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.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 at 8:02 am by Peter Abraham.
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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.”
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?