shorten up their swing and just put the goddam ball in play. A few other nails in the coffin tonight:
1st Inning – 2 Men on, 1 Out. Jorge + Matsui blow it.
2nd Inning – Cano on 1st, 0 Out. Slumping Melky up and no sac bunt to move Robbie over?
5th Inning – Bases loaded. Jorge blows it, Joe fails to PH Giambi for Matsui and blows it.
And a whole game of failing to put hitters away after getting 0-2 counts early.
I can imagine Andy and Roger must be having quite the discussion tonight, i hope they come out the next two games and show the legendary stuff… Wang obviously couldn’t bear down and get it done, but i have faith in Andy and Rocket.
Yanks got to hit Carmona tomorrow, hopefully facing a power righty gets the long ball working for us. Also kinda feel better about Wang pitching the next game on shorter rest, i think he had too much tonight, don’t they say sinker ball pitchers work better a little bit tired?
Swinging at a first pitch fastball against someone like Sabathia isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The approach was sound, the result not so much.
Honestly?
It’s all because I didn’t see a squirrel today.
Blame me.
I’ll try harder tomorrow.
I would just like to suggest that sinker ball pitchers traditionally suck if they have a lot of rest. I guess we could get ticked at Gator and Joe for not making Wang worn out for this game.
Wanger will be much better next time (God, please let there be a next time!)
I agree no need to mention A-rod. We can go on and on about past stats and who did what and who should have done what. They didn’t play well collectively. There were many spots where somebody could have done something and nobody did. Better win tomorrow.
PETE ! ” Alex Rodriguez, meanwhile, is hitless in his last 15 playoff ABs and 4 of his last 43 with no RBI. Two ABs mean nothing, but it is what it is. The guy needs a big hit in October. ” *what the Heck is THAT all about ???* A-Rod could have hit a Home Run BOTH times they actually pitched to him and it would have made NO DIFFERENCE in this game. I truly pray that you are the only member of the NY Media that would have the big ones to mention that A-Rod went 0-2…That is just terrible…Do YOU personally want A-Rod out of town ? Wang, Posada, Matsui and Torre get ALL the blame for this loss. There was NO PLACE for a BIG OCTOBER HIT in this game and you know it. I am really surprised at you. Maybe you should think just a LITTLE more before you post something like that. With how terrible WANG, POSADA, MATSUI and TORRE did tonight…you bag on A-Rod ? Damn !
Andy Pettitte is as solid as a rock and we can definitely count on him for a good outing tomorrow. The offense should be able to expose a nervous Fausto Carmona. A big key will be how Posada and Matsui bounce back. Carmona will definitely be feeling some butterflies tomorrow, as this is his first postseason action. Pettitte’s been through it all, I expect a terrific performance.
A-Rod has absolutely NOTHING to do with this loss. Carmona should be the antidote for his postseason blues. A-Rod homered off of Carmona the last time he faced him, and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if A-Rod takes him deep in Game 2!
Just pitching in on the bright side (despite the dearth of rodents with long fluffy tails
)
Cano was very good tonight
Abreu was clutch, which surprised me
other than Hughes we didn’t show them any good pitchers
Wang’s 2007 numbers on short rest are OK, but better for 5-day rest:
4-days… 19gm 12-5 3.92 ERA 1.36 WHIP
5-days… 10gm 7-1 3.10 ERA 1.19 WHIP
Wang does get more double plays on 4-day rest (1.2 vs .8)
Career-wise, Wang’s numbers are similar.
Rebecca: you spend your entire day looking for those squirrels.
Yankees got this…
1) Our bats are going very good right now. Screw the missed oppurtunities. CC battled and that’s what good pitchers do.
2) A-Rod should hear nothing from any fans. Remember he got us here. Also, to walks aint bad. His 4th AB was just a product of being down 8 runs with noone on base.
3) Shelly Duncan can hit and has an eye. He’s not looking for the fences. That was a gianormous AB against CC, coming back from 0-2 to slap a hit the opp. field.
4) Andy has been our stopper all year long and will continue that trend. Although I do remember him escaping trouble against them earlier in Aug. but his experience will allow him to work without being flustered.
5) Wang is a good starter. Toninght was one of those nights. If his sinker wasn’t biting than players can sit on it until he lifts into the middle of the plate. He failed to keep his composure and it sucked. He will be better.
