See you later, Chain of Lakes Park
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Mar 25, 2008 
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This will (hopefully) be my last time at Chain of Lakes Park. The old ballpark has seen better days and the Indians are bolting town for a new facility in Arizona.
A snake crawled through the press box here last year (no kidding), it’s near impossible to get on line and the visiting team clubhouse is the size of your living room. Other than that, it’s a wonderful place to cover a game.
As for the Yankees, Darrell Rasner allowed a three-run homer by perennial prospect Andy Marte to lose the game. Jeff Karstens or Darrell Rasner for long man? Flip a coin.
Ian Kennedy battled and kept the Yankees in the game. The lineup continued to mash. It’s just about time to get back home.
Rush hour traffic on Route 4 awaits. Catch you later.
With the Indians and Dodgers moving to Arizona, how many teams will be in Florida vs. Arizona next year?
Aren’t the Reds supped to be moving too??
I know Joe wants a long man, but do we really need to take a long man just for the sake of having one? He wouldn’t take a lefty just for the sake of having one, even though Traber looks like he deserves a spot on the team. As far as Karstens or Rasner, I’d go with neither. They both stink, and when the purpose of being a long man is to eat up innings, you don’t serve much of a purpose if you can’t at least get guys out. I’d rather take someone like Britton or Patterson and see what they got. Maybe that way Joe could find another secret weapon in the pen.
Pete- Rush hour secret: Just keep thinking COLD BEER, COLD BEER. It’s very Zen and it works wonders.
Hi everyone. Happy 2008 Baseball season.
Snakes are kind of freaky, no joke.
igawa will end up in the long-relieve role… just watch.
I think he wants a long arm to protect the pitch counts on the rookies. Or, he misses the good old days of Eric Plunk.
Michael Kay is reading some stuff from the Canseco book. I hate to say it but Arod sounds pretty guilty.
I have a good feeling about the season………. There has been a squirrel in my house, but there will be plenty a squirrel in the house that Babe built (for the last season)
that’s already a rushed judgement Jax. If it were like that plain and simple Alex would have admitted it by now, heck the Yankees FO would have had him admit it, especially after the Pettitte fallout
Bigif,
Normally, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But it does make sense with 3 rookies and a veteran who struggled for a stretch last season as the majority of your pitching staff.
As one of the regulars said here, economical pitching is often the last thing young pitchers master.
So while it’s not a do or die, it’s probably better to have a long guy as part of the contingency plan. It makes sense to have someone who can do a spot start.
If it came down to Rasner or Karstens, I’d reluctantly take Rasner.
And hopefully, one day soon, the training wheels can come off and eliminate the need for a long man for insurance.
Cubs sign Reed Johnson
Milwaukee released Claudio Vargas
Final 3 spots in BP?
How about Traber, Ohlendorf and Patterson?
The Big “O” can do mop up duty…
Mo, Joba, Hawkins, FarnsWORTH, Traber, Ohlendorf, and Patterson
Rebecca,
Did you see the original ‘Indiana Jones’? There’s a snake scene in there that’s just, ugh. Of course, nothing beats ‘Snakes on a Plane’ as implausible as it was.
I am thankful that both Karstens and Rasner have remained healthy and equally miserable this spring. At least the front office has now had somewhat of an extended look at the two. Personally I would not expect much from either other than mop-up work. At some point this season one of the young guns will be promoted and will at least be able to fill the roll better than either of these two. Just my opinion.
Hopefully you’re right, because Canseco has been right about everyone who he’s named thus far.
Roger Clemens not at the party Jax ?
http://www.newsday.com/sports/.....6697.story
Jax–that’s newsday’s report on the copy they obtained. It proves NOTHING.
Damon is having a crummy spring.
Before today’s 0-4, he was 233/283/349 in spring training.
He claims he wants to be one of the top players in MLB but he is running out of time and excuses.
Jax–he might be right about giving Alex the phone number, but how does that prove that Alex did steroids?? Even if, for the sake of argument, he’s telling the truth, all it proves is that Alex was curious. He was 22 or 23 when this happened. Canseco said “late 90s.” So what? He’s curious and he gets the phone number. Rocker already said that he’d swear on a bible that Alex had never done steroids.
jk–Jeter’s having a crummy spring, too. Are we panicking?
If it were like that plain and simple Alex would have admitted it by now, heck the Yankees FO would have had him admit it, especially after the Pettitte fallout.
You can’t be serious. Do you really think A-Rod would admit such a thing?
The guy’s legacy is on the line and he ain’t admitting anything.
