Game 27: Yankees at Indians
-
- April
- 28
YANKEES
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez DH
Giambi 1B
Matsui LF
Ensberg 3B
Cano 2B
Molina C
Mussina RHP
Mike Mussina vs. the Cleveland hitters
Notes: Cleveland will start LHP Aaron Laffey, who has never faced any of the Yankees. … The Yankees are ending a stretch of 18 road games in 21 days. … Jorge Posada is officially on the DL as of yesterday and Chris Stewart is here and wearing No. 38. … Johnny Damon is 13 of his last 32 with seven RBI and seven extra-base hits. … Matsui returns to the lineup after two days off. “I didn’t retire,” he said.
UPDATE, 5:58 p.m.: Jorge Posada flew to Birmingham, Ala., today to meet with Dr. James Andrews. No word yet on his status. Tonight will be the first game the Yankees will play without Posada on the roster since Sept. 1, 1996.
UPDATE, 6:38 p.m.: It’s up to 47, the tarp is off the field and the skies are clear. It won’t be awful but it’ll still be cold.
UPDATE, 7:07 p.m.: I sort of follow minor-league players like stocks. I have certain guys I try and check every day. J.B. Cox is on that list. He chucked two innings for Trenton yesterday against New Britain 2 2 0 0 0 1. He was with Trenton in 2006 and pitched well before he missed 2007 with injuries. If Cox pitches well, he could get a chance in the majors this season.
UPDATE, 7:16 p.m.: 0×3 with RISP in the first off a pitcher who seemed to be begging to give up a few runs. That’s 2 for 23 in the series. (Note: Please do not take this as some kind of commentary on the Yankees or part of some secret agenda. We’re just passing along a statistic that would seem to be of interest to educated readers).
UPDATE, 8:04 p.m.: They should give The Big G a blanket to smother the ball with. Then he could pick up the ball with the blanket and step on the bag. That would work better than the glove at this point. (Note: I am not actually suggesting this; it’s a joke. The comment was no way intended to besmirch Jason Giambi, the New York Yankees or Joe Girardi, all of whom I hold in the highest regard).
UPDATE, 8:20 p.m.: The Moose has done a great job for four innings but Aaron Laffey has been even better as the Yankees somehow have yet to get a hit. Laffey has retired 12 in a row. (Note: Laffey has in fact retired 12 in a row. This is a statistic and should not in any way offend certain Yankee fans or be seen as an indictment of the manager. I’m sure the Yankees are trying very hard).
UPDATE, 8:31 p.m.: The Moose has allowed two runs in his last 11 innings.
UPDATE, 8:42 p.m.: Guess I jinxed Mussina (Note: It wasn’t intentional. I would never want anything bad to happen to the Yankees). Now Albaladejo is warming up. Why did they bring Chris Britton up?
UPDATE, 9:07 p.m.: Two little infield singles and next thing you know it leads to four runs. Now we’ll see what the bullpen can do for four innings.








You mean Chris STewart didnt want #21 lol
PS The link doesnt work
Matsui returns to the lineup after two days off. “I didn’t retire,†he said.
No, but while he was out they fitted him for catcher’s gear.
I thought Britton is wearing # 38?
Laffey dominates.
Yuck. Matsui playing the field.
Let’s go Yankees!
Ps. I had a thought. I haven’t posted in the comments section in a REALLY long time, but I’m looking at them daily. Anyway, what does everyone think about Barry Bonds being an offensive solution? I know he is a really big wench, but he is still an offensive force, and if you don’t think so, look at his page on Baseball Reference. He can make the Yankees lineup better than Detroits, even with Jorge out of there. I think if JOrge is lost for 4-6 months, which is certainly possible, the Yanks need another offensive force in there.
I just wanted to know what everyone thought. I’m torn. I know Bonds has a lot on his plate, plus his personality is just terrible and he is known as a cancer. But would he be different on a good team that has a chance to win? Who knows. What’s the feeling here?
Pete is 2nd guessing Girardi again. Why would he mention how good Damon is hitting if Girardi has him on the bench? Seems like a subtle criticism if you ask me…
i wish Stewart took #21
JS54,
Of course that was Pete’s point. But is Damon sitting just because we’re facing a lefty?
