Greetings from Gate D-7
-
- April
- 22
The Yankees have been on the road so often this season that I’m thinking of renting an RV and living in the long-term parking lot at LaGuardia. It would save a lot of time.
A few random observations:
* Why don’t airports have more electrical outlets? That would seem like an easy thing to fix. You can purchase every porn magazine in the world, get fitted for a Brooks Brothers suit and eat an overpriced cheeseburger at TGI Fridays at airports across the country but you can’t plug in your laptop or cell phone. Send somebody to Staples for a few power strips.
* My building has a gym that I have actually been frequenting of late to use the treadmill. I like to listen to music but usually keep an eye on whatever is on the television. Usually it’s a game but last night it was Deal Or No Deal on NBC.
I don’t watch a lot of television beyond sports and HBO, so this was a first for me. I can’t believe people actually watch this show. The entire point of the show seemed to be showing hot girls in slinky dresses. Which, you know, is fine. But can the contestants actually lose? The whole thing seemed pretty pointless. Anthropologists 1,000 years from now will determine we were a culture of idiots.
* If you’re looking for a fascinating baseball book, get the Bill James Gold Mine from ACTA Sports.
It’s not just stats, there are plenty of wry observations from James, whose style of writing I’ve always enjoyed.
Via James: 101 of Alex Rodriguez’s 156 RBI last season came from his own home runs. Bobby Abreu had more RBI singles, doubles, triples and RBI groundouts than did A-Rod.
* When is the NFL Draft? The papers don’t seem to be doing much with it. There really should be more coverage.
OK, that’s it from here. My battery is starting to run out.
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on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 at 8:02 am by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
The NFL Draft is Saturday.
You should start watching Lost. It really is good.
I couldn’t agree more about airports not having electrical plugs. The draft is this Saturday and Sunday.
NFL Draft is this weekend, i believe. ESPN has full-blown coverage going, with 14 different mock drafts, analysis of each of the mock drafts, and then analysis of the analysis on ESPN News.
i noticed that tonight, the Yankees are in to play the White Sox, and the Mets are playing the Cubs… i dont know how often this type of thing happens, when both NY teams are playing in the same away city at once, but if i had some money, it wouldve have been a lot of fun to make a couple days trip out to Chicago for the games.
* Why don’t airports have more electrical outlets?
because they are not called first basemen and brian cashman is not in charge of getting them. if they were and brian were in charge, the airports would be loaded with them.
they wouldn’t be very good, but there’d be lots of them.
Good to hear that you’re doing the treadmill, Pete. I usually just exercise good taste and restraint.
But watching anything with Howie Mandel might precipitate an attack of bulimia, so please be careful!
Oh, Randy l!
Pete, “Deal or No Deal” is dreadful. Watching it for about 10 minutes once. That was enough. But there’s another game show with Bob Saget and I think it’s called “1 vs. 100″ that’s more trivia oriented, and it’s not all that bad if there’s no other choice on television.
Very interesting observation that James makes about ARod. But he did get the runs in, didn’t he? Just imagine if he had a couple more sac flies, even instead of strike-outs with a man on third. It also shows how underrated Bobby Abreu and how homeruns are not the be-all and end-all in a run-scoring opportunity situation. (?) Sounds like a book I’d like to read. Thanks for the recommendation.
Chad Jenning’s blog says it all about Darrell Rasner and more.
The Giants having the last pick in the first round could have something to do with the lack of coverage by the NY media.
lol @ randy
I know it is a settled issue – but Lupica really drives me nuts:
“The quotes that came out of Hank Steinbrenner like exhaust out of a tail pipe were about Joba Chamberlain this time. All of a sudden Hank knows so much about Joba – who has a chance to be the first pitcher ever to be sent out to Monument Park after 30 innings in the big leagues – that you can only assume he’s in a fantasy league.”
He’s a columnist and not a reporter so he can say whatever he wants. I get that. But does anyone really take this kind of crud seriously? Maybe he is just schilling (intentional) for the Mets fans.
If Pete keeps working hard, one day he will earn the right to become totally detached from reality like Loopy.
Pete, one of my clients is an international airport and I asked them the same question once. They said it’s because of the energy cost. I was floored because I was pretty sure it would take all of China to make a dent on their electrical bill given how much energy is already consumed in an airport daily. I didn’t pursue further…
By the way the new trend is more airports will have designated charging booths where you will sit in a booth to charge your computer and blackberry while you are forced to watch ads. Stay tuned:-)
Does anyone else think this whole Hank thing was blown WAY out of proportion. I didn’t read what everyone commented on some of Peter’s other entries, but Hank didn’t really say anything terrible. The main disagreement seems to be that Hank wouldn’t have put Joba in the pen last year. No where did it really say that Hank wanted to put Joba in the rotation tomorrow. He even said this in the original NY Times article, “I had no say in it last year and I wouldn’t have allowed it. That was done last year, so now we have to catch up. It has to be done on a schedule so we don’t rush him”. Seems like this was made out to be such a bigger deal than it really was just because it is the Yankees a lot of people are trying hard to make Hank out to be just like his father.
I skimmed through Sundays game, and caught something very interesting. After Pettitte walked off the mound, Joe went over to Ian and had a 30 second conversation with him, probably along the lines of I hope you paid attention to that, that is how to pitch! Ian was smiling an laughing, but it is nice to see that Joe is hands on.
Deal or no deal is interesting to some people. I think non-idiots who are big fans of higher math and predicting how people will make decisions with constantly changing probablilities find that show very interesting. I personally do not enjoy the show, as it wastes a lot of time in manufactured drama and spokesmodel banter.
http://emedia.thetimes-tribune.com/Blogs/SWBYankees/tabid/552/Default.aspx
This is very strange, what could he have done?
i think should IPK continue to stumble, i wouldnt be surprised to see Rasner called up to the MLB rotation and IPK sent back to AAA.
Found this in the comments section. It is very strange why would they suspend someone if it is just a numbers thing? Suspension doesn’t look good.
Jennifer :
Rasner is a good example of confidence and believing in yourself. He never really had bad stuff and was out most of last year with an injured pitching hand.
He was a late spring training cut and seems determined to come back. He’s a battler.
His innings have been built up enough to be considered as a starter.
Get Lohud to spring for an extra battery.
My 6 year old and my mother both seem to understand the genius that is Deal or No Deal. It keeps both of them amused for an hour so who am I to complain. You must be 30 years too old or 30 years too young to get it.
Deal or No Deal is horrendous. I watched the first one and have never watched again. The girls are gorgeous, of course, but the game itself requires absolutely no skill. The contestants’ families stand there and yell at them to make decisions based on nothing but speculation and greed. It’s the dumbing down of society, continued.
“Via James: 101 of Alex Rodriguez’s 156 RBI last season came from his own home runs. Bobby Abreu had more RBI singles, doubles, triples and RBI groundouts than did A-Rod.”
Arod’s never been very good under pressure. His avg with RISP this year is again quite low. I’m not getting my hopes up that it will change much in the coming years. I’m learning just to try to appreciate him for what he can bring. It used to drive me nuts. Can you imagine if he could bring ‘em in like Manny, along with his many other gifts? Wow.
This Hank thing is so overblown….Hank never called Girardi, or Cashman an idiot. He said “you would have to be an idiot not to start him”…EVERYONE agrees. He just can’t start today. They are planning his progression to become a full-time dominant #1 starter, which will require patience.
“Arod’s never been very good under pressure. His avg with RISP this year is again quite low.”
Yeah he sucks with RISP! He can’t do anything with RISP!
I mean come on only a .960 CAREER OPS with RISP?!?! He could do MUCH better than that. He’s terrible!
101 of Alex Rodriguez’s 156 RBI last season came from his own home runs.
Is this a bad thing? Are we suppose to be upset with Alex because he tended to hit home runs with runners on based instead of hitting singles?? WOW!
raymag –
Please don’t let stubborn facts muddy the waters here. Haven’t you looked at the back pages?
Are you counting his years on losing teams or when the score is lopsided? Not me. I don’t care how he played when he was with Texas, particularly. Try looking at his RISP with the Yanks, especially in tight games. We actually kept track of his homeruns during blowouts vs. game-changing situations two years ago on a blog I frequented. Very interesting stat. Again, I’ve just come to accept Arod the way he is.
The NFL Draft is April 26 at 3 pm and the first pick will be at 3:10
YankeeDiva, the point is that no one was on base when he hit the homeruns, not that he hit them vs. singles. RBIs are always a good thing, obviously. But if you can hit a double and clear the bases, that’s 3 RBI to 1. That’s the point Pete was making.
As for Deal or No Deal……I don’t really watch the show too much its hard for me to watch people come on the show talking about all their debts and what not only to throw hundres of thousands of dollars away for a 1 in 5 chance to win a million. My questionsare; are they really struggling like they claimed and if so why would they throw money away like that.
Pete, before I sign off tonight, Mike & Mike spent significant time on the draft this morning. You might want to take a listen to the podcast for more info on the upcoming draft.
Wang in Tawain.
If there was no one on base when he hit the homeruns then he would only have 54 RBIs from HRs not 101.
Ugh, not the “Arod isn’t clutch” nonsense again.
We gotta do better than that in here today.
Darrell Rasner is pitching himself onto the Yankees with his performances in AAA.
I always believe, regardless of experience level, a pitcher has only so many good pitches in his arm a season.
You have to ask the question how many of them you want wasted in AAA if the guys on the big club continue to struggle?
Will be interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks.
Unfortunately news re: Alan Horne. Completely shutdown for 14 days and then they are beginning a “conservative” throwing program.
Translation: He won’t be back on the mound until June at the earliest.
Probably destroys any chance of him being promoted this year.
Its why I never believe the Yankees when it comes to injuries. His “minor” biceps strain is going to end up costing him a good chunk of time this year. A shame.
TK,
I’ll try to keep facts out of the discussion from now on. lol
I am glad that Darrell Rasner is doing well down in Scranton. I wonder if we are going to see any showcasing of Igawa, Rasner or others as the season progresses.
Without any injuries to the established guys, I don’t see a lot of opportunities for it. Maybe a double-header b/c of rainouts will open up a slot. That always seems to happen.