I don’t believe he’s ever touched the stuff, but to say he would just admit it because of the “Pettitte fallout” is beyond ludicrous.
maybe it’s the way that it is presented by book 1 I believed Canseco from the get go, book 2 comes off as an ax to grind, I don’t see it. There are too many missing stories here, ok devils advocate, trainer from Toronto so we can assume McNamme ? or is it another guy from Toronto ? Canseco has an agenda here but it might not be what we think.
Eliz, not panicking, just an observation. I would cut Jeter a lot more slack than Damon. Cashman went out of his way to say Damon was out of shape last year. A 632 OPS, before today’s 0-4, is not a good response to the GM calling you out.
mel; Haven’t seen it. Snakes don’t freak me out on TV, but I don’t want one randomly appearing in front of me!
Andy Marte? Ouch.
I’d reluctantly take Rasner over Karstens too, but I don’t understand why the job can’t go to Patterson! Girardi did say he was good for multiple innings, no?
As for the whole Canseco/Alex thing, wake me up when he is being accused by someone with some credibility. I couldn’t possibly be less interested in or concerned by Jose’s whoring for cash.
Also, off-topic, but with the Jays releasing Reed Johnson, will Stairs (our least favorite Canadian) play LF every day now? Just wondering for fantasy ball purposes.
canseco is a degenerate…his credibility flew out the window with the admittance of his hatred for arod…even if he introduced arod to the guy, it doesnt mean anything
anyways, i’d go w/ igawa for the long man…i know, it seems crazy, but i have absolutely no faith in karstens and rasner…they dont even have potential…igawa at least has that upside, and has the ability to miss bats(plus he was really good in japan at least)
The main reason I don’t believe Alex has ever done roids is that something like that would be easy enough to prove if he had. Say it’s McNamee (McNamee, Max….pretty close). Canseco would have told Mitchell about that, no? We know he spoke with Mitchell’s goons. So why wasn’t Alex on the report? My take: they got in touch with the dealer and the dealer said he’d never sold a thing to Alex. I really believe Mitchell Report was the one chance Canseco had to implicate Alex and the proof wasn’t there.
BTW, I once met a drug dealer at a high school keg party in the late 90s. Should I reserve my spot at the Betty Ford Clinic now or later?
LOL…that’s pretty much how ridiculous Canseco’s accusations or insinuations are. I’m not going to pay him much or any more mind, it is a waste of keystrokes to even type about his broke, desperate butt.
If A-Rod took roids, it would have been on the front page of the Mitchell/Redsox investigation of the Yankees.
Well, that’s not my MAIN reason. The main main reason I don’t believe he’s done the stuff is that I just don’t. He’s been talented and powerful his whole career and I truly believe he wants to play the game the right way.
Karstens and Rasner are both huge mistakes if either comes north.
They are not major league pitchers.
I don’t know why the organization believes that just because these two are stretched out and can pitch more than an inning means they will last more than an inning when needed with their horrible stuff.
I just can’t believe we’re going to waste a spot on guys who the team is basically admitting defeat every time they come in.
Let an OF pitch. Let Shelley pitch if you’re going to give up.
Letting Karstens or Rasner come into a blowout game or a game where the young guys hit 100 pitches in the 4th is just going to cause the team to fall into a deeper hole.
We need outs from the bullpen. Not sacrificial lambs.
Give the spots to Ohlendorf, Veras, Patterson, etc. Not these “long men” who only get outs when the other team gets tired of swinging.
LaTroy Hawkins musing on the importance of Spring Training:
From Chad Jennings SWB Blog:
“Over in Triple-A, LaTroy Hawkins walked the lead-off batter, then struck out two in a row, walked another guy, then got a fly out to end the inning. When he was done, Hawkins said he walked the clean-up hitter on purpose after he went down 3-1 in the count. That clean-up hitter was a huge guy named Val Pascucci who hit 34 homers in the PCL last year. No since risking a two-run shot. One of the New York reporters asked Hawkins if this spring training has been about as good as he could have hoped, to which Hawkins gave one of the best, most honest answers I’ve ever heard from a baseball player.
“Spring don’t mean sh**, dude.”
Is it possible for a player to become one of my all-time favorites based on a single line from the only interview I’ve ever heard him give? I think so. Hawkins was laughing with all of the New York writers who came down to watch him throw. Seemed like a great guy.”
SWB Blog
This idea of letting or making a position player do mop-up duty is a perposterous hypothesis.
Jimmy: That’s awesome. Love the honesty.
Why wasn’t this in the first book? It’s pretty “juicy” information.
Chain o Lakes Park used to be the home of the Red Sox. It was outdated back then.
One ST park that could soon be disappearing is Al Lang Field in St Petersburg. There’s so much history there that it’s a shame to tear it down. Especially since they will level it to make room for the Devil Rays new ballpark that is locally unpopular due to the parking situation and environmental concerns about filling in part of the harbor.