I might want Damon in there over Ensberg too, unless A-Rod still isn’t ready to play 3B…
A blog is all about second guessing.
What ever happened with Matsui’s new wife? Has anyone ever seen her? Is she for real?
I’d rather have Matsui in the lineup over Shelly or Ensberg anyday.
Matsui haters need not reply.
Moose will have trouble getting his curve and changeup over the plate. Couple that with the fact that they are facing a left-handed Nobody, long, long night for the Yanks awaits.
Put this in the loss column already.
Hopefully no one (no Yankee, that is) will get hurt.
Well you gotta get Matsui in there at some point or he might start forgetting how to hit.
Anyone know who Laffey has been compared to? What type of pitcher is he?
VT, Id love to have Bonds hitting behind A-Rod instead of GHiambi
Please look at this logically:
Damon needs a day off (hasnt had one in a bit). You might want him to DH with the way he is hitting BUT with the weather conditions tonight you dont want AROD to re-aggrevate his injury so you have him DH and not play the field.
Matsui has had 2 days off so you put him in the field.
Thus you need a 3rd baseman thus you get Ensberg.
Giambi has had 2 days off so you want him back in as well.
It all makes total sense to me
sore quad, freezing weather. makes sense to DH A-Rod.
If Laffey is left handed and crappy, he will most likely throw a shuout.
unless A-Rod still isn’t ready to play 3B…
He isn’t. At least not tonight in the arctic Cleveland weather.
“VT, Id love to have Bonds hitting behind A-Rod instead of GHiambi”
you don’t see the irony in this post? not at all?
Stewart is wearing #38? Hope the Matt Nokes groupies aren’t up in arms…
Matsui has a sense of humor!
Also, do any of you guys realize how lucky the Yankees have been not to have to face Fausto Carmona or Cliff Lee in a four game set?
How did we manage that?
Rebecca we get them BOTH next week instead lol
“Moose will have trouble getting his curve and changeup over the plate. Couple that with the fact that they are facing a left-handed Nobody, long, long night for the Yanks awaits.”
The Moose could be painful to watch. But as for the Cleveland kid pitcher, the Yankees should bunt all night long. If the conditions are going to be such a joke, make the most of it. Let’s see their guys slip and slide and strain their quads.
Oh an Rebecca we managed that because of the rain postponment and that Cleveland had to play a DH just before the series
Is forfeiting this game an option? Has there ever been a forfeit by a team in MLB history?
gayle: For real? At least we’ll be home then!
Why does Girardi feel the need to bench a player when he’s hot. First it’s Matsui. Now Damon. I assume he’ll bench Melky next if Melky hits another clutch homer tonight.
Stewart is wearing #38? Hope the Matt Nokes groupies aren’t up in arms…
Just you wait till they get back to the Stadium. They’re going to let him have it. This guy Stewart’s not a real Yankee
“Pete is 2nd guessing Girardi again. Why would he mention how good Damon is hitting if Girardi has him on the bench? Seems like a subtle criticism if you ask me…”
So? I think Pete is just pointing out the facts and letting us come to our own conclusions. It’s true, Damon is on a hot streak right now and he’s not playing tonight. Is that a good decision? We’ll see.