6) We all love that Joe T. has become entrusting to our young guns but he failed to put them in the proper position to suceed. That game was not out of hand yet. You bring in Visc. I don’t care if there’s no lead. They were up 7-3.
7) Hughes should be our starter for at least a game if we make into the next round. Unless Moose pitches very well. You gotta give the ball to the kid.
9) Tribe fans are calling Fausto their TRUE ACE. If this were so than he would have started today. Tomorrow is obviously a must win. Noone wants a rusty Rocket in an elimination game. We need to do exactly what we did today. Only this time get a clutch hit. And keep Clevland from smashing us. That was ugly.
10) That was a horrifying loss but I’d rather that than a crushing extra inning affair. So suck it up fans you know our guys in Pinstripes take this loss with a grain of salt. SO SHOULD WE. And remember we whooped Boston’s arse all over Fenway like 18-9 and they came back and fought hard in an elimination game no less. If we can’t do the same than this team just didn’t want it as bad as we thought.
Andrea: Trust me, I will. I just need one.
Rebecca – come up to Rockland. I must have seen a dozen of them this morning.
Thank you, Pete, for putting people in their place for giving up early. It’s one game, we overcame half a season. We are NOT done. A pitcher can ruin a game, not a series, don’t give up Yankees fans.
I feel like hell. I’ll be up either pacing or brooding all night.
I don’t mind losing but the way they lost hurts– both in getting blown out and in having squandered opportunities against Sabathia.
Moreover, Matsui and Melky continue to look abyssmal at the plate.
And Alex isn’t getting anything to hit. Which means whoever Joe hits behind him is going to have to hit. Whatever Joe does tomorrow at DH and 1B, he cannot bat Matsui 5th behind A-Rod.
ARod* is obviously at fault here. ARod* kept Wang out there while the Tribe hitters were hitting fly ball after fly ball. ARod* gave Posada the green light on a 3-0 count with the bases loaded. ARod* didn’t give his offense a chance by bringing the B team out of the bullpen in the 5th inning.
* replace with “Torre”
Yea Pete. Lay off A-Rod. I have no doubt in my mind he would’ve come through with a rbi single if they hadn’t given him that IBB. Lets keep the criticism where it belongs: deplorable pitching.
Watching the replays in the postgame, man i really can’t believe how high up in the zone Wang was, really was his WORST performance of the year, not even close most of the time.
Oh and Dbacks just went up 3-2 on the Cubs – anyone else out there REALLY REALLY REALLY hate those NL expansion teams? I’m gonna be sick if either the Rockies or Dbacks even get to the series, i just can’t get any feeling from them at all, its weird – they just don’t seem like real ballclubs, like poseurs or late additions, i just can’t respect them, i hope the cubbies and / or phils kick at least one of them out. Would’ve taken the Dodgers or Pads any day of the week instead of those stupid clubs. Bah.
com’n, you guys don’t make an determinated comments on any player on one game, so where’re your compliments to wang during his great performance all season.
Good Stuff Rusty!
I can see the point about a first pitch Fastball,but after a nice AT Bat by Abreu,and walking the first time up.
Not blaming A-Rod for this loss,but it angered me that he swung at the 1st pitch,and that Posada swung at 2 balls out of the Strike Zone.
TKin DC you are are right……sinkerballers do pitch better with less rest.Maybe they should have pitched Wang over the weekend like 2 innings on Sunday.
Forgot to add… on a positive note, Yanks win tomorrow.
“other than Hughes we didn’t show them any good pitchers”
who are you referring to besides Joba?
still looking good tho the O looked a little rusty.
folks, playing on the road is no biggie in a 5 game series.
just split, then come home and win.
I’ll take up and down Mike Mussina and Rocket and his sore legs and elbow over Westbrook and Byrd any day of the week in games 3 & 4 with one in hand.
lets go Andy!