Really, I just want the Yanks to get some value out of the screw up they made signing Kei Igawa.
Pete, stick with HBO. I encourage everyone to watch The Wire, especially now the series wrapped up.
If you take away their homeruns then Abreu out-hits A-rod 155 to 129. So more RBIs is no surprise. But if more of Abreu’s hits had been homers then he wouldn’t have done as well. So this “analysis” is penalizing A-rod for hitting homers. Heck, if all of A-rod’s hits had been homers, then he’d have no RBIs at all in this comparison. Would that be a bad thing?
Pete –
My TV interests are also limited to sports, movies and sometimes I check out the comedy channel to keep it light. Never mind 1,000 years from now, lots of people today realize that TV caters to (and creates) a culture of idiots. Another sad thing is, many TV execs realize this can be quite profitable too.
Ironically (regarding the lack of electrical outlets you noticed) if there were more electrical outlets in airports, people could plug in their computers to go online and download porn (sometimes for free!) order a Brooks Brothers suit, and they’d have to weed through spam ads for stuff like overpriced cheeseburgers at TGI Fridays.
Of course they have to weed through 10 times as many spam ads for Viagra from Canadian pharmacies first ….
YankeeDiva
But how mnay of those were hit when we blew the other team out?
Anyone been to games in cleveland? Iam going this saturday its the first time ive seen the yankees away from the stadium.
So let me get this straight:
Last year A-Rod had more RBIs from just his HR than most guys contribute from all their hits, walks and sacrifices … yet somehow he’s criticized for it?
Talk about a ‘culture of idiots’ …
Abreu should hit more home runs, just to cut back on A-Rods RBI total
The domino affect could take place if Hank Steinbrenner through Cashman decided to DFA Mussina after Wednesday’s start.
If he were of the mind, eating Mussina’s contract rather than see any more of futility would not only give Darrell Rasner a deserving chance but also give Daniel McCutchen the opportunity at the AAA level.
I really dislike Darrell Rasner for some reason, IDK it’s Kei Igawa syndrome, do great in AAA suck it up in the bigs.
happy earth day everyone.
i agree about the power outlet thing. I flew a lot from 2004 until early this year and, everytime there was a delay and i was going to be spending the rest of the afternoon and evening in the airport, i had to go on a hunt for a power outlet to charge my phone. i always wound up finding one on some random pillar in the middle of no where, so i’d have to sit on the floor to guard my phone as it charged. would it kill them to put outlets in the seating area by the gates?
can’t wait for tonight’s game. after 20 straight games i got into a rhythm of just expecting a Yankees game every night, so last night I was dealing with withdrawal symptoms. plus, Wang vs Contreras is really the only favorable pitching matchup for us in this series.
it’s a crazy day to be on a college campus in pennsylvania. so many people from the borough and so many students are packed onto the campus because it’s their polling place. made parking a total bitch. not to mention all the students who keep bombarding me with all of their Obama or Hillary crap. i may as well put on a button that says “leave me alone, i’m a registered independent and am therefore ineligible to vote in Pennsylvania’s closed primaries.” jeez.
not to mention my 9:30 class was evacuated due to an apparent gas leak.
wish i could just fast forward this day until 8:11 PM. and by the way i still find that hilarious that the White Sox start their games at 7:11 Central time for the 7 Eleven stores..
Disagree about Deal or No Deal. The entire point of the game is to watch people navigate a series of decisions where the risk/reward profile is in constant flux. It’s a study in psychology, and frankly that makes it more interesting and innovative than yet another “How many random facts do you know?” game show.
Everyone has “meaningless” hits in blow out games. That’s what makes them blow outs.
“Everyone has “meaningless†hits in blow out games. That’s what makes them blow outs.”
Jetes 3 run double the other day meaningless after it was 4 – 1
Hey, if you take away A-Rod’s Home Runs, Singles, Doubles and Triples, you would see that he just isn’t hitting at all.
Doesn’t it get a little silly to do things like that? Its like saying if you take away one of his legs he won’t run well.
i don’t think 4-1 qualifies as a blowout. if the team can tie the game with the minimum number of batters that come to the plate in an inning, it’s by no means a blowout.
Ah to have the “woes” of a College student again. Makes me wish I had listened at different points in life when I was told that I should enjoy “these days” because life only got more difficult!
Joe Girardi said he expected Moose to have a good outing in Chicago. Why he said it I don’t know (meaning other than the real obvious and that is he likely isn’t going to say he expects him to have an awful outing). So I will continue with my track record of staying with the party line and expect that Moose will pitch well.
Peter I agree that Anthropologists 1,000 years from now will determine we were a culture of idiots but they’ll do that long before they ever get a sniff of ‘Deal or No Deal’.
pat -
Darrell Rasner doing so well certainly makes things a bit interesting at the major league level, doesn’t it? I never like to conjecture, but it is good to know there are options.
As much as it would be terrific for Kennedy and/or Hughes to work things out on the parent club, it wouldn’t have to be the end of the world if the had to go down to AAA for a few weeks to get away from the microscope that is media coverage and work a few things out. Well, actually, thinking about it, they will never again be able to escape that microscope entirely, will they? Eh, anyway, it still wouldn’t be the end of the world if it were constructive. I guess you just worry that they’d be demoralized, as if somehow they’d failed, when that really is not the case.
I like that Hank said in the paper that these kids don’t need to feel pressured, since the organization knows their talent and is more than willing to be patient. That’s got to go a long way toward relieving some of the pressure.
I disagree, Brandon. Rasner wasn’t bad at all in the bigs last year.
The Bill James stats are just food for thought, not a condemnation of Alex. After all, the HR is the optimum outcome so hitting as many as possible is a good thing.
I was only kidding about how many HR’s were in blowouts.
“i don’t think 4-1 qualifies as a blowout. if the team can tie the game with the minimum number of batters that come to the plate in an inning, it’s by no means a blowout.”
yeh and if Alex were to hit it we’d hear how meaningless those runs are com’on
Darrell Rasner c’mon guys he’s at best AAAA pitcher lets go with the kids there will be some bumps and bruises but it’s the only way we will find out if they can do it. Everybody would complain about how the Yanks would not give the kids in the past a chance. Let em pitch!!!!!!!!!
I hear ya on the outlets! Especially as more and more airports are putting in wifi, you’d think they’d also put it outlets so you can actually use your computer. A total drag.
Rasner = long relief/trade bait
this just in: Canadian hockey fans can be pretty crazy. Did you see how the Montreal Canadiens fans reacted after WINNING in the FIRST ROUND of the Stanley Cup Playoffs? They rioted and torched 5 police cars! God forbid they go to the Stanley Cup Finals and LOSE. it would be a repeat of what happened in Vancouver 15-20 some odd years ago. lol.
Brandon (supporting the new movement “Alex being Alex”)
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:19 am
I really dislike Darrell Rasner for some reason, IDK it’s Kei Igawa syndrome, do great in AAA suck it up in the bigs.
longtime
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:53 am
Darrell Rasner c’mon guys he’s at best AAAA pitcher lets go with the kids there will be some bumps and bruises but it’s the only way we will find out if they can do it. Everybody would complain about how the Yanks would not give the kids in the past a chance. Let em pitch!!!!!!!!!
I don’t understand all the hate for Rasner. Did you guys watch him pitch with the Yanks at all the last two years? He’s not that bad and belongs in the big leagues. He should be our long guy and spot starter. That way Ohlendorf can pitch later in the game and only have to crank it up for an inning or two. He’ll be that much more effective. BTW, Rasner is only 27.
Go back and look at his game logs, not too shabby. A clunker at the end of 06 bumped his ERA over 4. With those numbers he’d be our #3 right now. 45 IP and an ERA of 4.20 as a Yank.
this whole restricted innings thing with hughes ,kennedy, and chamberlain is a mess and a distraction for the team. there’s so many factors involved it creates a big headache for everyone involved.
and what’s the expected payoff for this headache? if all three of them combined have a 5.00 era it’ll be considered a success for such young pitchers. i understand one on the team, maybe two , but three?
and the meter is ticking on their 6 cheap years. i don’t see how using up their cheap time while they are not good helps. don’t the yankees get more bang for their buck when the first year the player is up he is actually good?
aren’t the red sox getting more bang for their buck with buchholz because they waited until he was 24 for his first full season instead of bringing him up at 22?
because he’s so good, i’d roll the dice first on joba in the rotation and then hughes and then kennedy in that order. i don’t think the yankees can have three of them at the same time.
if i were cashman, i would not over think the season and get too far ahead of myself because everyone of the young pitchers is a variable. no one knows how they will do.
i would feel better if chamberlain and hughes were in the rotation and kennedy was in the minors keeping his innings low to replace either chamberlain or hughes if and when they have a problem.
two young inning restricted players feels manageable, three is over the top.
i think one of the three will go back down simply because he’s not doing well. so the problem will be solved. when that one goes down, they should bring back an adult who doesn’t have to have his arm babied.
lontime ;
Evidently you’re a glutton for punishment courtesy of Mussina’s declining career.
So, let’s not give Darrell Rasner a chance to see himself succeed with quality innings and just continue to watch Mussina’s ERA bloat even higher.
Sorry but Mussina re-inventing himself won’t be happening. That got used up last year.
i’ve got to spring for a book to learn that A-Rod hits more homers and knocks in more runs than Abreu?
A-Rod’s RISP stats in scoring position vs Abreu’s in 2007 – go to these pages and scroll down to the “Clutch Stats” subheadings:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/bsplit.cgi?n1=rodrial01&year=2007
http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/bsplit.cgi?n1=abreubo01&year=2007
I only posted in reponse to people saying that Rasner should be a replacement for one of the kids. Yes longman or spot started fine but not in the regular rotation. If it means throwing away the playoffs so be it. we have to find out whether these kids have it or not. Sending them down to AAA, does not prove a thing they have already dominated there. Let em pitch
Rasner is not on the 40 man roster. That hurts him. If we needed a spot start or someone to make a handful of starts, it would probably be Igawa just because of roster logistics.
“Ugh, not the “Arod isn’t clutch†nonsense again.
We gotta do better than that in here today.”