09/30/1971 – New York at Washington – AL – The last American League game played in Washington ended in a forfeit win for the New York Yankees. The Senators were leading 7-5 with two out in the ninth inning when souvenir hunters stormed onto the field. The field could not be cleared and the umpire had no choice except to call the game. The fans had been unruly most of the night due to the fact that the club was moving to Texas for the 1972 season and some had run onto the field in the eighth inning delaying the game. – New York Times; 10/01/1971, p 49 (Yankees)
06/04/1974 – Texas at Cleveland – AL – It was 10-cent beer night in Cleveland. The Indians had just tied the score at 5 with a sacrifice fly and had the winning run at third when hundreds of fans jumped the right field fence and attacked the Ranger’s right fielder Jeff Burroughs and other players. Chief umpire Nestor Chylak, who was struck on the head, declared the game a forfeit win for Texas. Six fans were arrested. – New York Times – 06/05/1974; p 35 (forfeits)
09/15/1977 – Baltimore at Toronto – AL – The Orioles were behind 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning when manager Earl Weaver asked umpire Marty Springstead to have a tarpaulin that was covering the Toronto bull pen area removed. The game was being played in a light rain and Weaver felt that the tarpaulin posed an injury risk to his left fielder. The umpire refused and Weaver pulled his team from the field. Springstead waited 15 minutes for the team to retake the field before declaring the forfeit. – New York Times; 09/16/1977, p 93 (Orioles)
07/12/1979 – Detroit at Chicago – AL – In the most ill-fated promotion in baseball history, thousands of fans overran the Comiskey Park playing field during “Disco Demolition Night” between games of a doubleheader and caused the Chicago White Sox to forfeit the second game after losing to Detroit 4-1 in the first. Umpire Dave Phillips declared the field unplayable after an hour and 16 minute delay and postponed the game. Later American League President Lee MacPhail ruled the game a forfeit win for the Tigers. – New York Times; 07/13/1979; p A16, Washington Post; 07/14/1979; p C2 (Tigers)
08/10/1995 – St. Louis at Los Angeles – NL – Baseballs were distributed to fans as they entered Dodger Stadium. The game was delayed in the 7th inning when some fans started throwing their souvenir baseballs onto the field. In the bottom of the 9th with St. Louis leading 2-1, the first batter, Raul Mondesi, was called out on strikes. He started to complain to umpire Jim Quick and was ejected. Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda was ejected as well. The fans became upset and started throwing the balls onto the field again. The umpires brought the Cardinal team in from the field while the grounds crew cleared the field. When play resumed, the fans again bombarded the field and the umpires forfeited the game in favor of St. Louis. New York Times, 08/11/1995, p B9 (Dodgers)
“Anyone know who Laffey has been compared to? What type of pitcher is he?”
Laffey doesn’t have great stuff but he was an extreme ground ball pitcher in the minor leagues (60% of contact resulted in grounders).
He’s a decent prospect – not great. Not one of the Indian’s top ten.
Last year he threw around 40 innings in the majors and was pretty good 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA and a WHIP of 1.34.
The thing about him that was interesting was that even in the majors last year his ground ball rates did not go down. He was still getting 59% of contact resulted in ground balls.
rebecca actually we could miss them again when they hit the stadium next week as Lee is scheduled to pitch April 30th and unless the Indians are off that Monday before the series we will miss him..Carmona is scheduled to start on SUnday May 4th against KC so we will miss him it looks like for sure
But Matsui was doing well, too, and he sat 2 days in a row. For cryin’ out loud – you all knew the deal from spring training. Damon and Matsui are sharing time.
BOnds.Can’t believe I get killed for saying Joba should be our Set-Up man all year yet some people think Bonds could actually help us.His offense isn’t better then his media circus he will bring.
I mean we already have GHiambi and HGH Pettitte.WE don’t need anymore people who will cause anymore PR problems.
I am a huge Matsui supporter.
On another front, we could have 9 iterations of the Babe in the lineup and lose a game to a pitcher we haven’t seen before…
“Why does Girardi feel the need to bench a player when he’s hot. First it’s Matsui. Now Damon. I assume he’ll bench Melky next if Melky hits another clutch homer tonight.”
Our lineup is lefty heavy. We have faced a left-handed pitcher 3 nights in a row. Girardi is obviously working each lefty in and out of the lineup so that we can have an extra right-handed bat for each game. Damon has played against the first two lefties so it’s his turn to sit.
One of Torre’s greatest strengths was working guys in and out of the lineup while keeping them all relatively happy. It’s a necessity with this team the way it is constructed, we’ll see if Girardi can succeed at it.
Don Vito A. Bellamo:
I believe our path is clear: open the beer taps, hang the disco ball, advertise a “free sod” promotion and give away some baseballs.
If all else fails, channel your inner Crash Davis and turn on the sprinklers.
thanks don Vito. I had no idea the 70’s is such an unruly decade in baseball.
“We need to get rid of Torre and get a good numbers guy in here like Girardi”
Looks like Girardi hasn’t looked at a stat sheet since the 1st game.
The 70s were an unruly decade.
“Why does Girardi feel the need to bench a player when he’s hot. First it’s Matsui. Now Damon. ”
well, Matsui and Damon play the same position.
If Girardi needs the DH spot to rest someone, one of those two guys have to sit.
this isn’t rocket science.
