It’s Nick Green’s world
-
- March
- 16
The Yankees topped the Tribe 7-6 on Nick Green’s two-run single in the bottom of the ninth. Down 6-4, the Yanks scored three to win.
A few notes:
* Mike Mussina and Mariano Rivera will pitch in a minor-league game on Tuesday when the rest of the team goes to Virginia Tech. Jose Molina will catch them. Hideki Matsui also will stay behind and play in that game.
* Scott Patterson hasn’t allowed a run in six innings.
* Andy Pettitte is a go to start tomorrow.
* Joe Girardi said he invited Jim Leyritz into the clubhouse. “He just wanted to say hi to some old friends. He was in the area,†Girardi said. “He’s going through a very difficult situation. It’s tough.â€
More comments from Girardi:
“I think he’s going through a hard time. I don’t think it’s a situation anyone wants to be in. … The way I look at it is that all of us have probably done things that we regret. Some might be considered worse than others. Obviously it’s a very sad story and situation, but I don’t believe you turn your back on people.
“He’s a friend to a lot of people and my heart goes out to the guy. He’s got three kids. Who knows what’s going to happen. My heart goes out to the lady. It’s not an easy situation.â€
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on Sunday, March 16th, 2008 at 4:56 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
You know, you just had to go say that about Scott…
Re: the Leyritz situation – It is a tough call. What do you do when a friend has done something wrong – terribly wrong? If nothing else, his being in the clubhouse may serve as more of a warning to some of the players than any number of lectures from MLB or the Players Association.
I’m not happy w/ Leyritz because of a number of things, one key thing is he had the dirtiest comments about Alex last season, meanwhile off the field look how karma comes back at you. I understand he’s Girardi’s friend but I don’t have to like him.
as for Patterson you heard it from me first
Scott Patterson is the right handed Okijima
meanwhile LAL came back
Oh, Girardi. I’m disappointed. Yes, he’s going through a a very difficult situation, but he the victim’s family deserves the sympathy, not Leyritz. He made a horrible, life-changing decision.
Brandon: Score? It’d be cool to see Hou go to 22-0…
Patterson deserves a LEGITIMATE shot at the bullpen. He has great K numbers in the minors!
* Scott Patterson hasn’t allowed a run in six innings.
And most of the time he came in with men on base and closed the door.
none of the inherited runners scored.
58 – 62 Rebecca HOU
my god T-MAC make a damn basket ! FINALLY !!!
Andy ready to go tomorrow. Best news of the day.
Thanks Brandon!
Mel-
While driving drunk is terrible and by killing someone you’re considered a murder, while I agree to that fully and he should get his jail time for doing that, his old friends and teammates don’t have to turn their back on him.
and for the record I always tell my friends to not drink and drive its a terrible thing to do, but I have no problem with Girardi inviting him.
So do they trade Yao Ming in the offseason?
YankeesBen,
I don’t have a problem with the team welcoming him, I had a problem with Girardi making the comment for public record.
Yes, he’s in a tough situation, but totally self-inflicted.
brandon- what did he say about alex last year?
YankeesBen,
It’s not about turning their back on him. They can all go out to TGI Fridays and have a burger after the game/training is done for the day. I don’t think any of us would have a problem with that.
But allowing a former teammate who drove very drunk and was involved in a crash that killed a woman to walk into Spring Training and hang out around the kids feels wrong.
However, if Leyritz was there to give a little talk about the dangers of driving drunk, that’d be a different story.
If he was there to catch up with old friends and talk about old times, it should not have happened in the Yankee clubhouse. Not while he is awaiting trial for what he did.
Yes, he’s in a tough situation, but totally self-inflicted.
Ok so add that to Girardi’s comment.
Let’s go Rockets, I’m going on Friday night vs Golden State.
today beckett threw “pain-free” but still won’t be making the trip to japan
i’m not a conspiracy theorist type, but i think this whole back spasm thing was blown way out of proportion just so he wouldn’t have to go. they don’t want him getting all out of rhythm with the jet lag and all.
do i think he had some back trouble? a little .
but i think it’s a stunt.
I never especially liked Leyritz and consider him a lousy human being for driving drunk, but I don’t have a problem with what Girardi did.
MikeEff-
you may have a point there, but if so than you have tolook at Pettitte’s not pitching against Tampa the same way.
“Oh, Girardi. I’m disappointed. Yes, he’s going through a a very difficult situation, but he the victim’s family deserves the sympathy, not Leyritz. He made a horrible, life-changing decision.”
It’s actually pretty easy to expand your horizons to the extent of having sympathy for both. You seem to be implying that sympathy for Leyritz is somehow depriving the victims’ family of some of their due sympathy.