Are you the official moderator of this blog? If not, then people can talk about whatever they want to pertaining to the Yankees. The guy doesn’t think Arod is a good clutch hitter….big deal. A lot of fans doubt his ability to hit in pressure situations. I’m getting sick of him looking like a fool on a pitch, backing away with that dumb grin on his face nodding his head, and then going back in the box to give a feeble hack at strike three.
Manny Ramirez is a much better hitter than Arod.
“I don’t understand all the hate for Rasner. Did you guys watch him pitch with the Yanks at all the last two years? He’s not that bad and belongs in the big leagues. He should be our long guy and spot starter.
Go back and look at his game logs, not too shabby. A clunker at the end of 06 bumped his ERA over 4. With those numbers he’d be our #3 right now. 45 IP and an ERA of 4.20 as a Yank.”
not overly impressive at all a spot guy, hopefully number 5
“Sending them down to AAA, does not prove a thing they have already dominated there”
none of them dominated at triple a for very long because they weren’t there for very long.
maybe their domination at triple a was just a small sample.
On the same note, one could say their struggles this season are just a small sample.
Toast
Sorry, but a study in Psychology would involve some cognition or awareness in the decisions. These are all guesses. The premise of this show is so stupid, its really unbelievable.
There mere idea that people will shun a sure thing for a CHANCE at more (and at equal chance at much less), based only on a guess and pressure from others who are also guessing, is a sad commentary.
I’m thinking that they won’t be having any psychologists as contestants anytime soon.
“aren’t the red sox getting more bang for their buck with buchholz because they waited until he was 24 for his first full season instead of bringing him up at 22?”
Buchholz had to work his way up the ladder. Hughes, especially, has nothing left to prove in AAA. If he had poor command, veteran hitters at AAA could provide him with a challenge enough that it might be worth it. But that’s never been his problem. He needs to face major league hitters to improve. Kennedy, perhaps, could use some more time against veteran hitters that are down at AAA to refine his command and approach. Sure, they’re not great hitters, but vets tend to have more plate discipline, and Kennedy could perhaps use some work against those kind of guys.
How’s CC doing? How’s Verlander doing? Com’on guys wait till the end of May before passing judgement. And remember where we were at the end of May last year. It’s tough for these young pitchers to go out a feel they have to throw a shutout to win, this offense has been pathetic.
It’s just not a glamorous draft this year. When the biggest excitement is listening to draftniks try not to confuse Jake Long with Chris Long, you know you’re in trouble. That said, I’ll be rushing home to make sure I see the first pick.
Does anyone in the know know what the chances are the pitching staff might look anything like this by the time August rolls around?
Rotation: Wang, Petitte, Hughes, Joba, Kennedy
Early-long relief: Rasner, and either Hawkins or Patterson
Late-short relief: Ohlendorf, Melancon, and 2 out of the following 4 – Hawkins/Farnsworth/Traber/Bruney?
Grim Reaper: Who else but the MAN?
Keeping in mind Giambi might be up for the same consideration at twice the $$$, at one point would it be worth eating the rest of his contract and let Moose go?
More importantly, would Anti-Mussina still leave the blog?
Re: Rasner, I’m not saying he should be and starting for Hughes, Kennedy or Mussina right now, I’m just saying if these guys continue to struggle or somebody gets hurt he deserves to be the first guy called up. I also think he belongs on the active roster as a long guy in the pen. We’ve already seen after 3 weeks that we do need a long guy.
“none of them dominated at triple a for very long because they weren’t there for very long.
maybe their domination at triple a was just a small sample.”
AAA doesn’t have the best talent, that usually lies in AA and A+, that’s why they didn’t pitch so many innings down there. If anyone gets sent back it would be Kennedy because atleast Hughes has a sample of work
in AA 116.0 IP a 138/32 ( K/BB ) the kid was getting bored.
in AAA 28 IP a 28/8 ( K/ BB ) yeh….
“Anthropologists 1,000 years from now will determine we were a culture of idiots.” Yes, perhaps we should all engage in more intellectual pursuits such as visiting the Louvre Museum and reading Chaucer…oh yeah, and writing a baseball blog for a living.
Not that you need or want to know but…
The White Sox start all of their night games at 7:11 (CST) because they signed a deal with the conveniece store 7-11 as a major sponsor last year. True story.
-dennis
Writing this blog is not what Pete does for a living. So why don’t you chill with the insults.
The grass is always greener on the other side, or is it really?
tonight is gonna be the toughest game to win, the Yankee bats don’t beat up on SP like Contreras w/ good GO/AO numbers.
Vasquez and Floyd and the BP don’t concern me.
SWEEP the Sox…starts tonight !
“Hughes, especially, has nothing left to prove in AAA”
i can go along with that. so he’s going to learn as he goes this summer at the major league level. we can expect a 5.00 era to be an acceptable learning first full year.
and then we all agree that kennedy is not as good as hughes. so he’s expected to do worse than hughes. maybe a 6.00 era is reasonable as what to expect.
how do the yankees achieve their goal of making it to the playoffs with a chance for a world series title when their #4 and #5 starters average a 5.5 era?
i guess that could work if their #3 starter were really good. but what happens when the #3 has about a 5.50 era at best?
it just seems like the yankees don’t really have a plan here that has a high probability of success.
Oh, that’s right, he’s the beat writer for the New York Yankees. My mistake.
Uh, guys, I’m pretty sure Pete was being sarcastic about the NFL Draft . . .
Hey Pete,
US Airways terminal at LaGuardia has tons of electrical outlets.
Have fun in Chicago – I went to Loyola University on Michigan Ave. Great city! I wish I could be there this week as both NY baseball teams are there.
Here’s some restaurant picks for you (and the readers)
-Wildfire: great steakhouse
-Cafe Iberico: tasty spanish tapas
-Giordano’s: of course! best deep dish in Chicago
-Potbelly: great sandwich shop for lunch
“Michael K (not that one)”
nice handle
I don’t agree on kennedy being worse than Hughes this first year. Kennedy is more polished than Hughes. He understands more how to pitch. The results will come.
i almost forgot – if you have time, try Ann Sather restaurant for breakfast
Morning all.
I’m still on a I-finished-my-thesis-high.
SJ, if Rasner is pitching Saturday for SWB, I’ll make sure to take lots of pictures and note how he perforrms. I’m kind of scared that my going might be a jinx, but $9 for fourth row behind the SWB dugout? No way I’m not going!
Re: A-Rod: I’ll take my runs any way I can get them, thank you very much.
Morning all.
I’m still on a I-finished-my-thesis-high.
SJ, if Rasner is pitching on the day after Friday for SWB, I’ll make sure to take lots of pictures and note how he perforrms. I’m kind of scared that my going might be a jinx, but $9 for fourth row behind the SWB dugout? No way I’m not going!
Re: A-Rod: I’ll take my runs any way I can get them, thank you very much.
Who bats 4th tonight if Alex is out? Matsui? Posada?
sample of work saids Hughes is better, Kennedy did fly through the system but lost alot of experience. I still believe in Kennedy just not over Hughes.
—————————————–
umm… I hope the Yankees soon get back to positive situational hitting counts.
like the 1 – 1 count, the 2 – 1, the 3 – 1, the 3 – 2 (been ahile since I’ve seen that one)
this past week noticing around the league how good the hitters are becoming, I mean yesterday’s Cubs game I saw Felix Pie drive a 2 – 0 fastball to RF I was thinking hmm.. interesting, Texeira for the Braves went opposite field single on a 2 – 2 breaking ball outside corner, Long can teach hitting but he does need to get these guy to have positive counts.
awhile*
“Who bats 4th tonight if Alex is out? Matsui? Posada?”
How ’bout Chad “The Hit Man” Moeller in clean-up spot!
I could see them putting Bobby or Melky in the four spot, given how they’ve been swinging, but Moeller is certainly an intriguing option.
And dude, I mean, it’s Jose Contreras.
if Chad is one of our options for cleanup, this team is not making the playoffs
“And dude, I mean, it’s Jose Contreras.”
a dangerous Contreras, 34:12 (GO/AO) Contreras, slow bat Giambi, slower bat Damon, wild Robi… this game can’t be taken for granted.
I’d guess Matsui is the clean up hitter tonite.
Any word on how close Posada is to catching???
Brandon: I know, but somehow it’s still funny.
Posada might be a ways from catching. I think his injury might be a lot more severe than people are letting on, which would be really not good. Though as long as Molina and Moeller keep producing, I won’t freak out.
Cashman said yesterday that Posada is “close”. Depending on how he feels today, maybe as soon as tonight.
“how do the yankees achieve their goal of making it to the playoffs with a chance for a world series title when their #4 and #5 starters average a 5.5 era? i guess that could work if their #3 starter were really good. but what happens when the #3 has about a 5.50 era at best?”
Average ERA for a #4 starter on teams that made the playoffs last year – 4.5.
Average ERA for a #5 starter on teams that made the playoffs last year 5.7.
With the yankees offense and their bullpen if the #4/5 starters averaged a 5.5 ERA that actually may be good enough.
Problem however – average ERA for a #3 starter on a team that made the playoffs – 4.12.
That’s the issue. It’s the number 3 spot in the rotation. The offense should mitigate a good chunk of this but their #3 starter right now with Mussina won’t come close to a 4.12 ERA.
They don’t even need to be average with the firepower they have.
But they can’t be off by a run and a half at the #3 spot.
I know it’s off topic but why won’t SF just deal Jonathan Sanchez to us, he’d be a great addition to this bullpen
“i can go along with that. so he’s going to learn as he goes this summer at the major league level. we can expect a 5.00 era to be an acceptable learning first full year.”
That assumes that he has awful outings and mediocre outings. I suspect that he’ll have some good-great outings and some terrible outings. So, league average production, a 4.5ish ERA.
As for Kennedy, they won’t keep him up all year if he’s pitching to a 6 ERA. They’ll replace him with someone like Rasner or Horne for at least part of the season. I wouldn’t expect much worse than a 5 ERA out of that slot in the rotation. And Joba will be coming along. He’ll have his struggles too, but there’s no reason he can’t have an ERA in the low-mid 4’s as well.
…shows what I know.
” Kennedy is more polished than Hughes. He understands more how to pitch”
maybe as soon as he gets over suddenly realizing that major league hitters are really good, he will be. right now he looks scared to death to throw strikes to them.