If Arod did roids, they sure were effective long after testing has been implemented because he is mashing stronger than ever. BTW, maybe he just needs to boost his intake a bit around late September this season….JUST KIDDING!
G Love,
I agree with you. I had hopes for Karstens and Rasner, but Patterson and Ohlendorf are better options.
Rebecca I like the “dude” he tacked on at the end.
G. Love–I agree with you, but I’d take Traber over Veras. Veras’s control is virtually nil.
Yeah, A-Rod has never exhibited any sudden changes in his physique, numbers or demeanor that would elicit any suspicion of him using PED’s. I think I’ll trust my eyes and my human powers of logic on this one rather than Canseco’s desperation for $$$. Also find it very shady that all of a sudden he has all this inside info. about the 2 guys who just happened to finish at the top of AL MVP voting.
Oh, and I love the Hawkins quote, lol. I was so mad when they signed him, but between this and sporting the Joba Rules tee, I’m starting to like him in spite of myself.
“Give the spots to Ohlendorf, Veras, Patterson, etc. Not these “long men†who only get outs when the other team gets tired of swinging.”
Sweet! Then we can continue the pattern of burning through 6 relievers in a game that we lose! That worked really well for the pen last year, so let’s try it again!
All you need to know about the Canseco book is that his editor from Sports Illustrated, Don Yeager, quit the project because there was no plausible eveidence against A Rod.As matter of fact, when he quit he said there isn’t enough information there about anybody for a book, period.
Whozat–Or we could actually try to WIN games in which we’re behind, rather than giving the game up and making some mop-up guy (Henn, Karstens most notably in 07) take the loss and eat the innings. If we burn through 4 or so relievers but win the game, is that such a bad thing? Say it’s Kennedy who can’t get out of the 3rd. Then we have Wang the following night who can get us through the 6th or 7th.
I want Traber too. I hope he makes the team.
I just don’t want us to waste a spot on Karstens or Rasner.
I don’t think either of them would make the Nationals, Orioles or Marlins pitching staffs. Why are they going to make the Yankees.
As for the idea of letting a position player pitch mop up, I’d rather do that than carry a pitcher whose sole job is to mop up.
Here’s what’ll happen in the mop up games. Karstens will come in and get no outs and get spanked and then Girardi will have to trot out to the mound and bring in a reliever to bail out the long man.
I don’t understand the logic of the GM and manager who think two guys who don’t have major league stuff and have trouble getting outs, are going to come into blow out games and suddenly get outs.
whozat,
Our options are pretty slim. You can be sure our bullpen will look different by the All Star break. But the pen they are taking to New York next week is only 4 men deep, if you include Farnsworth.
you guys are way off on the long man theories.
if karstens or rasner give you a 4.5 – 5 ERA, its fine.
teams need that role. period.
as SJ44 has said on numerous occasions, if ‘long men’ were good pitchers, they would be starters and not long men. it is a necessary role and you cant expect them to be lights out.
every team has at least one guy who can do it. you can’t just plug a traditional reliever (ohlendorf, veras, etc) into that role.
BBB.
Don’t forget that he’s the official “Punked” dude in the clubhouse. He’s been torturing Brackman all spring. I guess he figures he’ll be long gone by the time Brackman will have any status in the clubhouse. Either that, or LaTroy’s crazy. I wouldn’t mess with Brackman.
whozat,
there are many people on this blog who are quite knowledgeable about the game.
after reading this thread, i wonder if im the only one reading their posts.
Steve
Starting Next Spring there will be 16 Teams in Florida
and 14 Teams in Arizona
Kay is comparing Sox/Yanks Staffs … welcome to the discussion Mike
Boston Dave,
“every team has at least one guy who can do it.”
Who is that guy on the Yankees?
I’ve read that a lot of teams have interest in Brian Bruney. He has a good arm and it’s the classic “we can make him better” scenario. You wonder, with Bruney still having options on his contract, if he wouldn’t be trade bait.
Jimmy: dude, I know!
“If we burn through 4 or so relievers but win the game, is that such a bad thing?”
You’re assuming that Karstens/Rasner will give up more runs in four-five innings that four guys will give up in one/two innings each. This is far from certain.
Bring on a short reliever to get you out of the jam, and then bring in the long guy to eat some innings. If he fails…fine, bring in your short guys if you still think you can win.
Look…the point is that keeping the load off your short guys so that they’re fresh in games that you have a higher probability of winning, you’re better off overall. You don’t manage every game like it’s game 7 of the world series. Having Rasner to burn in a losing cause so that all hands are on deck for tomorrow’s game is worthwhile…and, he’s probably decent enough to keep you in the game for a turn or two through the order. Sometimes he won’t. Sometimes he will. Like last time out.