You’re right, of course, that it’s totally self-inflicted. So what? So to hell with him? You can’t feel sorry for someone in this kind of a mess if it’s his fault? (Hint: yes, you can.)
-brandon- what did he say about alex last year?-
it was really nasty and snide remarks about him being a Yankee I’ll see if I find the MP3 audio of it
P.S. Rafer is killing LA
patterson impressed me today
patterson impressed me today
Didn’t an autopsy show the woman that Leyritz killed was drunk herself?
Or am I making this up?
I’ll go back to something I posted in the previous entry. I was alluding to it.
Question if you remember. Did we have to send the entire team when we opened in Japan? Or if guys wanted/needed to stay behind could they?/did they?
Rebecca yes you are correct. She was more than twice the legal limit.
Didn’t an autopsy show the woman that Leyritz killed was drunk herself?
Or am I making this up?
Rebecca you’re right on that. She was.
But two wrongs does NOT make one right.
JWN,
I’m not going to get into it with anyone, but I don’t feel sympathy for either party. They both got in cars and drove while under the influence. Now, I feel some sympathy for the family of the victim because she didn’t deserve to die. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time in spite of her blood alchol level.
Mike Eff,
you might be right. And it’s the right thing to do anyway. The Sox are smart to hold him out.
also, it looks like both Japan games are home games for Oakland and away games for Boston. To be fair, shouldn’t they each have 1 home game?
Patterson has the kind of ability that makes him worth the risk. Lane, on the other hand, is playing himself into a wasted roster spot with an unrepresentative spring hot streak. Every day he bats, and every day he bats higher in the line-up. Is there any chance at all that he still doesn’t make the team?
mel- I got your point now you’re right it is very sad for the family.
Yes, the victim was apparently drunk, too.
Yes, they both did stupid things, things people should have told them not to do, things they should have resisted doing on their own.
Yes, Leyritz still should and will be punished.
Condemning people for doing stupid things just doesn’t mean that they deserve whatever they get. Nor does recognizing and asserting the stupidity or ‘wrongness’ of their act mean that we’re somehow wrong to see a bunch of people suffering and feel ordinary, basic human compassion for them.
Neither Leyritz’ stupid, irresponsible act nor the tragic result of his culpable negligence, nor our recognition that there should and will be a comeuppance, requires us regard him with blank stares of judicial condemnation, dogmatic ostracism, or just plain hatred.
wow what a game
LAL vs HOU is getting tense, hands to face, shots getting hit in thier face, this is a game
So who’s grabbing the last spots for the bullpen?
Long man, lefty, righty
Looks like Traber’s gonna grab the lefty spot. Could Patterson beat out Karstens for the Long man?
yankee ben; missing a game in florida is slightly different than getting out of an exhausting trip to japan, dontcha think?
Patterson beats Karstens blind folded mel
22 BABY !!!
Brandon,
I realize that Patterson’s pitching better, but is he built for the long man role? I don’t know much about Patterson, like what pitches does he have? Can he log in 2-4 innings in a pinch?
good point Mel but I just don’t believe Jeff
Brandon,
I like to support all the Yankees, but I have to try really hard to be positive about Karstens & Rasner. They’ve had tough breaks with injuries, but I just can’t rah rah for them otherwise.
Last 3 bullpen spots as of March 16th:
Traber, Patterson, Ohlendorf (long man)
Obviously, things could change with two weeks remaining. Hopefully Cashman uses some righty pitching excess talent to somehow coax Marte away from the Pirates.
Tiger is 5 for 5 on the year. Amazing.
I know mel
OH YEH AND THE ROCKETS ABOUT TO MAKE IT 22 IN A ROW !!!
Why is the guy on the lackers fouling someone?
LathamJoe,
I like your “Little 3″.
Some info about the minor leaguers.
http://yesnetwork.prospero.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=yesnetwork&tid=40178
We also signed another catcher it is in the bottom of the notes.
Girardi can parse it however he wants, but inviting Leyritz into the clubhouse wasn’t in the best interests of the Yankees organization. So when does Clemens get his invite?
Brackman’s vehicle has also periodically disappeared from the Yankees’ parking lot, and at least once, his car keys have been frozen in ice.
Why did we sign another catcher? We’ve got plenty. Oh, that’s right. Cervelli the non-descript A-ball catcher’s out for 2 months.
oh god Latroy is going too far w/ this
So what’s the over/under on the Houston win streak?
gee what’s more exciting
watching the 19-46 Knicks
or NCAA bracket
Streak ends at 22.
Brandon, my heart is still broken. I can’t look at an NCAA bracket without wanting to cry, it’s like baseball playoffs without the Yankees or hockey playoffs without the Devils…
(I’m feeling Pitt and Clemson right now.)