Any good pitchers besides Joba? We didn’t use the Viz. Uh, there is also this guy that we have in the bullpen and his name is uh, Mariano Rivera. At least Torre didn’t use Mo to “get some work in.”
posada needs to step it up – im surprised he did so poorly tonight and swung at bad pitches – he had one of the best post-seasons of the team last yr and a career yr this season and certainly wasnt slumping last week. Matsui and Melky sucking tonight was no surprise- matsui is hurt and was horrible the last couple of weeks. Melky hasnt hit in a month besides one game, he shouldnt even be starting in the playoffs. The lineup tomorrow should be damon jeter abreu arod giambi posada matsui duncan cano. No bunching up of lefties and matsui can bat seventh instead of fifth so arod wont be pitched around.
I share your same thoughts Rusty……I dont like the D-Backs either.
I also think the TB D-Rays are a joke that doesnt even belong playing.
They will NEVER ever ever win anything.
we can use chamberlain and mo each for two innings tomorrow and they can still pitch on sunday – if we can, we prolly should unless its a blow out,.
Looks like you’re following the chorus Pete. It’s not all about A-Rod, it’s about the TEAM! C’mon, stay with us.
damn…whoa stole my whoa name. i’m not the whoa from up there, i’m the whoa from elsewhere.
Pete, please, don’t say anything about A-Rod like some so called Yankee fans do. 2AB, yes, 2AB.
If you have to say anything, did Jeter get a hit?
No blame tonight, Becca, not you, nor anyone. Whatever you do you have to remain positive. You’re the best cheerleader on this site, the most ardent and consistenly positive. Your faith alone always buoys us.
No assessing blame tonight, not for the manager, the players, nor the fans.
Keep the faith. I just have to stay on the land side of the Whitestone Bridge tonight, so I can see tomorrow.
Does Wang ever give post-game interviews. I love the guy but would like to hear from him more. I know he has difficulty with English but I have to believe their are enough translators in NYC who speak Mandarin.
Wang isn’t that good on the road anyway. Game 2 should have a different outcome. Pitching Betancourt in the was rather f-ed up, considering the game was out of hand. Look for Wang in game 4, IMO. Joe won’t have him pitch in game 5.
Hey Peter
Get off your high horse about “Chicken Littles”. You are not a Yankee fan. You just started covering the Yankees after covering the Mets and college (whatever sport) before that. Therefore, you have no idea the frustration Yankee fans have felt since 2001, so shut up. No, fans are not spolied, they’re just tired of seeing highest-paid Yankee team after highest-priced Yankee team playing like the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and teams with payrolls nowhere close to $100M outplay them in October.
Regardless of what the Yanks do this year, be it get knocked out in the first round or win the World Series, they need to get rid of ALL the high-priced veterans save Jeter, Pettitte, and Rivera, the three key components to the dynasty years.
That’s right let go of A-Rod and Posada. Buy out then let go of Abreu. Put Matsui on waivers like Boston put Manny Ramirez on waivers after 2003 so Seattle will claim him cuz they want the trinity of Japanese stars (Ichiro, Jojihma, and Matsui) as well as a DH. Trade Damon, Giambi, and at least half their salaries to Atlanta and the Angels, respectively. Atlanta will need a CF after Jones, so they’d probably take Damon for 2 years @ $6.5M/yr. = $13M (the Yanks pay the other $13M and clear $13M.) The Angels would probably take Giambi for a year and $13M (the Yanks pay the other $13M and clear $13M) to be their DH.
Bye bye Clemens. Trade Mussina for prospects. Offer Farnsworth and $3.75M of his $5.75M for 2008 to anyone who wants him, just get rid of him and clear $2M, earmark that for Vizcaino (offer him 2 years @ $4M/yr. = $8M.)
2008 Yankees:
C-Paul Loduca signed for a year and $6M
1B-Carlos Pena signed for 4 years @ $11M/yr. = $44M
2B-Cano
3B-Mike Lamb signed for a year and $4M (one year stopgap)
SS-Jeter
LF-Mike Cameron signed for a year and $6M (one year stopgap)
CF-Cabrera
RF-Milton Bradley signed for a year and $5M (he won’t screw up in Yankee pinstripes/ N.Y./ on the biggest stage in sports cuz if he does he’s done)
DH-Duncan for $400K (Let’s see what he could do in full season. Is 25 HR and 80 RBI from him impossible? I don’t think it is.