All you have to read into Conseco’s statements is that Arod tried to hit on his wife. Its personal. All credability is out the window.
“But the pen they are taking to New York next week is only 4 men deep, if you include Farnsworth.”
What? Mo, Joba, Hawkins, Farnsworth, Patterson/Bruney/Veras/whoever, Traber, Long Guy.
5 short relievers, a LOOGY, and a long guy. How is that 4 men deep?
Look…we’re looking for someone to go 3-5 innings and give up 0-3 runs. This is not a great pitcher we’re looking for.
Isn’t Ramiro Mendoza still available? lol
Rebecca- Yankee faithful have been saying this for months. Its about time people stop saying things like “sox have a far superior staff” and the Yanks are untested.
Its going to be a great season – if it ever starts.
Are you named after Rebecca DeWinter? Great Movie
“You wonder, with Bruney still having options on his contract, if he wouldn’t be trade bait.”
Man, I hope so. I really don’t think he’s going to ever figure it out, so I’d love it if they could get some A-ball prospect with upside or something like that.
I say bring in Pavano to pitch(as the long man) left handed. He needs to earn some of the money he’s stealing. After the year is over burn the number. Noone should ever wear the jersey again.
And no on Igawa. Till he can prove to us that he can pitch well in the minors.
oh were you talkinf about Hawkins – dude?
I think Traber’s a lock. Patterson’s looks like a real fireman, but they might take Bruney to reward whatever, whatever (you know getting back to ’06 form). Third spot goes to Rasner or Karstens.
These are not personal choices, just what it seems like they’ll do. I don’t know why Cash & Joe don’t just read this blog. We certainly know our relievers!
whozat,
Chill man, I’m agreeing with you.
Our pen consists of Mo, Joba, Hawkins and Girardi’s faith in turning Farnsworth around.
Ohlendorf has shown some potential. Bruney has a good arm,but cant throw strikes.The rest of the pen goes downhill from there.
Bruney—–1 Option remaining
Henn—–0 Options remaining (Heard last night that he has been injured)
mel,
Youre right. Patterson has shown enough in ST to warrant a look. We may have to trust he can carry it over.
Something will shake out by June or July. Perhaps a Horne or Melancon will be brought up. We could have Humberto Sanchez back as well. We’ll just have to stem the tide till then.
Drive 4-5,
the yanks are in pretty good shape with their bullpen with tons of possible options in the minors. that doesnt alleviate the need for a long man.
i am not professing to know who the best fit is, just that it is a necessary role.
i think too many people who have no clue, who look at ST stats, are saying that both Karstens and Rasner are helpless and can’t get outs. that is not the case.
is Kyle Snyder much better? he was a key part of a WS team. was he good? no. but he filled a necessary role for the Sox.
again, if long relievers were great pitchers, they’d be starting somewhere. these are guys who can give you 3-4 innings or a spot start if needed and give you (hopefully) an ERA in the 4.5 – 5.0 range. anything better than that would be outstanding.
Jimmy: Nope, though I’ve read the book. Named after great grandmother’s sister.
again, to steal a line from SJ44, it’s unlikely Patterson gets the call. It’s quite a jump to go from AA to the bigs.
he does look pretty good though and it would be fine with me if he got a shot.
as pete said, its prob going to be karstens or rasner. both of those guys should be adequate. forget the ST #s. and remember that its not about being dominant. its about eating up innings with a reasonable ERA.
Pavano was seen on a few occasions standing in the back of the dugout during the National Anthem.
The next time he’s seen pitching in NYC is popcorn to pigeons in Battery Park.
“Ohlendorf has shown some potential. Bruney has a good arm,but cant throw strikes.”
Patterson’s gotten every single out they’ve asked him to get.
They will be bringing guys up and down all year. This is how you build a pen…try a lot of options.
Seriously…we’re fighting over the long man and the last short reliever slot. We should be ELATED that these are our problems. Sox fans are worrying that their fifth starter will be Colon or Tavarez.
whozat, I love the optimism!
Boston Dave,
I’ve like Karstens since ’06. He throws strikes. But he needs to work the corners better.
The problem with the long reliever’s spot on the Yankees roster is the innings limitations placed on Phil & IPK. It’s a unique pressure on the bullpen.
I think IPK would have been perfect this year in that role. He could get 120 – 140 innings easily in long relieve and spot starting. It would have taken a lot of pressure off him. People forget that he’s only had 3 major league games worth of experience.But of course, we would have needed Joba to work as a starter in order to do that.