I get the feeling that some of you in here think Posada is steering the ship when it comes to putting him on the DL.
At first I found that hard to believe since I couldn’t imagine an organization compromising itself and it’s chance of winning to appease a player who feels not going on the DL is a badge of honor.
However, here we are a couple of weeks later and the guy still is not behind the plate.
If he can’t make the throws in Chicago, he has to go on the DL.
What I’m afraid of with him is they are going to put him out there and he’s going to get run on like Piazza and hurt the team because he can’t throw anyone out because he’s gutting through this injury.
I don’t think he brings enough value as a DH/1b to stay on the active roster injured.
I’d rather have Shelley called up and let Moeller and Molina work behind the plate than sit and wait for Jorge’s arm to return.
If his arm strength is there, it’s a moot point.
But I have a feeling that it’s not there and Jorge keeps telling them he’s close and they keep waiting rather than DL him.
If he can’t catch, he needs to take one for the team here and get better.
“I know it’s off topic but why won’t SF just deal Jonathan Sanchez to us, he’d be a great addition to this bullpen”
Who, lefty Brian Bruney? The guy still walks 4.5 per nine. He’d be yet another guy who comes out of the pen and doesn’t throw strikes. I know you yearn for a lefty, Brandon, but don’t get so seduced by gaudy K numbers that you ignore ugly walk totals. For a kid in A ball, you still hope he’ll get it together. For a guy you’d like to solidify your pen right now…
Solution to Arod’s early failures with runners in scoring position.
TRADE FOR MIENKTASDHFJSHDITZ!! He’s Arods good luck charm.
Peter. Must see t.v.
Lost
Supernatural
Heroes
24
The Medium
The Office
Prison Break
“Toast
Sorry, but a study in Psychology would involve some cognition or awareness in the decisions. These are all guesses. The premise of this show is so stupid, its really unbelievable.
There mere idea that people will shun a sure thing for a CHANCE at more (and at equal chance at much less), based only on a guess and pressure from others who are also guessing, is a sad commentary.
I’m thinking that they won’t be having any psychologists as contestants anytime soon.”
It’s more probability/microeconomics, IMO – the ’sure thing’ banker offer is usually reasonably close to the expected value (lower early on, usually higher later on) – early on, the only people to bite will be extremely risk averse – late on, the only people not to bite are extreme risk takers.
Though most contestants are morons, and I don’t watch the show
2 well duh news…
“We knew it was too good to be true [Alou returning on Friday], and now David Lennon at Newsday tells us that Alou won’t return until next week, at the earliest. When he does return, it means Angel Pagan, who has filled in admirably, will be headed to the bench.”
“As per the New York Daily News, Hank Steinbrenner notes that the Yankees are not interested in Frank Thomas, saying, “We’ve never even talked about it. Do I think he can still do something? Yeah. But we’ve got so many guys at DH/first base.â€
well
“I don’t think he brings enough value as a DH/1b to stay on the active roster injured.”
He’s a better hitter than any other DH/1B on the team.
i agree with most but i’ve never seen Supernatural or The Medium. I love Lost and The Office.
“Average ERA for a #4 starter on teams that made the playoffs last year – 4.5.
Average ERA for a #5 starter on teams that made the playoffs last year 5.7.
With the yankees offense and their bullpen if the #4/5 starters averaged a 5.5 ERA that actually may be good enough.
Problem however – average ERA for a #3 starter on a team that made the playoffs – 4.12.”
cb-
thanks for putting actual numbers on my thoughts. we are in agreement. so what do the yankees do to get out of this conundrum?
posada will bat cleanup tonight…when the yanks need to fill in the cleanup role, its usually posada who takes that spot, plus it will split up the lefties of abreu and matsui…so it makes sense.
Could Hughes and Kennedy have the Tyler Clippard syndrome?
Pin point control in the minors. Now they are falling behind hitters in the biggs. I hope not.
Rocco,
Supernatural is alot like x files. The Medium is about a psychic that has dreams of murders before it happens. There is always a twist.
whozat, I know it’s kind of like buying low to me. You see it’s weird I read that LHP has a 26/10 SO/BB but then I wonder if he’s limited to 1 – 2 IP will the BB be the same and can he be an all purpose BP guy, I see your point, I really do. It’s just he has me curious for some reason.
Brandon,
“Knicks tell Thomas to stay away from team”
I guess he wont be in Walsh’s fav 5.
Any of you guys watch House?
That show is gold.
This might be a good night/series for Posada to get back behind the plate –
The ChiSox have exactly 3 SBs this year and have attempted 5.
From what I can tell Jorgie wants to be behind the plate yesterday (actually last friday) but Girardi and Cashman are holding him out.
How about Jason Giambi in the cleanup spot!
He would be so touched that he would start hitting to all fields, instantly regain his confidence, and suddenly become an offensive powerhouse threat.
Don’t pinch me.
S.o.S.27 he shouldn’t even be allowed to sell popcorn in NY
thisguy
unless Posada is able to catch, it’s not likely both him and Matsui will be in the line-up. That was sort of the reason for my question of who bats 4th.
Rebecca,
Good show. I watched it for awhile. I just thought that dr. House should get pummeled for being a smart arse. Very well thought out though.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia = good show
Flight of the Conchords is awesome
I got a copy of Bill James’ Gold Mine. He’s apparently a kinder gentler Bill James now. Too bad.
Anyway, looking at the distribution of A-Rod’s RBIs to his HRs, I was also intrigued. As we all remember, A-Rod was hot in the first part of the year when the rest of his teammates were not. Might that contribute to the seemingly odd fact that a large percentage of his RBIs came from his HRs? Abreu on the other hand had a terrible first half and only started hitting in the second half when the rest of the team was hitting and getting on base. My guess is that’s why his numbers look very different from A-Rod’s.
Abreu had a great year in the end, but A-Rod’s was incredible, winning him the MVP. (And doesn’t “MVP” just about define clutch?) Trying to read more into A-Rod’s HR-RBI numbers is pretty silly, IMO.
And for all you sensitive types out there who were offended by SJ’s request that we do better than raising the old “A-Rod’s not clutch” canard again, grow up. This isn’t self-esteem class, it’s a sports blog. Go ahead and share whatever views you have, but realize it’s a two way street. SJ and others are entitled to share their views regarding your arguments and thoughts. If you want an adoring, unconditionally loving audience, don’t post here – call your mom instead.
Murphydog –
Are you angry that people were upset that SJ was upset?
*scratches head*
only thing that angers me is these so-called fans that call the radio and call themselves die-hard Yankees fans and then refer to Joba as (JO-baa)Chamberlain it’s (JA – Baa) you moron !
Good Morning, everyone.
Snippy and chippy as usual. Hopefully Wang will put everyone in a good mood.
Deal or No Deal is not bad. Better than America’s Home Videos. Deal is fun if you like numbers and laws of averages. And where else are you going to see a girl in a slinky satin dress holding a suitcase speak Russian with an American contestant? And Pete, the draw of the show is that no one has won the million dollars yet.
ESPN Radio reporting that Alex will be with the team in Chicago, but his playing status is unknown. Pretty good news.
Pete, I’m not a Kiss fan, but Gene Simmons’s Family Jewels is a pretty good watch. Good, old-fashioned, wholesome family entertainment.
And you can never go wrong with Law & Order. Dunh-da-da-da-da-dunh.
Fresh air at fenway? Most beloved park? huh?
randy l –
The thing to do in order to get a third starter with an ERA around 4.12 is to put Joba in the rotation. Here’s what we have at the top:
Wang’s ERA the last couple years:
3.63, 3.70, career 3.75
Pettitte’s ERA the past couple years:
4.20, 4.05, career 3.82
And Joba’s ERA as a starter will NOT be 0.38 like it was last year coming in to terrorize just 3 or 4 batters for an inning at a time. If he somehow manages to score an ERA in the high 2’s as a rookie, which would be phenomenal, I’m confident there are people out there who will whine that a once dominant pitcher has been ruined and the chance at him becoming the best closer of all time has been wasted. If he can keep it around 4 that’d be pretty good for a rookie.
That would be on par for a playoff-bound team’s third best starter. All NY would need is for the bats to be there. It’s a long year, and they’re just starting to wake up.
I also think by the end of the year Hughes and Kennedy will improve. I’d guess Hughes more so than Kennedy. They’ll work it out, and their summers will be better than their Aprils. They’re young and on the verge of making their mark.
jennifer,
How about this one:
I’m offended that TKinDC felt the need to comment on murphydog’s ire at other people’s discomfort with SJ44’s annoyance.
If SJ44 could just take issue with my post, the circle can be closed.
mel
A national league team? Cause David Ortiz plays the field every day right? And Manny bunts players over?
“YankeeDiva, the point is that no one was on base when he hit the homeruns, not that he hit them vs. singles.”
i haven’t said this in a while but…you are rally embarrassing yourself.
he got 101 RBIs from 54 HRs and no one was on base.
holy crap is that dumb.
and Isn’t it and oxymoron to day a National League team with an inordinate amount of power?
LET’S GO tampa bay raysssssssssssssssss!
Jennifer.
Why? Tell me why? You are killing me.
Doesn’t seem like an oxymoron to me
Once ‘inordinate’ was thrown in there, it already points out that the offense is uncommonly good compared to a typical NL team
“mel A national league team? Cause David Ortiz plays the field every day right? And Manny bunts players over?”
Well, Ellsbury’s fast. Really fast.
But that’s it.
and Coco
hmmm is out in full force.lol
What happened to those words you had next to your name a few months ago? Nicer/gentler yada yada. Man i love this blog!
If he said they are playing more of a national league style of baseball, that is one thing. But to say that they are like a national league team but with more power that is just stupid.
Lugo?
Ratboy?
Jennifer,
Yes i can see their offense resembling the Giants. With just a tad more power.
Your right,that does sound stupid.
“whozat, I know it’s kind of like buying low to me. You see it’s weird I read that LHP has a 26/10 SO/BB but then I wonder if he’s limited to 1 – 2 IP will the BB be the same”
Probably. He’s already been tried in a short relief role, and his walks were still sky high. The last time he had good control numbers in an appreciable sample was several years ago as a 22 year old in A ball.