If the Big Blue can win in Lambeau, the Yanks can win in Cleveland. lol.
“I mean we already have GHiambi and HGH Pettitte.WE don’t need anymore people who will cause anymore PR problems.”
yeah, b/c those guys have caused so many PR problems during the seaoson.
oh wait, they haven’t.
i’m not saying Bonds wouldn’t bring a circus, you are right, he would.
but where are all these problems Pettitte has brought?
just like all the people who thought Pettitte wouldn’t be able to pitch through the distractions.
nonsense. if you admit what you did and act with humility, the fans will forgive you.
right or wrong, that’s how it works.
I wish Damon was in the lineup but I can’t think of a way to fit him in. Damon is a bit better than Matsui in LF and he is swinging a hotter bat (imo).
I love this Yankees team and I am just overjoyed that we’ve had 4 nationally televised games in a row.
ESPN, FOX, TBS, ESPN
Gotta love not having to stream it on the computer.
Laffey is a soft tossing lefty? This gets better by the second. Seriously, BET THE HOUSE ON THE IDIANS TONIGHT. Its the lock of the year. Im calling every bookie I know and betting the max with everyone. I should be driving a Bentley come next week.
It’s funny how last week a ton of people were saying how Damon is done and he should be DFA’d etc etc now everyone wants him in the lineup. Just goes to show you how fickle some fans are.
any word on cle lineup?
The weather may keep Sizemore out.
Boston Dave on CBS SPortsline it says he is available to pinch hit only.My opponent this week in the fantasy league has him on his team so it came up
A LHP that the Yankees haven’t seen before? For anyone that isn’t familiar with how the Yankees work, they will probably get 2-hit by this guy and we will be listening to the announcers talk about the “plus stuff” that Laffey has. Then he will give up 14 hits and 9 runs against the Royals his next game out.
But I’m optimistic
I’m guessing the Yanks knock out the Lefty in the 4th…
Everyone, ignore Hugh. It’s obvious that he’s merely a moronic troll. And definitely not a Yankees’ fan.
thanks gayle…
Advantage Yanks
Agreed Trisha – Yanks always seem to do terribly against pitchers they’ve never seen before. Even a high school sophomore could look like Cy Young against NY if its their first time facing our boys.
Matsui seems like he has a pretty good sense of humor…
Instead of Ensberg, how about alberto gonzalez, let him get some play time.
I’m going to not bet on Laffey here.
NotFunny, if you’re new to the blog, we ignore the trolls here =)
I benched Sizemore in favor of Ellsbury on my fantasy team, but who knows if it’ll do any good.
Yeah V, Im not a Yankee fan…I only have the NY logo tattoo’d on my elbow….but Im a much bigger fan of money and this is an opportunity to make alot of it. Last I checked, the Yankees dont pay my bills…well after tonight they will.
Rebecca,
You should be banned here for having Red Soxers on your fantasy roster. That’s a conflict of our interest!
“Yeah V, Im not a Yankee fan…I only have the NY logo tattoo’d on my elbow….but Im a much bigger fan of money and this is an opportunity to make alot of it. Last I checked, the Yankees dont pay my bills…well after tonight they will.”
Well, let me wish you happy bankruptcy.
mel: Hah, Ellsbury is my only Red Sock. Have a bunch of Indians and White Sox though.
Who is this experienced pitcher that Francesa keeps bringing up that the Yankees need?
What team is giving away quality starting pitching?
As if it’s that easy to get.
Anyone else think about making the AG our permanent first baseman? He’s shown a hot glove at third, SS and second, no doubt he can excel at first as well. Now he becomes an emergency infielder for the other positions as well. Duncan can stop being shuttled between infield and outfield, getting some stability by staying in the outfield and Giambi goes into the DH only rotation.
Im not sure who is worse..Mike and Chris or the people who think their words are gospel.
Anyone else think about making the AG our permanent first baseman?
No.
Jimmy: AG can’t hit well enough to play first.
Chris was saying the other day that nobody should question anything Tony LaRussa does because he’s a hall of fame manager. A caller asked him how many times he questioned a move by Torre who is also a HOF manager. He responded by saying basically “well it’s not the same thing”
Murph—You think Matt Nokes is available and in game shape? That sweet lefty stroke has been missed, not to mention the Piazza like defense behind home plate.