It will be interesting to see how the bullpen situation plays out.
Why would Conseco not go after A-Rod in his first book if he is so guilty? Sounds like someone just needs more $$$$$
Drive: Ian seems to have first inning jitters. I don’t like him coming out of the ‘pen, for that reason.
There should be plenty of competition among pitchers at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to see who shows the most in being called up to the big team.
For most of them, their salaries will see enough incentive to want at least a partial share of postseason winnings.
Rebecca,
You might be right. Iy’s hard to tell with only 19 innings experience under his belt. I just like the idea of breaking him in slowly. He could have been the ’08 version of Ramiro Mendoza..pitching 130 innings out of the pen.
Three Pitchers That we could see getting a call sometime during the season:
Dan Giese
Scott Patterson
Scott Strickland
Don’t forget that Hughes goes to the pen. Joba to the rotation and hopefully can call up a fireballer to replace Joba in the pen. Is it to much to hope for lighting in a bottle 2 years in a row? Of course that means someone goes down.
Does anyone know if Patterson is 23 or 28? One website said one thing and a different one was the other. I was just wondering if he is a young prospect working his way up, or 28 still in AA for years and things are just starting to click??
Drive 4-5,
maybe IPK would be alright in that role but from what I’ve been told, it’s not just a matter of telling someone they’re going to be a long reliever. its a transition just like it is from the bullpen to being a starter. some guys arent able to take the ball whenever they are asked and pitch 3-4 innings. IPK may be the type of guy who needs routine since he’s done that his entire college and brief pro career.
whozat, cheers to that!
Rebecca,
yet another MA vs NY rivalry battle on ESPN… i know who you’re rooting for
utility man,
no doubt… im sure there are others. its nice to have so many options. at least some of them should pan out.
UtilityMan: Scott Strickland?
That’s the name of the head of our history department! That’s the guy that’s on my thesis committee!
Rebecca,
I hope that’s not an omen!
Former Met,Expo.
Funny How names repeat.
I once knew a Dennis Miller Jim Morrison and Kenny Rogers!!
CaptainsCorner
Scott Patterson 6/20/79 so he is going to be 29.
Gotta love the arrogance of people on the blog who just because some of us don’t want a sacrificial lamb/long man in the pen and would rather have a better impact arm in the pen, we’re idiots.
Congrats. You’re so much smarter than the rest of us. Where should I send the framed certificate?
Signed by Yankkes on 6-17-06 out of Independent Baseball.
Nice Birthday Present!!!
Rasner gave it up after Woodward booted what should have been a game ending gb. It’s not an excuse but it’s not the first time we’ve seen a pitcher do that. He didn’t look horrible other than that pitch IMO.
I need one person for person for the fantasy baseball league!! PLEASE IT IS STARTING TONIGHT!!!
You’re headed back to NY? What about the rest of the st games!
Patterson is 28 and has had it figured out for a few years now. It just took a while for someone to give him a chance as an INDY baller with no previous affiliated experience. He doesn’t have anything left to prove in the minors. Let me start in New York and see what you have, it isn’t like he’s 22 and still learning how to pitch. He can help NOW.
UtilityMan: Thanks..That would explain why he is still only in AA. He has only been pitching in the minors for a short amount of time.
BBB
I was thinking the same thing. I’ve talked to people I know do drugs. AM I a druggie because of it?
G Love,
no need for a framed certificate. you are just as entitled to your opinions as i am to mine. i am no expert, though, one of the reasons I enjoy this blog is because there are some very knowledgeable people who post. on this occasion, it seems your opinion is at odds with most of them. that’s all. no big deal… though Girardi says he wants a long man, most teams do, so I guess you are at odds with the MLB teams as well.
““Spring don’t mean sh**, dude.—
Great quote, with extra cred coming from someone having a great Spring.
jennifer,
are we short a player in the Pete Abe Blog 2 league??
In #1. One person needs to drop out.
Can you do a 9 person league?
No it has to be 10 people. Plus I can’t figure out how to invite a new person or delete him! UGH!! Maybe I should disband it and start a yahoo one./
jennifer,
i wont drop out unless you have a replacement. i will at least make an effort if not.
so since the draft is about to start, i will play. dont worry about it.
can you just set the draft for that team to autodraft? He’s be like a dummy team. You might need their login & password to do it though.
I’m not sure I can get someone to join on short notice.
I also hope everyone remembered about the league. I sent out an email reminder last week.
I don’t know this is the first time I am the commish. And we’ve always done auto draft. I would assume whoever isn’t online at the time of the draft would be done auto.
Good luck to everyone in their leagues:) I hope it all works out and you have fun.
i hope so too. i am already in the draft room.
i have the 4th pick!