“Well, Ellsbury’s fast. Really fast.”
Yeah, he is. Further, since being handed the full time gig, the Sox offense has flourished. Kid has been perpetually on base and makes things happen. Wonder if seeing him has Cashman asking himself “what if?” as it relates to Brett Gardner?
ansky-
okay you talked me into it, i’m on board with putting joba in there as the number three starter with the goal that he has around a 4.00 era. makes sense to me.
so why are we waiting for this to happen? i’m ready for some action.
oh, i forgot. cashman is trying to digest the fact mussina is not a number three starter as he had thought.
when you think about it, planning on mike mussina to be your #3 starter is a pretty stupid thing to do. now the question becomes how long cashman will stare at his navel before making the decision he should have made in the first place and put joba in the #3 spot.
judging by how long he stared at his navel last year with nieves as the back up catcher, this could be a while. cashman needs more proof that mike mussina is not a #3 starter.
i don’t need any more proof cashman is slow to react to the obvious sometimes, especially when he has to back track on his own decisions.
for you who love cashman, notice how long it will take him to do the inevitable. it is not patience , it is navel staring.
No wonder Schilling’s mad. He thought he was still playing for the Phillies. When he found out he was playing for an AL powerhouse, he held out for more $$$.
“and Coco”
Coco and Ellsbury rarely play on the same night.
I dunno…does a bad SS and a slap-hitting 2B and a fast CFer make you a “national league” team?
“oh, i forgot. cashman is trying to digest the fact mussina is not a number three starter as he had thought”
that and Joba’s innings cap.
come on randy, everyone knows the deal with Joba.
not EVERYTHING is Cashman’s fault. Joba has to be in the bullpen until around June to keep his innings where the organization wants them.
this isn’t even up for debate, is it?
“Further, since being handed the full time gig, the Sox offense has flourished.”
Whenever your leadoff man is getting on base, your offense will produce more. It bugs me so much when people say “oh, when Damon’s going well, this is a different team!” Of COURSE it is. He’s the leadoff guy, and he’s getting on base. If you put a guy who’s getting on base at the top of the lineup, OBVIOUSLY they’ll score more runs. It doesn’t have to be Damon or Ellsbury…it just has to be someone that’s getting on. They could put Pedroia and Youkilis up there, and that’d be fine (if they didn’t feel they needed Youk deeper in the lineup).
Randy, NO ONE thought Moose was a number three. The team is hoping that Hughes and Joba, over the course of the season, can provide #3-style production. They’ll have ups and downs, but I think overall that’s a totally reasonable expectation.
I heard some of you say that if we can tread water this month that we’ll be alright. We have W.sox for 3,Cleveland 4 and Tigers 3. Are we talking about going 5-5?
“holy crap is that dumb”
hmmm-
good to have you back.lol.
Whozat:
Agree with your assessment, but would point out that Pedroia and Youklis are plodders who will at times clog the bases. Not a lot pitchers sweating when Youklis leads 17 inches off 1st base. Guy like Ellsbury (and Damon in his salad days) get on base AND serve as a bit of a disruption to opposing pitchers.
I think we’ll win 2 from the soxs, 3 from cleveland and 2 from the tigers.
I also think we will crush Paul Byrd.
“We have W.sox for 3,Cleveland 4 and Tigers 3. Are we talking about going 5-5?”
i have been saying since before the season started that a .500 April would be a “hot” start given the schedule.
20 games in 20 days, then 1 off day and another road trip against solid teams.
that is not to say the WAY they have gotten to .500 has been what i expected or hoped for, but i do think that treading water in April can be considered a “success”.
the Jeter injury really hurt them, b/c they had to send down Duncan who i think would be getting a lot of Giambi’s ABs right now. i’m interested to see what happens when he comes up.
With Arod hurt, why arent they calling up Duncan to give us some right side power. I thought that he only needed to be down for 10 days?
They can’t bring up Duncan until one of the catchers can catch on a regular basis and Moeller gets sent down.
“With Arod hurt, why arent they calling up Duncan to give us some right side power. ”
who goes down? A-Rod is not on the DL.
the catching situation is hurting them, but if the Yankees say Posada is “close”, they have to hold his spot for him.
“Pedroia and Youklis are plodders who will at times clog the bases.”
Please tell me that you’re not serious about batters clogging the bases. As I say all the time last year David Ortiz lead the league in “clogging the bases” He also scored 116 runs. More than Jeter and Damon by the way.
randy l
Moose has been there to eat innings as best he can.
I’m just guessing at 4 ERA for Joba … that’s what we need not necessarily what we’ll get. Could be better, could be worse. I have no idea how to evaluate what his talent would actually translate to in the big leagues.
Moose might be able to muster a 4.50 to 5.00 ERA if he can get it together (which would be marginal-to-OK for a 4th best starter and good for a 5th best starter) but I’m sure nobody in the organization expected to get a 4.00 from him this year. Joba’s more likely to accomplish that than Moose, but as many have stated before Moose needs to eat enough innings to bridge the gap to Joba’s innings limit.
“They can’t bring up Duncan until one of the catchers can catch on a regular basis and Moeller gets sent down.”
Solutions and options to the problem.
a.Have Posada catch and throw to pitcher as cutoff when someones trying to steal second.
b.Have Molina catch and if he gets on base. Have Posada pinch run for him. See option a. when catching.
c.Giambi goes on the dl with pink eye.
d.Hell have Mr.Utility himself Duncan catch.
Problem solved.
Matt D (Newark, DE): Buster, I’ve heard you say a few times that at this point in your career, you like rooting for certain storylines. Are there any players somewhat under the radar, that you are rooting to get more national attention?
Buster Olney: (1:44 PM ET ) Matt D: Bowker, considering his path to the big leagues. Jeff Keppinger of the Reds. Brian Bruney of the Yankees… Edwin Jackson of the Rays — I think he keeps trying and keeps trying and keeps trying, and the Rays have been patient with him, and you hope for his sake and theirs that the investment in time (his and theirs) pays off.
“Please tell me that you’re not serious about batters clogging the bases. As I say all the time last year David Ortiz lead the league in “clogging the bases†He also scored 116 runs. More than Jeter and Damon by the way.”
I love it when other people write what I would have written without me needing to write it
Brian Bruney? a little random, no? i don’t share the animosity that others have for Bruney, but i think Billy Traber is much more “interesting” storyline.
Isiah Thomas is not allowed to speak to any of the Knicks, all of whom he has aquired. What makes anyone think they’d want to talk to him?
Isiah Thomas, a man without a title.
What do you guys think of Mark Jackson as the leading candidate for the Knicks coaching job?
My guess is that Olney likes that deflated Pillsbury doughboy look…
“d.Hell have Mr.Utility himself Duncan catch.”
Shelley Duncan does not throw the ball to second base. He forearm smashes it there.
“would point out that Pedroia and Youklis are plodders who will at times clog the bases. Not a lot pitchers sweating when Youklis leads 17 inches off 1st base.”
Chicago is currently batting the not very fleet of foot Nick Swisher lead off.
Why? His high on base percentage. When Ozzy was asked about it he said that what he wanted most was a guy who would get on base a lot in front of his big RBI guys rather than having a guy who was fast but doesn’t get on base that much.
So far Swisher is only hitting .246. But his OBP is an outstanding .421.
.421 OBP is great for a lead off guy. Not saying it’ll hold all season but the point is even though swisher isn’t real fast he’s getting on base over 40% of the time.
Swisher has scored 15 runs over 57 at bats. He has not stolen a base, but is still scoring runs at a good clip.
Compare him to the extradinarily fast Jose Reyes.
Reyes has only scored 12 runs over 71 at bats (3 stolen bases) largely because his OBP% is an abyssmal .320 OBP.
Both swisher and reyes have very good RBI guys behind them in the #2-4 slots.
And throughout his career Reyes hasn’t scored as many runs as you’d expect for a guy so fast, who hits for power, steals a ton of bases and has very good hitter behind him.
If you’re not getting on base, no matter how fast your are, you are not going to be able to score runs.
“Brian Bruney? a little random, no? i don’t share the animosity that others have for Bruney, but i think Billy Traber is much more “interesting†storyline.”
The ending of the Bruney storybook is more interesting, though…he becomes the bridge to Mo and we all ride off into the sunset on his mullet.
Traber…the end of that story is successful lefty specialist. Meh.
“What do you guys think of Mark Jackson as the leading candidate for the Knicks coaching job?”
Anythings better than Thomas. But i would go with Van Gundy.
You have to start with defense. Too bad Skiles is off the board.
mel. Watch that Spurs game? I have to rank it in my top 3 best playoff games iv ever seen. The more i see Phoenix. The more loaded with talent i see.
I’m not saying for sure that Moose can improve on last year’s 5.15 ERA either, but as CB pointed out earlier, an ERA around 5.7 was the average playoff teams’ 5th starters last year.
If Moose and/or Kennedy can do at least that, they’ll have helped the team get to the playoffs. Actually, Moose is just about there right now … 5.75
Right now Kennedy’s struggling but his career ERA for 2 months total service is around 5.18
So it seems they’re filling the role of 5th starter now. Waiting for Joba’s shortened ’starter’ season to begin enough should put the team right about where it needs to be.
“Shelley Duncan does not throw the ball to second base. He forearm smashes it there.”
Catcher it is!! Someone call Cashman and tell him we have solved the problem.
Immagine someone trying to run him over at home plate? It would be like running full steed into a tank.
“Reyes has only scored 12 runs over 71 at bats (3 stolen bases) largely because his OBP% is an abyssmal .320 OBP.”
Can we finally due away with the Reyes is better than Jeter nonsense? They guy has a good year and suddenly he’s in the H.O.F. ballot.
“Immagine someone trying to run him over at home plate? It would be like running full steed into a tank.”
Shelley Duncan does not block the plate. He destroys the plate with his forearms and then tags the runner out while he’s trying to find it.
SOS – Shelley wouldn’t last as a catcher. He’d get suspended too many times for running up the 3rd base line to knock guys over after they round third.
‘What do you guys think of Mark Jackson as the leading candidate for the Knicks coaching job?’
he’s better than that!