Jorge with a bad shoulder throws better than Nokes and Pizza.
1B is a much bigger concern than I thought it would be…especially with Posada’s bat out of the line up. The Yankees need good offensive and defensive production from 1B
Only 45 degrees ?!?!?!? It must be that Global Warming!
Someone get Al Gore on the phone.
If I had to pick my ideal kind of Yankee fan it would be someone who thinks that the Yankees are far more important than money and to prove it has a job to pay their bills and doesn’t rely on bookies, and especially would never bet agaisnt the Yankees. Probably wouldn’t ever bet on them either, meaning that going to a bookie to place a bet on a sports team is akin to a business proposition, while rooting for your favorite derives from raw passion.
Raw passion would never be caught dead in a business proposition where money is involved.
G. Love:
Been meaning to ask. Now that the strike is history are you like a one armed paper hanger with projects? Too many green lights? Not enough?
I don’t think the redhot Matsui was really being benched the last couple of games. I think he was on his honeymoon.
Hope the Chase Wright fans don’t revolt because Stewart is wearing his number…
Once ARod can play 3b again, we have both Shelley and Ensberg at first (when Giambi isnt playing).
Last season when we had Mientkiewicz, it was “Defense at first is so overrated. We just need offense.”
now it’s “we just need someone who can play defense at first”
relax. sure, giambi is horrible at first and is playing too much, but Shelley and Ensberg are at the very least passable options.
it’s ok if we don’t have an all-star at every position.
the pitching will determine the outcome of 2008. not first base. if giambi is still playing horrific defense and offense for much longer, i cant see girardi giving him as much PT.
Jax,
Yeah I agree with you…I heard that too and was wondering the same thing…
Who would be available anyway? Anyone have a list?
i could never draft a boston player on my fantasy team. the one year (05) we had an auto-draft and i accidentally forgot to put beckett on my “exclude list” and auto-drafted him. i was able to trade him away though before the season started.
so what catcher do we want? I want Mirabelli just cause he can own the Red Sox, especially vs. Timmy Knuckelball
the (incredibly) short trip from idiot to genius:
on saturday morning i was on here saying the yankees had cut moeller loose too soon and that they should trade for inge.
i was roundly dismissed as an idiot and called a troll
apologies now being accepted…...
bphill,
Mirabelli is a jerk and one of the weaker options at C. The Sox know he can catch Wakefield and decided against keeping him, instead keeping one of the weaker offensive catchers in the game (despite his good start).
I like Damien Miller if Moeller doesn’t clear. Either way, unless Posada is out for the season, backup catcher is the least of the Yanks worries. Get a guy who can catch the ball and hit .225.
The difference between .225 and .275 for a backup catcher over the course of an entire season is about 5 total hits. Five.
JMO
April 28th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
the (incredibly) short trip from idiot to genius:
on saturday morning i was on here saying the yankees had cut moeller loose too soon and that they should trade for inge.
i was roundly dismissed as an idiot and called a troll
apologies now being accepted……
You’re a genius? The Yankees should hire you to work in their front office and replace Cashman at the end of the season? Good guess?
If you want, I think we can track down a gold star for you…http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumb_135/117524536035×1f5.jpg
there you go Congratulations.
I missed my draft, and it’s why I ended up with Ellsbury, but I think my Yankees-
Joba, Phil, Melky and Bobby-make up for it =DIf Molina can stay healthy, I don’t care if he can hit or not, he showed us yesterday just how good his arm his. Yankees lineup should be good enough to get by him.
not looking for a gold star, i just want the ppl who called me an idiot to apologize.
JMO, don’t hold your breath.
Looks like they were taking the tarp off the field in Cleveland.
Molina’s D is solid…and interestingly he is batting over .300 in a little over 100 ABs since he became a Yankee, I believe…
Maybe putting on pinstripes full-time will elevate his offensive game…
JMO,
If trading for Inge was ever an option, you’d get the gold star.
Either way, your opinion doesn’t deserve being called an idiot.