Drive 4-5 and G Love,
I may have to draft Karstens just to spite you
or maybe thats not a good idea…
jennifer,
We had our draft last Friday im my epsn league and it autodrafted for a guy who couldnt make it. I bet CBS does the same.
LOL Boston Dave. Best of luck with your draft!
I pick 8th!! UGH!! i am always one of the last to pick
Boston Dave,
how do you tell the draft order?
jennifer,
what round are you drafting Phil in?
It says across the top, and if you hold the pointer over it, it gives you the name.
once you enter the draft room, the order is at the top
it looks like some teams are set to “auto-pilot”
Jennifer: if you tell me how to do fantasy baseball, I’ll try it out. As long as it’s not one you have to pay for. I don’t know enough about it to have that kind of commitment.
No you don’t have to pay.
You just set your team based on who is hot, who is pitching that day.
Dave do you want me to try and add andrea instead?
Jennifer: I’ll do it. I’ve been flexing my fantasy baseball muscle all month so I can draft with my eyes closed now
I am in the second blog group. I am picking 3rd. It does say you can set for autopilot if you need to be away from the computer.
haha, now you havea whole lot of volunteers!
10803244882@baseball.sportsline.com
I can’t remember the password.
I think it was peteabe or yankees2008
For whoever got the invite do you remember the password or have the email.
The password was peteabe.
I don’t want to take the last spot if Elizabeth wants to do it and actually knows what she’s doing. Let me know if you need someone though!
Thanks fran.
I don’t know if dave wants to back out but andrea or elizabeth do you want to see if it works.
Or fran can you post the link to join.
I’m in if you give me a link!
Why does my gut tell me Syracuse is going to find a way to lose this game?
Anyone still have the link?
Sorry I didn’t save the link once I registered.
My take on the long-man question (for what’s it worth):
Karsten/Rasner/Igawa as long man for now. Then, when Joba goes down to Scranton in mid-July to stretch out to the starter’s role, bring up Mark Melancon from Scranton (who they are planning to be ready for NY at that point) to replace Joba on the big league roster.
Later on (late July-early August), when Joba has been re-conditioned to go 6-7 innings, bring him back, and put Joba in Phil’s spot in the rotation. Phil then goes to the long man role (thus keeping his innings in check), replacing Karsten/Rasner/Igawa. That person then goes back to Scranton or is dealt.
Any thoughts?
Joe: Big waste of Phil’s talent.
Rebecca – Too many years of watching unsuccessful, game-ending foul shot contests intermixed mixed with cautious last-minute play is why you feel that way. At least it is for me. With the exception of ’03, that was often why all the SU teams that were contenders eventually lost.
Phil? Long man? Uhhh … No.
But Phil needs to have his innings capped, no?
Jimmy,
Hawkins quote should be tacked to the top of this blog from now until the end of spring training. He, in a nutshell, described ST.
At this time of ST, veterans could care less. They are ready to go, bored out of their minds, and are just looking to go north and start the season.
Soon, we will be in the “bowl games” phase of the ST calendar.
That’s what I call the Marlins series because its a moneymaker for both teams.
Guys, don’t sweat ST. The Yankees have come out of ST as good as they have in years.
Defined roles in the ‘pen. Tell me another team that has a better 8th-9th inning combo than Joba and Mo. Please don’t tell me Boston because Okajima can’t shine Joba’s shoes.
That alone is worth the 4 wins the Yankees didn’t get last year to overtake Boston.
The longman is a meaningless role on the team. Its only going to be in place until the schedule thins out, they get a read on the young starters, and Mark Melancon is ready.
Right now, its a necessary evil and its not going to decide the race. Its like saying Kyle Snyder will decide the race for Boston.
The bullpen in July will look different than it is now.
This is a really good team. If Giambi stays healthy, nobody is pitching to this team.
The difference between last year and this year is, they won’t burn 4 guys to finish a game in which they had a 5 run lead into the 7th. They also have a manager who will be much more aggressive in his style of play. We have seen that this spring.
This is going to be a fun team to watch. They just have to stay healthy. That’s the key.
You can’t have Phil as the long man.
Longmen can go a week without pitching. You ruin his conditioning.
By July, they won’t even need a longman.
Too much discussion over the most meaningless spot, over the course of the season, on a team.
Its a temp job until others are ready to go. That’s all it is.
Anyone see the Vindicated excerpts talking about A-Rod?
All right, all right….
Eric Duncan has been umm
Sundays game: 3B/1B 2-for-5, 3B, 2 RBI, run
Mondays game: DH 2-for-3, RBI, run, BB
Todays game: DH 3-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs, run
Ranting Guy: Thanks for that very insightful explanation.