SoS,
Didn’t see the game, but watched all of the highlights. Seems like the Kansas/Memphis things when a whole lot of things had to go right. Timmy with a buzzer-beater 3? WoW!
Utah also looks scary now that AK-47’s not acting like a little girl.
“Shelley Duncan does not block the plate. He destroys the plate with his forearms and then tags the runner out while he’s trying to find it.”
Yeah. Dont forget the baserunner having to avoid the cleat out Pena style. Just a little higher.
“Shelley wouldn’t last as a catcher. He’d get suspended too many times for running up the 3rd base line to knock guys over after they round third.”
The funny part about that is i can actually picture him doing it.
Jake Long is your number draft pick, its official.
mel,
When you say girl. Do you mean acting like Novitsky? Did you see him get fingered on his face? Didnt have the cajones to retaliate.
Utah is my pick to win it all if my Spurs faulter. They have a very scary team. Size,ball handler,perimeter shooters and a very under rated coach Sloan.
“Reyes has only scored 12 runs over 71 at bats (3 stolen bases) largely because his OBP% is an abyssmal .320 OBP.”
make that 12 runs in 72 ABs
“I have no idea how to evaluate what his talent would actually translate to in the big leagues.”
i think the sooner joba gets in the rotation, cashman will be able to see what he has with joba for this year. there’s no sense planning on him being a # 3 and preserving his innings if he isn’t really there at this point.
the yankees need a # 3 this year, now , as in pronto. listen, i could hit mussina now, and i’m 59. he’s not a number three.
unless i’m mistaken , these games count now. i didn’t say anything before this spring, because i figured that maybe hughes would emerge as a #3, kennedy #4 , and mussina, well i hate mussina , as the #5.
it’s clear it’s not going to work out that way.
cashman can procrastinate on his decision, but a #3 is not going to emerge out of hughes ,kennedy ,and mussina any more than nieves was going to get hits last year.
why does it always take being ten games out to make cashman see the obvious?
saving joba, for the end of a game that may not matter, is no smarter than saving him for the end of a season that may not matter.
SoS,
No, last year he was a total bust. Crying (literally) because Sloan benched him for an extended period of time. I think he’s finally made the adjustment. But how much adjustment is it from Russia to SLC?
I would love to have Van Gundy back as the Knicks coach. But if it is Mark-that would be fine.
I wonder what Isiah is gonna be doing now for the Knicks? Fetching coffee for Donnie?
“Jake Long is your number draft pick, its official.”
Unless he’s the next Orland Pace. I dont see why they did that. They needed a quarterback and running back. Parcells is a smart man. Maybe he sees a steal in later rounds.
S.A.
By all accounts Van Gundy is a good guy (the two bros must have different mothers, right?).
I love him on national broadcasts. It saddens me that he wasn’t able to enjoy the success his team’s having this year.
At this point, wouldn’t you take even Larry Brown? Dude’s a good coach and maybe it wasn’t all his fault.
TKinDC:
“Are you angry that people were upset that SJ was upset?”
Maybe
Seriously, if people want to post here, they either know or will quickly learn that there is a veteran poster known as SJ44 who has some definite feelings about trying to keep the blog on a higher plane. Since SJ44 doesn’t like to be called MVP (most valuable poster), then let’s just call him one of the Most Valuable Posters here, maybe view him as a veteran sensibility for all the rookies.
I’m all for people feeling free to post what they want to post within the rules of the blog and common sense. And I’m not for insult in the place of critical but rational discussion unless it’s a matter or trollery or aggressive ignorance. But people should expect to be challenged from time to time and when challenged should be prepared to respond with something other than, “You’re not the blog cop. I can write what I want.”
RHIP. Show a little respect for the veterans, you know.
SOS 27
The Dolphins need to some protection up front..
according to those stats our best leadoff guy is Melky, Johnny is 2nd because of the excess ABs and there is no way Alex should be leadings in runs scored, that is just sad
How about memphis coach Calipari? He failed the first time with the Nets. Maybe he learned something from it.
SoS,
QB’s and RB command too much guaranteed money. QB’s are more likely to bust, too.
The only thing I want to know is it Jake or Chris who is Howie’s son?
Yankees are favoerd this eve. -140
Over/under is 9.5 runs
I like the over.
-dennis
Baby Boss could cost Yanks their GM
“Who needs the aggravation? If Steinbrenner wants to hold Cashman responsible for failing to acquire Johan Santana and other perceived transgressions, so be it. Cashman, the Yanks GM since Feb. 1998, can go find another job.FROM FOXSPORTS”
Are the Yankees the only team in baseball that sells? This is getting out of hand.
“Most Valuable Posters or as i say ALL-STAR Posters”
SJ44
CB
Whozat
hmmm
bobcat(i thought)
help me out here.
S.o.S.27:
Don’t forget our team optimist, Rebecca; and the feisty mel.
You think the Yankees are going to score over 9.5 runs?
mel-I also think Van Gundy is great. I think he is fantastic on the NBA broadcasts.
With Larry Brown..I think he should have been given more of a chance(maybe I’m nuts)..thought the whole situation was just wacky.
Though with Dolan still the owner and everything that happened…no way Brown would ever come back.
At this point, I would have taken crusty the clown as Knicks coach. I would think he could do a better job than Isiah.
Oh and Chris is Howie’s son.
mel,
Chris Long is Howie’s son.
ok so far I’ve learned in Rick Peterson Pitching School
1. throwing the ball before ST in interactive equipment
2. throwing the ball w/ your eyes closed (giggles) to the mound
3. throwing uphill pregame so that you get use to throwing more strikes and not drop down the arm so much…
am I missing anything ?
sOs,
There’s nothing new nor false about that premise. Cashman knows that dealing with the Steinbrenner factor is part of the job. If you want to be the GM of the best franchise ever then you put up with it. He’s said as much before.
The only thing besides the Yankee factor would be the kids. He would definitely stay for them.
He has to balance pinstripes & the kids versus what any other club would have to offer.
murphydog: :blush:
Thanks, everyone, for the Chris/Howie connection.
“All NY would need is for the bats to be there. It’s a long year, and they’re just starting to wake up.”
Lets not get all excited about the Yanks offense yesterday. They didn’t exactly beat up on Trachsel.
“because i figured that maybe hughes would emerge as a #3, kennedy #4 , and mussina, well i hate mussina , as the #5.
it’s clear it’s not going to work out that way.”
It
is
not
even
the
end
of
April.
Nothing is clear. It is in no way clear that Hughes, who has dominated EVERY level of the minors, and whose peripherals have been EXACTLY what you’d want to see out of a young pitcher, can’t perform at the level of a #3 this year more often than not. It is in no way clear that, out of Kennedy, Moose, Rasner, perhaps Karstens and Horne or (maybe) Igawa, we can’t find 4/5 production.
Moving Joba nowNowNOW will do one thing…increase the likelihood that he will be pushed past his innings limit and get hurt.
If neither Hughes nor Kennedy can step up at ALL…the team is kind of screwed. Anyone who didn’t see that coming in was deluding themselves. The alternative was to continue the same pattern of an old, even more highly-paid team. And that’s just not sustainable.
What about me?
Russell NY
They were tagging the ball of Steve. They were getting caught just short of the wall, and his fielders made some great plays. So they are starting to heat up.
mel is not feisty. As sweetheart as they come.
mel,
I dont understand all this fus about Hank. Cashman took much more crap with George and stuck around. Hank actually seems to listen to Brian. Where as George would have pulled the trigger “no questions asked” for Santana. Where is he going to go where he gets this much power,money and recognition? IMO he isnt going anywhere. He a true Yankee.
jennifer:
mea culpa. I would like to nominate jennifer.
mel,
Just getting caught up with earlier posts but heartily agree with the Gene Simmons “Family Jewels” recommendation. My wife and I recently discovered it and it is great.
Did you see the one where the ‘roided up Carrot-Top picked him up when his car broke down? Hilarious!
“mea culpa. I would like to nominate jennifer.”
I thought there was a second team catagory? I guess not. I suppose im chopped liver? Murphydog. Remember all that stuff you said about sensative today? Ummm yeah. Put me in that catagory.
Folks second team is not all that bad. If SJ or CB is sick or pulled a finger muscle. We need back up.
Jennifer
mel
Rebecca
Murphydog
Russell
Both Mikes
killschill
??
Jennifer.
I think the Yanks will score 7-8 runs this eve. They will make JC throw a ton of pitches early as he has trouble with command typically in the first few innings. He leaves the game in the 3rd or 4th having given up 4-5 runs and 80+pitches. The Yanks score a few more off their relief.
Chicago will score 2-4 runs as they are home and the Cell is a very hitter friendly park. Wang will be good but they are tough to shut out at home.
Just my opinion. Watch it be a 1-0 game which is why I don’t bet baseball.
-dennis
Nelson Figueroa might be in a bit of trouble in this Mets/Cubbies game..
Bases loaded-no outs. Maybe he can somehow get out of it..
“It
is
not
even
the
end
of
April.”
none
of
these
three
are
going
to
be
a
#
3
this
year.
Sorry to say this and I live and die with my Yankees but Hughes and Kennedy will not win one game in division this year.
We should have done our business as usual and traded Hughes to Minny for Santana. It always worked before –
wow-he got out of it
yeah that was an impressive trick to get out of such a jam
“wow-he got out of it”
that was horrible hitting by Blanco, horrible
and Cedeno’s pitch was a ball, I think they will tatoo Figueroa today.
What was the fallout from Bobcat? I followed with interest over the winter, but have not heard from him since.
Hughes – imagine if Hughes came out after the fifth inning last game. We would be saying “Hughes really turned it around” “He can be that number 3.” So far his first outing of the year was good. Games 2 and 3 were pitched in arctic (at least for Phil) temperatures that clearly rattled him. Game 4 was a step in the right direction and was a very good start until the 6th inning. He is building his velocity back to the point where we don’t have to debate it pitch by pitch.
In my opinion he needs to do a few things: 1) get ahead of batters (much better last game), 2 and 3) put batters away and work on a third and fourth pitch – these go hand in hand, 4) location and control – was down in the strikezone last game, but needs more command.