Let’s go Yankees!
ghost of articles past – thanks for the link. i guess.
don vito, i wanted to tell you i was at a seat cushion night at busch stadium in 1987 vs. the mets.
pennant race was on, cards losing and tommy herr got a hit to tie the game in the 8th, about 1/3 rd of the cusions were thrown onto the field and play had to be stopped and the fans threatened with forfiet. when order was restored i think it was herr that hit the game winner in the 10 and down came the rest of the cusions including mine.
i think it was the last seat-cushion night.
bphill,
This is gross, but Molina madre needs to bottle her milk and send it to the Yankee farm.
Molina calls a good game.
Anyone have a Moose prediction for tonight?
I’m thinking somewhere along the lines of 5IP 4ER
This game will be a blowout one way or the other. Yanks will either HAMMER this young kid (2 2/3IP 7ER) ish or get no hit by him.
Prediction: 8-5 Yanks win.
Godspeed, Georgie.
I hope you receive good news and that your stint on the DL won’t be THAT long.
Check that…just looked at his stats and Molina is batting .297 since he became a Yankee…still not bad in 111 ABs…
Like others have said here on the board, if he can stay healthy it might not be so bad-not Jorge, though…the rest of the team has to pick it up…
The Molina Brothers look nothing alike!!!!
“Tonight will be the first game the Yankees will play without Posada on the roster since Sept. 1, 1996.”
We knew this would happen sooner or later. Just not this soon.
Good luck to Jorge’s shoulder.
well thats my problem with this blog, which is my favorite blog. there is an orthodoxy here and you’re cool if you are on the blog’s side of it and you’re an idiot or a troll if you dont toe the line on:
rocket: yeah he probably did something but its still a witch hunt…
pavano: make every possible joke about the guy being lazy and not wanting to pitch. (i do believe that doctors actually diagnosed his injuries and directed his recovery)
igawa: is a jerk especially b/c he wears sunglasses on the mound. (not hearing things like that about kennedy)
mussina: hes not that bad, dont complain about him. (c’mon, the guy sucks…)
santana trade: it was a great move not to do it and anyone who thinks differently is a troll.
anti-mussina gets called every name in the book (and phycically threatened) even though he is one of the more informed ppl on here. its just because his opinion of the yankees isnt as positive as others on here.
Britton switched to #47 when he was brought back up
Wow, mel, that IS something, isn’t it?
this is my favorite blog but there is this orthodoxy on here that is just rediculous.
if you condemn clemens or pettite for cheating, you are self-rightous.
if you think mussina sucks and should be pulled from the rotation, you’re a troll.
if you say cashman should be fired, you dont know baseball.
but go ahead and take every nasty shot possible at this blog’s preferred targets:
igawa’s a jerk who wears sunglasses
pavano is lazy and faking injuries
stay within the lines and you are safe.
I can’t look at that 1996 line without getting a knot in my stomach.
It’s just…it’s like…I can’t put it into words…
JMO,
What’s with the pity party?
We don’t all hate you.
Don’t worry, be happy.
Life is Good
Rebecca – You are precious in your youth….
(I am being sincere and complimentary.)
mel – I think I am going to follow your lead on the positive attitide to the (sometimes) negative posters who show up. Probably the only way to deal with it.
JMO – life is good, you are a Yankee fan, most storied franchise in sports, the owner is not afraid to spend money to win, the farm system is stocked. Don’t worry about people who may or may not be defending Clemens, etc.
Joe,
In light of today’s news on Clemens, good idea to put the disclaimer there.
Moose’s line tonight:
5 6 2 2 1 2
i am actually very happy, as i always am a half hour before the yankees first pitch. i was bumming b/c the experts on here dumped all over my inge suggestion and i was ridiculed for saying they shouldnt have cut moeller. they werent genius ideas but they were pretty good. but i got worked over by several of the poobahs who enforce the orthodoxy on here. so i figured i take some time to rub it in thier faces. and take the opportunity to stand up for some others on here who routinely get treated shabily b/c they dont toe the line.
Lets Go Yankees!!!!!!!!!!
“if you condemn clemens or pettite for cheating, you are self-rightous.
if you think mussina sucks and should be pulled from the rotation, you’re a troll.
if you say cashman should be fired, you dont know baseball.”
not directed at you JMO, but in general, the non-trolls who typically say these things don’t have reasonable, viable, alternatives to back it up and/or are often overreacting to present frustration. if someone gives a good alternative, great. if not, its going to be taken more often than not as senseless whining.
either way, everyone is entitled to their opinion, informed or not. as long as its respectful of everyone else, no problem.