Dunno about the rest of you guys (other than SJ) but I can’t WAIT for this season to start. Even if this year there are some growing pains, we’ve set us up to win for years down the road.
We wouldn’t have that if we traded for Santana.
Michael I saw it and it comes off as an ax to grind book. SNY bought a copy and read a few passages it just has too many holes in it.
I’m going to go cry in a corner now.
Thank you, Syracuse.
Rebecca noooo I told you about Cuse’ don’t fall for it
When Don Yaeger passes on it, its worthless.
He’s the best sports investigative reporter in the business.
If he thinks there is nothing there, trust him not Conseco.
Conseco has hated Alex for years for a lot of stupid reasons. Mainly, Alex won’t finance Jose’s hairbrained ideas.
Its just nonsense and not even worth commenting on it.
Rebecca – There’s a reason why the NCAA has a rule about non-shooting fouls late in the game are automatic 2-shot fouls instead of 1-on-1′s. The ‘non-intentional’ backcourt foul on a weak foul shooter who would always clank the font end was the easiest way to get back into a game.
Case in point: Late 80′s Syracuse backup power forward Derek Brower. The guy had to have shot less than 40% from the line. Some coach like Lou Carnesecca would be trailing Syracuse by about 12 or 13 points when Brower would come in with 2:00 left for garbage time. Lou would immediately send in one of his last bench players, with instructions to leave Brower wide open until he gets the ball, then run up and hack him before he could pass it. The other 4 guys were instructed to go all out in preventing any player other than Brower to receive the inbounds pass, and they were always stuck on the other 4 guys with velcro. When the hacker off the bench fouled out, Lou would send the next bench warmer in for his minute of cheap fouls.
I can’t tell you how many times (but it was many) an opponent’s bench warmer or two would foul out in a minute and a half after scoring no points, but they suddenly got their team back into the game or winning with half a minute to go.
This got so lame the NCAA finally changed the rule so Brower (well it seemed it was made just him) would get two chances and sometimes he’d even sink one. I don’t remember the rule on keeping posession, but if it was clearly intentional the foul-ee’s team could keep the ball. The Brower strategy had to have something to do with that rule too.
A snake crawled thru the press box last year? You mean Mike Lupica?
damn… somehow i missed all sorts of posts about a lohud fantasy league forming?
someone should have Latroy have a talk with Joe Maddon
There will be growing pains this year. However, these are the good growing pains because you know the younger players will improve.
They have too much talent not to improve. Lots of teams would love to have Cano, Cabrera, Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy on their rosters right now.
Maybe its just me but, I would rather deal with talented, younger players with upside, than trying to squeeze another season out of guys like Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield, etc.
Its not the road you want to go down these days in baseball.
Stay close early, learn from mistakes, and be ready to make a big move in July.
In case no one has noticed, the Yankees spend just about the entire month of July at home. That’s “moving month” for them this season.
Stay close, make a big push in July, and play solid second half baseball.
If they can do that, they will win the division this year.
SJ44 they said if Yager thought something was there he wouldn’t have passed it up, I mean he’s S.I.’s top reporter the head honcho & they also backed Canseco once and it got S.I. sued from what I hear.
SJ–Thanks for the insight. Hearing you dismiss it as nonsense makes me feel better, even though I never doubted Alex. It’s still reassuring.
there’s a lohud FL ?
Erm….*seeing you dismiss it, that is.
Jim Clark: Indeed.
SJ: I did notice that. It’s great timing though, don’t we historically play really well in July? How awesome would it be if we just lost six games all month? Probably won’t happen, but if it did…
They had the best second half record in baseball last year.
Just have to get off to a better start. I think they will this year.
Lots to like about this team. Especially when, unlike previous years, they can reach down to Scranton for reinforcements in case things go awry.
Its a LONG season. Lots of ups and downs.
However, they are FINALLY back to building a team the right way. Now, a little patience is needed from the fan base and things will work out just fine.
hey SJ44 -
have you heard anything about betances this spring so far ? I read on chad jennings blog in his comments that he has looked fantastic but I can’t find anything to back that up … I know you are down there, have you seen him yet ?
SJ–Not just in the second half. From May 30th (The “Ha” game
) on!
Hey SJ – Aside from Pavano, how is the team’s crop of Tommy John rehab arms progressing? Any setbacks? What’s a reasonable pecentage of successful comebacks to look for from them collectively?
I doubt the expectation is 100% or close. Is 50% of them getting back their full potential what the team’s looking for?
‘looking for’ and ‘expectation’ not being the same … I’m thinking realistically here.
SJ44
As usual, great words of wisdom.