Cabrera/Jeter/Bradley/Pena/Cano/Duncan/Lamb/Cameron/Loduca
Bench: Molina, Betemit, Sardhina, Mientkiewicz re-signed for a year and $2M
Rotation: Pettitte, Wang, Chamberlain, Hughes, Kennedy
Bullpen: Rivera, Vizcaino, 5 new guys, all signed, NO ONE from the 2007 bullpen
“Any good pitchers besides Joba? We didn’t use the Viz. Uh, there is also this guy that we have in the bullpen and his name is uh, Mariano Rivera. At least Torre didn’t use Mo to “get some work in.â€?
im pretty sure the indians have seen rivera before.. hes not exactly an unseen new novelty pitcher like joba at this point… viz… meh.
Irate Rooter is nostalgic for the Stump Merrill Yankees. LoDuca? Lamb? Cameron? Bradley? Is Mel Hall going to be the manager? Isiah Thomas for GM?
Utilman – yeah dude. 2001 WS not-withstanding, i HATE the dbacks. and i hate Bob Brenly (Dbacks skipper in 01) , the fact that i had to listen to that douche all night irks me. Someone in the booth said something about the Yankees “Aura & Mystique” and he responded by laughing and saying “Well, you know how i feel about that”. Lynch that jerk.
I don’t know how MLB can keep a straight face when contemplating wether or not the TBS broadcast team is giving a fair assessment of the gameplay, how many Yankee fans were watching tonight and completely insulted to how the game was being called? I’m sure they lost a good chunk of the NY market to the radio broadcast tonight… not that they give a damn.
But yeah, back to expansion teams, when you have the opportunity for the Cubs, Phillies, Yankees or (hate to say it) Red Sox go to the series, you have like 400 years of collective baseball history and it feels REAL. Dbacks? Rockies? Sure, the teams can play ball, i wont take that away from them – but as baseball clubs, theyre so friggen lame, just totally blase and lame.
Ellen: It’s a wee bit hard; I’m in Syracuse!
(If you’re anywhere near Pearl River, say hi to my cousins for me =D)
The Cubs need to win. They’re my backup team to root for.
Kill Schill–
Wow.
That just…
I think you might have just made me cry, or something.
I will go and hide now.
Irate Rooster. You gotta be kiddin me dude. Youre gonna sign Carlos Pena to a 4 year deal cause he had one incredible season after doing absolutely nothing but striking out constantly for his entire career (hes been in mlb since 2001). And mike lamb instead of alex? milton bradley instead of bobby? paul lo duca instead of posada? yeah, those guys will definitely put up similar numbers… holy christ thats retarded.
Also, Irate Rooter, how are we going to get Carlos Pena? You have a duffel bag and a van ready to steal him from the Devil Rays?
ok whatever im letting go for the night, too wound up. gonna go have a few cold ones and build a shrine to andy pettitte. peace y’all
go yankees. get some tomorrow. scalp the tribe.
Milton Bradley is one person who will NEVER be a Yankee, I’m pretty sure about that. Yeah, he would be just wonderful for team chemistry. But if the Yankees are looking for an immature hothead who responds adversely to authority, then Bradley is the guy to get.
poor irate rooster, how’s that lobotomy workin’ out for ya?
I also don’t see how Posada wasn’t part of the Yankees dynasty. He was more or less platooning with Girardi in 98 and 99 and our everyday in 2000. Drove in 86 runs in 2000 as well. Not too shabby for a backstop.
that post by the rooster made me embarrassed to be a yankee fan.
“Cabrera/Jeter/Bradley/Pena/Cano/Duncan/Lamb/Cameron/Loduca”
this would be an AWFUL lineup.
like easily a 3rd place team behind Toronto.
you are an idiot.
pete pete pete…why must you and the rest of main stream media ALWAYS bring Arod into the story when he has nothing to do with what went on, good or bad, in the game??
if arod went 2-4 tonight, would he still need, as you put it,”the guy needs a big october hit” from your post? NO cause tonight wasnt his fault or nearly about him…as mentioned by the others, tonight was all about posada, matsui and wang…thats it!
Irate rooster pass the crack pipe.
Can anyone explain the logic of putting Hughes into this game?
And, if you do use him, why on Earth would you hand the ball to Olendorf ahead of Hughes.
I’m baffled by those moves. Absolutely flummoxed!
Arod is not responsible for this loss tonight,period !!!!!
Matsui should benched. We need a bonafide DH WHO HITS.