Joe: Good thing I don’t have any roommates that could have seen just how much you made me blush!
It’s true though, I’ve never known a Yankees team without Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada or Mariano Rivera.
ignore the man behind the curtain
Rebecca, I’ve been following the Yankees since the 1964 World Series. I have long blamed myself for their downward spiral after that, and was very happy when they won in 1977, my “curse” finally being lifted.
JMO,
trading for Inge would be fine, if the Yanks could get him cheap. It’s unlikely they could.
He is signed for the next 3 seasons at about $6M a year. The Tigers have money so it’s not like they need to dump salary, especially a reasonable one.
The Tigers aren’t going to help out a team competing for the wildcard with them if they don’t have to.
Just because Inge wants to play every day, doesn’t mean the Tigers want to deplete their bench of one of their most valuable utility guys.
I won’t venture to guess what the Tigers would want in return, but it would probably make many of us wince or laugh.
Good idea, sure. Even better idea if it had a remote possibility of ever occurring.
JMO, Please explain to me how firing Cashman during the season helps this ball club? Can you think of any suitable replacement to take his position?
It’s annoying when people trash cashman after every lost and stay mute when we win the game. It’s childish… thats all.
Most people on here know that Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite used HGH. We don’t need people taunting us with childish human waste on the blog…
How did Mike Mussina do in his last start?
Anyone see Daniel Cabrera’s line in the White Sox-O’s game?
6.1 4 2 2 7 2
7 walks!
Jenks replaces Vasquez in the top of the 9th, up 2-1.
Double, steal, RBI single, pick off at 1st.
dang, Jenks just cost me a win in fantasy
Daniel Cabrera is the Dellin Betances of MLB.
How many people predicted that
Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Florida
would all be in first place in their division after 25 games
????
crazy…..
Joe: 1996 was the first year I knew about the World Series, but I wasn’t allowed to stay up to watch the games!
1997 I followed a little more (but still didn’t know anyone on the roster besides Derek Jeter, Paul O’Neill and Andy Pettitte), 1998 some more (but I went to summer camp late June-August!) and 1999 was the first season I started following on Opening Day.
moose: perfect 6 innings interrupted by rain. upon the game being called and a 4-0 win made official, moose finally gets his perfect game after being SOOO CLOSE at fenway that one time when carl everett (who i loathe entirely, almost as much as manny or youkilis) broke it up with 2 outs in the ninth.
those arent my opinions, was just pointing to the ones that always get shot down here.
anyway, i see cano going 3 for 4 tonight and batting .345 from today on.
LETS GO YANKEES!!!!!!!!!
damn, you had to bring that game up. moose’s almost-perfecto was on my birthday! damn that carl everett!
JMO
didnt mean to say they were. just saying that people who give good alternatives are more likely to be taken seriously than those who just say “Fire Cashman, Mussina sucks, etc”
holy crap.
Pete: thanks for posting that little stat about posada. you don’t realize its been THAT long since he’s not on the roster until you see the date in front of you. it certainly made me appreciate jorge and his importance to the team that much more.
i PRAY the diagnosis is not the worst possible case.
At least now Posada will have time to go open a can on Gino Castignoli, if he so chooses.
TROLL WARNING
The lack of games being played tonight may result in higher than normal troll activity.
If ignoring doesn’t work, at least try deep breathing. It makes for a more pleasant environment for your fellow commenters.
Who is our best left hand hitter facing lefties?
Last 3 years stats facing lefties.
MATSU .308 .370 .498 SO/AB 16.4%
DAMON .305 .376 .424 SO/AB 15.6%
ABREU .277 .363 .400 SO/AB 23.1%
GIAMB .238 .370 .473 SO/AB 29.5%
I don’t think Girardi did not know about this.
I hope that he tries to do something better before.
I really hope everything’s alright with Posada. I know I’m going to miss seeing him out there.
pat,
I dunno. Some might be licking their wounds after being swept by the Rays (who are turning out to be a nice little team btw) for the first time ever. Have we ever been swept in a 3 or 4 game series by TB?
off topic but thanks if you can help
Motown, Jimmy 27, et al. – off topic for a minute.