May be it is just me, but Tracy Mcgrady has really sad eyes.
Rebecca I’m a St.John’s fan
My two teams are Duke and UCLA. Sadly, one of them’s probably not going very far.
Brandon, at least then you didn’t have the expectations!
Mel, sure, but the other one will.
Meanwhile, Syracuse got shafted last year, we weren’t even supposed to be a bubble team last year! And this year, it’s our own fault we missed the tournament but we had SEVEN guys that could play.
SEVEN.
Rebecca,
Why only 7? Injuries or suspensions? And where in the world is Jerry McNamara?
Rob,
I keep waiting for him to lick his eyes.
mel: Injuries. In fact, Scoop Jardine had been suspended, but he was brought baack because no one else could play.
And GMac graduated in 2006.
LET’S GO SIENA SAINTS!
hey does anyone know the yankees broadcast schedule. I checked their site and all it has are espn and fox games. which ones are on my9 and yes?
I don’t really have a problem with Leyritz visiting.
http://aroundthemajors.blogspot.com/
Let’s go Saginaw State Mighty Golden Hawks!
Jay – on the Yankees site pull up the 2008 printable schedule (in Adobe format). Open it up and it has the season on one page with the broadcast network listed for each game.
OH GOD !! WHY AM I WATCHING THIS KNICKS GAME I SHOULD HAVE CALLED IT A NIGHT AFTER THE ROCKETS GAME !!!
Cashman said about Lyritz: “He ran into Joe (Girardi) last night and that’s all it was.â€
Poor choice of words, no?
“his being in the clubhouse may serve as more of a warning to some of the players than any number of lectures from MLB or the Players Association.”
I agree, Joe. How many of us know friends and family who sometimes get behind the wheel when we’re not sure they should? One way to take meaning from tragedy is to grow, and help others avoid your horrible lessons. Let’s hope the Yankees (and all of us) do.
Brandon, are you familiar with the concept of masochism?
How many of you out there have ever drove after having a few drinks? Probably most, especially when we were younger and thinking “nothing could possibly happen to me”. Those of you who have NEVER driven after drinking, props. I know that I look back at my days when I was younger and think “why the hell did I drive home?” Just stupid and I’m fortunate.
As for Karstens vs Rasner.
Career #’s.
Karstens
57 1/3 IP
67 H
36 ER
20 BB
21 K
5.65 ERA
Rasner
52 1/3 IP
52 H
24 R
15 BB
26 K
4.13 ERA
Rasner has about 7 or 8 innings in the NL. I like Rasner as the long man and that’s from seeing all of the outings for both of these guys with the Yanks.
Bad Scooter,
I guess its a good thing the stats for 57 career IP don’t create a strong enough argument for keeping or not keeping a guy. nor is it even close to being enough to make a sound decision. The Yanks would be in trouble if your stats actually meant something.
If the decision on the long man had to be made today, I’d go with Patterson with either Bruney or Ohlendorf holding down the last bullpen spot.
Neither Karstans nor Rasner have pitched well enough to have the edge in the competition. Rasner didn’t pitch well at all today.
Still a few more weeks and we’ll see who seizes the remaining spots on the staff.
The thing I like is the fact that guys are going to have to pitch their way onto the roster. Nobody has an edge due to experience or any political BS.
I also like that Girardi never talks about guys, even guys who we know will be on the roster, being “set” with a roster spot.
Its all about competing every day and that’s what will make this team better as the season unfolds.
Pete, it appears your UConn friends will be joining you next weekend. Huskies are the #4 seed playing SD on Friday, and if they win, the Davidson/WKU winner on Sunday.
Sorry Rebecca, but SU was snubbed again this year.
Onkel Bob: Honestly, I’m more ticked off about getting snubbed last year. We did ourselves in this year losing to Villanova in round one of the BE Tourney. Speaking of which, in my four years at Syracuse, I don’t think we once beat ‘Nova, though I missed all of last year when I was abroad so I could be wrong on that.
my picks
I have UNC, Clemson, Pitt and UCLA in the final four.
What do we have to go by Dave? They have both been up and down this spring. Like I said, I’m just going by what I’ve seen when both guys have pitched in the big leagues during their careers. Rasner has been more consistent, while Karstens has been up and down. Is that good enough for you?
Jim Leyritz made a life changing mistake which he will pay a hugh price for. Everyone makes mistakes and I commend Joe Girardi for embracing him. Classy move.
SJ44,
When our starter gets knocked around early or is injured can Patterson come in in the second inning and pitch 4 or 5 innings and save the bullpen? I’m not sure what Patterson’s history has been as far as how many innings he’s used to throwing. I know Rasner can do that.
