the thing that bothers me is when people do things b/c that’s the way it’s been done(tradition)….so everyone always feels the need to have a lefty in the pen, just because…if that lefty is any good, and can get out lefties, then sure, it’s not a bad idea…but if you have a righty to replace him, that’s a better pitcher than him, what’s the point of keeping the lesser pitcher around?…b/c that’s how it’s always been done?>>>>>>

I’m not suggesting that. Don’t think anyone else is, either. I haven’t read that anyone here thinks the Yanks need a bad LH pitcher in the bullpen. I think they need a GOOD lefty in the ‘pen, even two of ‘em. As of right now, Henn is one of the candidates and the pickins ARE pretty slim. But why not hope that Henn turns out to be good? As for the “tradition” thing, I think there’s plenty of data to support the idea that LH hitters don’t tend to fare as well against LH pitchers as they do righties, and that there are plenty of LH batters who can hit even really good righties better than they can decent lefties. Maybe it doesn’t matter, but I can’t think of ANY team in recent years which has won a WS and didn’t have at least one reliable lefty reliever–most of ‘em have had 2.

who knew the yankees were looking at Santana for the bullpen…

Fleas knew, obviously.

in a somewhat related story, i wonder how much better we could have done had rivera been used as a true relief ace rather than a closer….if the top of the lineup is coming up in the 8th inning, does it make sense to send out anybody other than your top pitcher in the pen? i mean, why take the risk of sending out vizcaino/gordon/farnsworth/whoever, just for the sake of keeping rivera for the ninth for the save, when the game could be blown in the 8th(or 7th)?

obviously, the best solution for this is to have a lot of great bullpen options, but the whole “closer” thing is a bit weird if you think about it…why is the ninth inning so much harder to pitch in? i dunno, i just feel as though rivera could have been better utilized…(and going forward whoever our bullpen ace is)

i wonder if girardi will bring some forward-thinking to the yanks…

No kidding, wasn’t there just a very very very great one on the trade block. I seem to remember that the Yankee’s had their chance to aquire a great lefty named Johan Santana..

Now we are saying that we need to give a garbage pitcher like Henn a shot because we have a dyer need for a lefty?

OMG.. I’ll say it again. Not getting Johan was a very BAD and DUMB move. I am not talking about trading Hughes either. He could’ve stayed.

My daughter is 2 1/2 and lefty, should I contact the Yankees? She could probably compete with Henn’s stats.

Hank said he may regret not getting Johan, he and everyone else will.

Jorge Posada said we need him.. Jorge knows the arms we have better than anyone else. If Jorge said we need him.. argue all we want.. but if that is what Jorge says, I’d bet on that.

&$%* Yes, I am still angry we didn’t get Johan and I have this feeling it is only going to get worse.