This team is going to be fun to watch. I’m willing to give them a year or two to mature, but with this lineup, I don’t think they will need it.
A question in my mind is the role of Joba. Will they get too comfortable in his eighth inning role? Turn him into the next Mo? Not develop his stamina and secondary pitches enough?
I think the answer to the above questions is no, but this is the Lohud Yankee blog, and pessimism must come out from someone every post or two…
To start the year off, this may be the deepest, most flexible and evenly balanced yankee team of the past five years.
When have they ever had a bench like this? Just think about what a headache backup catcher alone has been.
Duncan, ensberg, betemit – these guys would be starting for many, many teams.
Boston’s bench is Kevin Cash, Sean Casey, Alex Cora and Brandon Moss.
Kevin Cash is one of the worst players in all of baseball. He is a hair better than Will Nieves – I kid you not.
The bullpen is unsettled but that just the way it is. Even though this is the best team out of spring training they’ve had in years no team is perfect.
Look at Boston’s bullpen – David Aardsma, Kyle Synder, and Brian Corey are in their pen. Think about that. They basically have 3 jeff karstens/ rasner types in their pen.
There may not be two more important members of the Yankees organization this year than pitching coach Rafael Chaves at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and the organization’s pitching coordinator, Nardi Contreras.
Chaves will be responsible for keeping the staff ready for possible callup at any time.
At all levels, Contreras will oversee the development of all young arms with particular watch on the progress of Mark Melancon, J.B. Cox, and Humberto Sanchez from their post rehab work. Sanchez has been throwing on flat ground and will soon begin throwing from the mound.
Melancon and Cox have been facing hitters this spring and will soon start the season at High A Tampa and work their way north as the weather warms.
Aardsma is a hard thrower some upside but keeps throwing heat down the middle and flat, I had him as a FL pick up last year, it didn’t go well. Why I picked him up you may ask ? well it was easy
here I was needing BP help and I notice this guy being prepped up so much by the GENIUS ! that is Steve Philips about how hard he throws and being money in the SU all the sudden magically he fell on his face
thank you DAVID & STEVE ! 
FYI 10pm QVC Yankee program on.
My team
Pos Round Player
C 2 (#13) Posada, Jorge (C NYY)
1B 1 (#8) Pujols, Albert (1B STL)
2B 3 (#28) Cano, Robinson (2B NYY)
3B 6 (#53) Zimmerman, Ryan (3B WAS)
SS 8 (#73) Young, Michael (SS TEX)
OF 4 (#33) Beltran, Carlos (CF NYM)
OF 9 (#88) Hunter, Torii (CF ANA)
OF 12 (#113) Dye, Jermaine (RF CHW)
U 13 (#128) Youkilis, Kevin (1B BOS)
P 5 (#48) Halladay, Roy (SP TOR)
P 7 (#68) Oswalt, Roy (SP HOU)
P 10 (#93) Cain, Matt (SP SF)
P 11 (#108) Kennedy, Ian (SP NYY)
P 14 (#133) Lidge, Brad (RP PHI)
P 15 (#148) Johnson, Randy (SP ARI)
P 19 (#188) Neshek, Pat (RP MIN)
RS 20 (#193) Suzuki, Kurt (C OAK)
RS 17 (#168) Kendrick, Howie (2B ANA)
RS 21 (#208) Blalock, Hank (3B TEX)
RS 16 (#153) Betancourt, Yuniesky (SS SEA)
RS 22 (#213) Duncan, Chris (LF STL)
RS 18 (#173) Thome, Jim (DH CHW)
How’d I do?
The fantasy league draft was fun. But I need pitching! lol
jennifer,
I hope you do well. We share IPK, Howie Kendrick,Jorge and Michael Young lol
FWIW, my team that i drafted sunday:
round pick player position
1. (3) José Reyes SS
2. (18) Grady Sizemore OF
3. (23) Vladimir Guerrero OF
4. (38) Aramis RamÃrez 3B
5. (43) Robinson Canó 2B
6. (58) Carlos Zambrano SP
7. (63) Mariano Rivera RP
8. (78) Brian McCann C
9. (83) Adrián González 1B
10. (98) Johnny Damon OF
11. (103) Roy Halladay SP
12. (118) Phil Hughes SP
13. (123) Kosuke Fukudome OF
14. (138) Joe Borowski RP
15. (143) Jason Giambi 1B
16. (158) Ted Lilly SP
17. (163) Justin Upton OF
18. (178) Jim Thome Util
19. (183) Melky Cabrera OF
20. (198) Shelley Duncan OF
It’s a shame they ever moved to Florida, with the death of Steve Olin and Tim Crews.