There is nothing worse than for a manager to have a predetermined or set roster in spring training pretty much announced.
The competitive edge is taken away and players wondering why they’re in camp to begin with.
Joe Girardi wnats to break camp with the best 25 players he’s seen and has not used the word “locked” in any sense.
There’s 12 pitchers competing for 3 spots and 6 position players looking for 2 spots with 2 weeks remaining.
Bad Scooter,
Agreed. Not much to go on yet but the stats are almost useless, especially for Karstens. They are certainly not very useful in comparing the two.
That said, I like both Rasner and Karstens in that role. If Patterson earns and deserves the job, that would be outstanding.
Boston Dave – Do you know if Karstens has options left if the Yanks decide to send him to AAA?
A long reliever needs to have a certain flexability and mindset toward the role and understand that his amount of innings can vary with each appearance unlike a closer’s mentality and a starter’s routine between starts.
We really haven’t seen Rasner show the ability to throw 4 or 5 effective innings.
In the games he has pitched for the Yankees, he seems to have a couple of good innings, then he gets rocked.
Its basically been the same for Karstans.
Patterson has pitched multiple inning games on multiple days in the minors.
I think the big issue is, which guy can be effective with infrequent work? If our long guy is working frequently, we will have some big problems! lol Rasner and Karstans have been starters throughout most of their careers. Especially in the minors.
Sometimes, that doesn’t lend itself to being sharp when you work infrequently. Especially for touch and feel pitchers like Rasner and Karstans.
Patterson has been a relief pitcher his entire career. He is used to working a lot and working infrequently.
Its a tough call right now. That’s why I’m glad there is a few more weeks before a decision has to be made.
Fran,
I am 99% sure that they can send him down. I am pretty sure they’d lose Henn (of the bullpen guys) and that’s it. Pete or someone else may know all of this for sure.
here is my source:
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/02/out-of-options.html
by having leyritz in the clubhouse, a media event was created. it’s now a story on espn and elsewhere. it doesn’t seem like a smart thing to have done. whatever good it did for leyritz’s spitits will be counterbalanced by having the story resurrected in the media again.
unless he wants to make his job harder, girardi will have to learn not to fan the media fires unnecessarily .
Boston Dave – Thanks for the site. And by the way I don’t really think that Henn would be a loss!
randy l,
It was sort of selfish on Leyritz’s part, huh? He put his good friend Girardi on the spot.
Completely agree with Bad Scooter about Rasner vs Karstens vs Patterson. I think Rasner is better than Karstens. Patterson has had a great spring, but it is after all only 6 innings. He’s almost 30 with out major league experience. Patterson is definitely intriguing, but I’d be more inclined to not use him in a LR/spot starter role. To me he fits if someone like Bruney falters or someone gets hurt.
I thought Rasner’s day was decent, not great but certainly not awful. He gave up a dinger to Sizemore who had a great day. The second run scored on a comebacker that he should of caught. Other than Rasner’s bad outing against the Reds he’s been dependable.
Maybe I look at it differently than most…
Leyritz, if he had any class would have told Girardi, “Thanks but I don’t think I should go” when he was invited to the clubhouse. However, I think that seeing him would make remind others of the hazards of driving drunk. Here’s a guy who made millions, had a nice career and threw it all away because of a stupid mistake. That is a powerful message to the young players.
I don’t know how others feel about this but if you get that drunk, you have a drinking problem. Hopefully he will get a fair trial and also address his alcohol problem. BTW I am not trying to be a moralist here. I enjoy a glass of wine regularly but let my wife drive if I’ve had more than one.
Well, Patterson hasn’t been a reliever his whole career, just his entire career in affiliated ball.
http://barnstormers.wordpress.com/2007/01/25/pattersons-prospects/
Boston Dave is right about Karstens he has options left. Sean Henn should be concerned. By adding Billy Traber to the 40 man says the Yankees are very interested in him. If Henn doesn’t make the 25 man, he could be claimed by any other teams because he is out of options.
It’s nice that Leyritz is out and about but Fredia Ann Veitch, unfortunately, is still dead, her husband is a widower and her children have no mother.
I feel bad for Leyritz but I feel worse for the life he took.
No joke.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/1228072leyritz1.html
The Jim Leyritz situation was a wake-up call for me. Sadly, I never thought twice about having a few pops and driving home. After the Leyritz accident, I haven’t had one drink when I knew that I would be driving. Even though I have never met him, this is the “closest” person to me that ever was involved in a situation like this and it hit me hard. I have no doubt that seeing the “King” take a walk of shame through the clubhouse will impact at least one player the same way that I was impacted. A tragedy for both sides in this mess.