I posted this before but didn’t get responses. I am looking at Phil and Ian in 5 game blocks. I would be very happy with one really good start, one good start, an ok start, a bad start, a really bad start. Phil is actually about on this pace (depending how you look at things, he needs either his good or really good start to adhere to the schedule.
Joba, there is no debate. Everyone in the organization has him starting, but need to wait until the innings can be controlled over the course the season.
“cashman can procrastinate on his decision, but a #3 is not going to emerge out of hughes ,kennedy ,and mussina any more than nieves was going to get hits last year. ”
randy, i know this is tough to accept, but their plans for Joba ARE BIGGER THAN the 2008 season.
Joba is probably the most important player the organization has had since Derek Jeter.
the Yankees are 3 games out and are in perfectly fine shape for the WC.
they are going to follow their plans for Joba, no matter what happens in the standings and no matter how anxious the fans get, and this is why:
if they put him in the rotation NOW, then they will have to move him BACK to the bullpen (or shut him down) at the end of the season.
does that seem wise?
this has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with “procrastinating”. Cashman is not procrastinating at all. he, and everyone else in the Yankee organization have ALREADY made their decision. they made it before the season started.
and they are sticking with it. that is not at all procrastinating.
now, if Moose is still pitching poorly in 2 weeks and they haven’t called up Rasner, then we can rip them for procrastinating. Rasner is ready and available while Moose is costing them games. that’s a valid complaint.
ripping them for not making a panic move and sticking their #1 prospect in the rotation after 20 games is not.
Yanksrule57,
Yes! That’s the one where the GF flooded his office/musuem.
I think the next one will be directed by the GF. I can’t get over how tall Nick is and how, um, mature the daughter is. She’s only like 14 years old.
Another good one was the Kentucky Derby episode and the last one where all the two sisters got into with the Asian manicurists with attitude.
“Sorry to say this and I live and die with my Yankees but Hughes and Kennedy will not win one game in division this year.”
if you are wrong, will you stop posting here?
“We should have done our business as usual and traded Hughes to Minny for Santana. It always worked before –”
It wasnt a straight up deal. It was Hughes,Kennedy and Melky for Santana. Not including signing him for a long term deal. This deal cant be judged in the first month of the season. More like 2 or 3 years. How effective will Santana be? Will Hughes and Kennedy be at top off our rotation? Who would you have playing Center field if we made that trade? Melky might end up being an all-star player.
Oh and for the upcoming 10 games, it is pretty nice to catch Cleveland and Detroit now when both are off to worse starts than us.
I am in absolutely no way giving up on the division, but the real wildcard competition is at the moment significantly worse off than the Yanks – Detroit’s bullpen is done, Cleveland’s closer (even though he sucks) is injured, Bedard is injured, Toronto -someone will be injured soon enough. They all have the same or lesser record.
The stat about A-Rod compared to Abreu is pointless.
Second team indeed.
randy l
>> cashman can procrastinate on his decision
He’s not procrastinating. The plan was always keep Joba in the pen until late may-ish, stretch him out in the minors during june, bring him back and put him in the rotation in late June – Early July.
Procrastinating would be if Cashman was saying “We’re just not sure where to commit to Joba yet.” They’ve committed, they’ve had a plan in place for about a year now. If you don’t see that, well…
Wow, I didn’t realize how poor of a start Reyes has had.
Guess I’m not paying a ton of attention to the MEts as a whole.
Listening to Michael Kay-Yanks taking early(extra?) batting practice-No Giambi or Damon out there.
Watch out people…he supposedly took note of that and needed to share.
Since theirs no edit button, and I clicked submit by mistake, let me add this on:
The only discussions are:
When will they move Joba?
Does he need to go to the minors to prepare to be a starter again?
The decision’s made. All you have to do is listen when Hank, Cashman, Girardi etc…speak.
Sorry fellas. I have to disagree. The wild card wasnt made for the Yankees. It was made for teams in our division that complained in not being able to sniff the playoffs. Last year was an aboration. Thats all it was. Our new division title streak will start this year. Im not going to have a red sox mind set and look at the wild card from here on out. Yanks were built to win. Not for runner up.
how is this Figueroa not getting bombed ? he gets into hitters counts only has a 2 seamer that he leaves in the middle or outside and his curve is a simple loop, how is it not 6 – 0 Cubs
weird
A lot of people come in here commenting on Santana going to the Mets and ignoring how much it would have costed the Yanks with the luxury tax. Sure, they gave A-Rod a boatload of money but he is the best offensive player in the game, has an impact on practically every game of the season, and his homerun chase will pay dividends. Santana pitches every 5 days and his impact is only based on how well the Mets match up against the other ace pitchers – which hasn’t been well with their weak bottom of the order. Just wanted to throw that out there.
I’m glad to see that the Yanks won’t rush Joba into the rotation. I am a little concerned that if we do need another starter the best we can do is Darrell Rasner.
Rasner should have been on the major league roster as soon as Karstens was injured.We needed a long reliever.But after a winter’s worth of hype about our prospects, it doesnt say much about the current minor league pitching depth if Rasner is the best we have available right now. Does anyone have an update on Horne’s injury?
Drive 4-5,
I read somewhere on this blog that he has been shut down for 14 days. Not good news.
Will start throwing again tomorrow or Thurs. Don’t know what the program will entail before returning to the mound. Check out SWB blog – Chad Jennings is the man.
Forget the innings cap. Convert Joba to a starter ASAP. Then order him to pitch like a #3 AT THE WORST but (wink wink) tell him he should really pitch like a #1. He needs to get a minimum of 15 wins with an ERA of 3.00 or below. Also, tell him he has to pitch through 7 innings of each of his starts in normal fashion, then slap him upside his head after the 7th inning and tell him to come out for the 8th with a setup-man mentality because no one else in the world can fill his shoes.
Then tell him he’s also in charge of throwing out souvenirs from the victory float at the World Series parade.
Then when his arm falls off and he never pitches in the big leagues again, laugh at how we got most of a full season of Joba as a starter for dirt cheap.
And Marquez is stinking it up:(
Check this out:
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/04/21/fan-at-fenway-park-catches-foul-ball-drops-foul-ball/
from sj earlier today.
“Unfortunately news re: Alan Horne. Completely shutdown for 14 days and then they are beginning a “conservative†throwing program.
Translation: He won’t be back on the mound until June at the earliest”
I have a question maybe one of you can answer. Was it the plan all along to have Romine and Montero at Charleston together this year? Right now both guys are tearing it up(.350+ BA) and I was wondering how the Yankees are planning to develop them both if they are on the same team.
I understand one can always DH but if I heard correctly the Yankees want to try and do everything they can to keep Montero as a catcher. If that’s the case I think splitting catching duties with Romine will stunt his development.
Maybe they do it to keep both of them fresh. Maybe they don’t want them to wear down catching too many games in the minor leagues…but that doesn’t make much sense. Are they both still way too raw for one of them to move up to Tampa? That seems like the logical solution… move one to Tampa. But maybe there’s something I’m missing here. Thoughts?
S.o.S.27:
Sorry. Please add S.o.S.27 to the list
I do appreciate the fact that you included me, but in my view I’m more of a cranky observer than a real baseball contributor so I’m not comfortable being on a second or third or whatever team. But thanks.
I also think we kind of got caught up in the moment here, and I wouldn’t want an innocent thing like this to turn into a beauty contest or election for class president. The more names we include, the more folks I’m afraid we will offend through omission. So, I’d like to stop for a moment and refocus.
My point earlier was that there are a few voices here that are more equal than the others, in terms of baseball knowledge, clarity of thought and length of participation on the blog. Those folks do deserve some deference from newcomers, IMO.
Nick in SF
LOL!
I love when people bring up “Tom Seaver threw this many innings, Clemens threw that many innings…”
What they fail to realize is that there are many, many times more guys whose arms couldn’t do what Seaver did at 22 (threw 250 IP), who flamed out or never made it at all because they were abused and broke down.
No one knows their names for that reason.
It’s obvious to everyone who watches him that Joba’s got once-in-a-decade type stuff. I can’t wait to see him start but we simply have to be patient with him. I’d rather see him nursed to 200+ IP and be “the next Tom Seaver / Roger Clemens”than go from 115 to 215 and be just another “almost was”
mel:
The fan who dropped the ball… What an idiot!
Some other useless but interesting info…
Nelson Figueroa was born in Brooklyn and pithced at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. A division 3 school…
Also, since the Wild Card was brought up does anyone else find it funny that the only owner to vote against it was none other than George W ?
-dennis
Damon and Giambi are not in Chicago for early hitting something happened
the worst part is the very end where he’s trying to convince the fans on the lower level to toss it back up for him.
Those two should really be off the team (Damon/Giambi) ASAP.
either they are in Chicago and not in early hitting practice or just not there, Micheal Kay not good w/ details
murphydog,
Hilarious, no? Dan Patrick’s webmaster posted it. Must not be a Red Sox fan.
SoS: Here’s an article for you: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?page=FirstRoundBests-080422
Brandon, when you type “Damon and Giambi” all I see is “Damon and Naomi”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damon_&_Naomi
I think they all bat around the same right now…. but Naomi can still work a walk.
Brandon
Maybe nothing happened. It may be just Michael Kay drama. Giambi usually takes BP in the cages.
Whoa Brandon,
That’s a little reactionary – there are many possible explanations for them not taking the extra BP – Lunch at Chez Luis and the the German day parade are my Vote
Danke Schoen
A-Rod is in Chicago but not in the line-up for tonight.
that’s my bet pat, too good to be true.
P.S. Figueroa is getting figured out
“A-Rod is in Chicago but not in the line-up for tonight.”
quad is strained and it may rain, plus add the wife is dued to give birth soon.
hmmm-
i’m saying something so simple that it’s going past people. i don’t care who it is ,but the yankees need a# 3 starter- now.
if joba needs to be protected, then save him for another year. if he needs to be protected he’s not ready.
there’s too much thought of the future and not enough thought for right now. these games count now as much as in august and september.
the red sox have won 9 of 10, and with mussina, hughes, and kennedy losing games at a 9 out of 10 rate , a ten game deficit won’t take that long.
if the plan is to take a pass on this year, then i see where you’re going, but that’s not the yankees i know.
i have no doubt if cashman proceeds on this course with the plan you’re advocating that the yankees will be ten games out in no time. then cashman will scramble and pull a rabbit out of his hat because of the resources he has.
i don’t think that’s a smart plan. i think that’s a dumb plan.