Oh, yeah… And I guess Kenny Lofton showed Torre what kind of player he is…
Tonights loss was 100% on Wang. All of his pitches were up, except for a few in the dirt. He’s a groundball pitcher and there was only FIVE groundballs hit! It happens, but the timing does stink.
That said, Posada had some awful at bats in big situations, which is very out of character for him. How do you stike out with the bases loaded at a 3-0 count?? IMO he shouldn’t have even thought about swinging until he had two strikes. C.C. was tired and on the ropes and surely would have walked him.
Matsui and Cabrera are completely LOST at the plate! I do think Joe should have DH’d Shelly tonight. Many of you are saying Giambi should have batted DH, but his bat has been ice cold in September and I would have gone with another righty. Can’t sit Cabrera IMO because we need his arm in center, Indians would run from 1st to 3rd all day on Damon, but somebody better help him rediscover the plate discipline that made him a much better hitter before September.
Hughes should have relieved Wang before things got out of hand. It was clear Wang was off. That’s on Joe.
Lastly, I do look forward to Alex getting a big hit and an RBI ASAP to rid him of the playoff demons. Once he breaks through, I believe he will get hot. The longer it takes the harder it will be for him. However, in no way do I hold him accountable for tonight’s loss. He really never had a decent pitch to hit.
All of that said, losing the first game doesn’t particularly worry me. Andy’s more likely to come out strong tomorrow after the loss tonight. That’s his make-up. I do think Joe should consider Wang on short rest for game four since he does seem to pitch better at home. He could be on a short leash since Moose and Hughes would be available for long relief and Andy could pitch game 5 (if necessary) on regular rest.
Irate Rooster:
Crack is whack, bro. Watch out for the cops.
It’s A-rod’s fault. There, that was easy. Who cares if the Yankees era is like 7 in their last 13 playoff games.
Wang gave up 8 runs bt if A-rod would have gotten a hit Wang would have just given up 5 and not look like the batting practice machine out there.
I think Arod is getting a raw deal in this city. But going after Pete for suggesting that the guy needs a hit in October just strikes me as very silly.
He is just writing the obvious.
I think there are more important issues yankee fans should be discussing besides what pete says about arod.
cheer up yanks and supporters,
Ynaks is gonna knock Youkiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiillis out of town next week….wait for s Youkiiiiiiiiiiiiiiillis,
Youkiiiiiiiiiiiillis,,we KillllllllllllllllllllYou!!
Kill Schill-
“I am very upset not to be able to win the game for my team.” This is what Wang told the Taiwanese media after the game. Wang is a man of few words in any language.
Ah, c’mon, Pete. I understand that there is an unwritten law that requires all beat writers to shoehorn A-Rod into the postgame analysis, but this remains fairly unpersuasive. Posada and Matsui were the stories here — at least those that didn’t focus on Wang. Or maybe you’re just warming up in case he actually deserves criticism in the future?
Might want to reset your default settings.
Have faith. The Yankees will prevail in 4. The worst thing people can do is bash A Rod. Without him, we are not here. Without him in our lineup, we won’t win. He’ll be fine as the series progresses.
Wang was terrible. His sinker wasn’t sinking, his slider was hanging, and he couldn’t throw his fastball for strikes. He wasn’t “extending”, and even the commentators were remarking he therefore wasn’t “finishing” his pitches! Why wasn’t he pulled FINALLY after giving up ANOTHER hit to the leadoff batter in the 5th, and the score 4 -3 with teh Yanks still in it? Why was Matsui (who just had his knee drained and hasn’t gotten a hit in weeks)even started, that goes also for an injured Mankiewiecz? Why was Hughes WASTED late in the game? Why didn’t Jeter bunt with 1st & 3rd and no out? Why was Posada given the “green light” on 3 – 0 with 1 out and the bases full—when Sabbathia was over his ptich count,had lost the plate, and was on the ropes?
Why?? Because “Clueless Joe”, the worst manager in baseball once the game starts no longer has teh ability to be bailed out by O’Neill, Brosious, Bernie, Girardi, Chili Davis, Tim Raines, Cecil Fielder, Mariiano Duncan, Darryl Strawberry, david Justice, not to mention a host of similar SELF-MOTIVATING players who never needed Torre to do more than fill out a lineup card!!!!!!!
HUH!!!