Dude,
Dued?
This is great. Yogi’s so cute. That Jeter’s not bad looking himself. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080422&content_id=2568174&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Giambi goes deep tonight, has 3 rbi, and the Yankees cruise to a 8-2 win.
hmmm-
rasner is a #3?
how does that solve the #3 hole?
“add the wife is dued to give birth soon”
Even A-Rod’s baby is not clutch. Every other baby would have made sure to be born on the Yankees day off. Now the Yankees play 13 games in a row. That’s about as un-clutch as you can get for a baby.
Miggs,
Cashman said the other day Montero will spend the entire season in Charleston.
Translation: They want to keep him as a catcher and see if he can play the position. Its easier for him to work on his catching skills by staying in the SAL because, defensively, he isn’t close to being ready to catch in the Florida State League.
Offensively? He’s a monster.
I do like the idea of keeping him at catcher because he could be an amazing weapon if his catching skills even remotely catch up to his bat.
Romine? Its going to be interesting to see what happens with him this season. Having he and Montero together insures they won’t overplay both guys behind the plate. Romine is very polished defensively. He’s probably closer to AA calibur from a defensive standpoint.
He’s just a year out of high school and, like all kids in his position, needs to get stronger. He’s hitting better than they ever thought he could right now.
Its probably best to leave both of them in Charleston this year.
But, if one gets promoted, it may be Romine because of his defensive skills.
Just for fun though, I’d like to see them keep that Charleston team stay together because they could be a very special team. There may be as many as 10 future major league players on that team.
randy l, d00d – it’s April. We don’t need reactionary ‘WE NEED A #3 NOW’ talk. What if Hughes ‘figures it out’ and pitches like he did vs Texas last year from here on out? There’s your #3.
Give it through May. This team is going to mash this summer.
Looking at what we’ve seen so far from Ian and Phil, there must be plans brewing in the background to bring up Rasner should Ian or Moose continue to struggle.
There is a difference in the way that Ian has struggled and the way that Phil has struggled, not to mention the significant difference in their raw stuff. Phil is a few adjustments away from throwing 6-7IP 3ER or less in each game, where Ian is quite a few adjustments away from such a game.
Rasner is completely dominating AAA and he never really had that much trouble up at the MLB level, but rather he was injured (we all remember that) and was never really given enough time to recover and readjust. We were in a playoff race and it was heating up. If he can go 6 innings consistently, that’s better than what we’re getting from 3 members of our rotation right now.
There is nothing wrong with sending Ian Kennedy down at some point this season to refine some pitches and get his control back. He has almost no minor league experience and little to no major league experience. If Rasner can fill the spot while he’s improving himself, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.
The next few weeks are going to be very important for how this team will shape up coming into the all-star break. Once we hit the second half of the season, things are really going to heat up.
SJ.
Any relation to former Red Sox Kevin Romine?
-dennis
ok Micheal Kay said they can’t be in the cages today..missed the reason why.. but Alex is there, Robi is there, Melky, Gonzo, Jetes and Posada are there, Girardi is throwing BP to get the hitter’s warmed up and Damon/Giambi are the only 2 not there
SJ:
You think the Yankees are concerned that Montero never walks and that too is contributing factor to keeping him in Charleston?? His K rate isn’t bad (1 for every 5 AB’s is acceptable when you hit well), but only 2 walks in 80+ PA’s shows he may be vulnerable as he moves up. Further, 18 years old is awfully young for the FSL.
Jake Westbrook put on the 15 day DL for a strained muscle in his side.
-dennis
There are no #3 starters in the marketplace. They are going to have to solve that dilemma from within.
Cashman is not being derelict in his duties. There simply isn’t a guy of that calibur in the marketplace unless you want to give up crown jewels (Austin Jackson, Montero, Betances, etc.) in the farm system. No way you can do that, IMO.
Hughes, Moose and Kennedy have to pitch better. If they don’t, they aren’t going anywhere this year so it makes little sense to make a deal you end up regretting.
I think these next 2-3 weeks are important. You have to hope one (at worst) of the threee will improve enough to give them something in that slot until they transition Joba to the rotation.
If that doesn’t happen? Gotta hope the offense can get going and score some runs.
Even though Rasner isn’t on the 40 man roster, I have to think he is going to get called up soon if he continues to pitch the way he is this season.
Rasner not being on the 40 will stop them from calling him up if they need him. They just have to make a roster move (perhaps DFA’ing Steven White, for example) to get it done.
As far as Kay bringing up Giambi and Damon not being present for early hitting today, here’s my take:
When you are hitting less than .150, you have to take early BP. You may not like it but, you get your butt to early BP.
If Jeter and Posada, both veteran players, who are injured, can take early BP, and Robbie Cano, no early riser, can take early BP, so can Jason Giambi.
Damon? I think he should be there too but, I’m less upset about him because he showed some signs of breaking out of it on Sunday.
Sometimes, guys who come off a good game after struggling don’t like to take early BP. He should be there but, I can understand if he isn’t if he is one of the guys who feel as I described.
Giambi? Sorry but, its really disappointing he’s not at early BP. Not the way to go about your business when you are in the slump he is in.
Dennis:
I think it’s Kevin Romine’s son.
Dennis,
Austin is Kevin’s son. Yes, I feel VERY old typing that since I remember Kevin Romine well from his playing days! lol
Fredo,
I don’t think they are worried about Montero’s walk rates right now.
He makes a lot of contact. At his age, you don’t want to take away his aggressiveness. Strikezone refinement? That comes with AB’s.
It may be one of the factors in keeping him in the SAL all season but, I don’t believe its a cause for concern.
He’s a very special talent and they are going to be very conservative with his development.
SJ.
Thanks. I agree. I was a kid when Romine was with the Sox and now his son is a prospect. I have to stop this aging thing. It isn’t growing on me…
I will jump off from posting as we both have games this eve. I will read though as I am dying to hear feedback on Hawk Harrelson if anyone has the Chicago feed this eve.
Have a good night and take care.
-dennis
SJ:
Seems like a good idea keeping him down there. He’ll get the AB’s and build confidence.
Any concerns that Tabata seems a little overmatched in Trenton? Also was shocked to see Ajax with ONE rbi in 19 games. He’s showing no power, but his avg/obp and K/BB rate are quite good. I know the EL is a lousy league for hitters, and Tabata is young for the league, but I’m getting budding star vibes off this kid.
S.o.S.-
“Unless he’s the next Orland Pace. I dont see why they did that. They needed a quarterback and running back. Parcells is a smart man. Maybe he sees a steal in later rounds.”
There number one need was an offensive lineman, and Jake is the best in the class at that spot. They have a better than good RB in Ronnie Brown, so drafting another one this early would be pointless. And they believe they have a future star with John Beck. The earliest they take a QB is round 2, which is when I believe they will take Chad Henne (another Wolverine). Drafting Ryan would have been dumb, 1 reason– QB wasn’t their main need, and 2– sitting Ryan in favor of just a 2nd year player in Beck would be a shear waste of time and talent.
What happens when Joba gets moved to the rotation and he is as bad as Hughes and Kennedy have been?
“none
of
these
three
are
going
to
be
a
#
3
this
year.”
Verlander was a #1 his first season. Why can’t Phil be a #3? More importantly, since this is what I’ve ACTUALLY said (repeatedly, though perhaps not in that specific response to your specific comment), why can’t Phil and Joba, over the course of the 45 or so starts they make this season, provide production equivalent to a #3 and most of a #4 starter?
Fredo,
The Yankees are being very aggressive promoting both guys (Jackson and Tabata) to AA. Both are very young for that league.
I think they want to accomplish two things with them in the EL. One, if they play well, they have two guys that are either on the fast track to the Bronx or are elite trade pieces.
Two, they want to see how mature these kids are in terms of handling failure.
The EL is a tough league for kids that young. They are going to get their chin scraped this season. I’m willing to handle their ups and downs this year because they are very talented kids.
Jackson’s lack of RBI is a byproduct of the Thunder lacking a true leadoff hitter. He’s hitting second in the order and Ramiro Pena, a non hitter, is the leadoff hitter.
The bottom of their order also isn’t very good. Another reason why his RBI opportunities have been limited so far this year.
“Any concerns that Tabata seems a little overmatched in Trenton? ”
His numbers certainly look that way. Worst thing that happens is that he goes back to High-A ball. But I figure you have to give him a couple months to see how he adjusts. He’s a talented kid, but thinking he’d start dominating AA in his first month at nineteen was kind of…unrealistic.
Perhaps being challenged will show him that he needs to work hard in order to achieve his potential. Word has been that he’s coasted on his talent at times. Perhaps his poor showing — coupled with Jackson starting to push past him as a prospect — will be the kick in the butt he needs. It wouldn’t hurt to have them pushing each other.
Remember, at this time last year, Austin Jackson was hitting around .250 in the SAL and the whispers from some folks was that he wasn’t going to make it.
What did the Yankees do? They ended up promoting him and he took off.
You never know when it clicks with prospects. I haven’t seen a Thunder game yet so I don’t know if Tabata is overmatched or just starting slow.
I guess what I have been trying to say all along is that this team is in trouble if hughes and kennedy can’t get it together. As well as the offense collectively.
As negative as I am, I do not think this year is gone at all.. I think it will be a “long” season of many disappointments, but I do not think that its all out of this teams reach.
Early signs are not good, no doubt.
I think Hank was just talking because he is still really upset that he didn’t get Santana. He wanted him bad.
Oh well, the Yankee dynasty is yet to become the Yankee travesty.. we have a few more years before that would happen.
Cashman, well.. He is not better or worse than anyone managing such a high profile team with a huge purse. The money is there and a couple mistakes obtaining players that don’t pan out.. are well, a waste of money.. NOT using the money and passing on players are the mistakes I can’t tolerate. Who is to say if the Yankees are better with Brian or not?
What about Joe T or Joe G? IT’s the same team and both managers are getting the brunt of an under-performing team. I do like seeing how Joe G plays small ball, put on the hit-n-run, and stands up every game unafraid to run out to the field.