Anyone familiar with commercial leases? If so, fast question. My church leases out it school building and has a lease term that says we have the right of inspection given reasonable notice. Inspection is defined as having the right to see that lease terms are being met. That’s the only lease term that gives us the right to go into to building in a nonemergency situation. The school renting the building has jerked us around for a long time and aren’t sure they are going to re-up. (We gave them two more weeks to give a final answer.) If they do, it will just be for one more year. That’s our decision. Well we have a potential serious suitor who wants to see the building. If we tell them that we want passage to the building sometime next week (reasonable notice) and tell them its for purposes of showing it to a potential lessee, can they deny us passage? We can define potential lessee to them as someone interested in long-term starting next year but wants to see the building now.
If you know, thanks. This is not my forte but since I have been designated as parish atty. they expect everything to be my forte!
maybe Guisseppi Franco can help us get through Posada’s absence?
pat,
good point. ignore the trolls please.
JMO, I am still a believer in Kei Igawa. I will continue to believe in him and say so. It doesn’t matter if I get shot down. It’s my opinion and that is what a forum is all about.
On the other hand, I don’t feel the need to shove it down peoples’ throats.
mel,
when i think of sweeps, there is only one (5 game) that i can think of.
the rest pale in comparison.
wow
we are stuck with Steve Phillips for those of us watching on ESPN tonight
great….
Oh dear. Steve Phillips is going to be “broadcasting” the game in the ESPN booth?
Boston Dave: I think the mute button is more than called for in this instance.
MLB Extra Innings has the Cleveland feed (instead of YES). I guess that’s still better than ESPN.
Trisha,
sorry- no experience in that.
Steph,
no doubt about that.
the trolls in here are bad enough. we dont need to listen to trolls broadcasting the game on top of it.
Phillips will trash A-Rod by what, 7:35?
The game’s on YES as well, so if you’re in the NY market, you don’t have to listen to Steve Phillips.
Unfortunately, I have MLB.tv. I don’t feel like starting it up, so I guess I can start the audio with Waldman and Sterling and watch the game on ESPN.
I hope Mussina has another good/solid performance tonight
Will there be game?
No negativity necessary by posters on this board. Steve Phillips will provide it all this evening even if Mussina were to throw a no-no.
Phillips will trash A-Rod after he gets done trashing Moose, I’m sure. Then he’ll need someone else to talk about.
There be game.
Moose line predictions: 5 2/3 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs and 3 BB, 3K’s.. Yanks win the game though!!
Rebecca – The beauty of this blog – besides Pete – is bringing together people who otherwise wouldn’t know one another, and who join together in rooting for the Yankees.
Boston Dave, I have the YES feed through Extra Innings, as well as the Cleveland feed. Maybe that’s a deal with DirectTv?
Jimmy27 – thanks for looking!
Thanks, Rebecca.
I wish we had a set lineup
lead-off walk – that’s a good start!
trisha.
really? that’s no fair
alright. 2 on no outs
Joe—Yep.
Paolo—Welcome.
gotta capitalize on this!!
trisha – sorry, I don’t deal with leases.
Lucky Jeter looked like 4-6-3
nice to see Jeter avoid the DP!
Melky has really impressed me with his ABs this year.
Thankfully Jeter didn’t GIDP there.
Jeter tries his patented 4-6-3 play but the Indians will have none of that.
i think no matter what the outcome, the yanks are going to have to start using jorge at 1B. i know he has taken grounders there and i think he actually played a few innings there, but his future might have to be at 1B or DH, at least part of the time. he cant be any worse than giambi and he’s certainly a better hitter. and molina is certainly a better catcher.
Good break there. We better score a couple this inning.
lets make Laffy Taffy work!
Trisha – a believer in Igawa? What are your thoughts on the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus?
JMO – OK you’re right … you got me on the Igawa thing.
that sounded like a HR off the bat.
Cmon Alex… just get the run home now.
The ay Abreu hit that you woulda thought it was going out…
A-Rod needs to get at least one of those runs in.
Quite an accident that we have two on. I have a rhetorical question, a frustration point, but not a whine by any stretch of the imagination. WTF with Jeter and his GIDPS?!
Thanks I feel better.
My guess for Moose tonight? 3 hitter going into the 7th.
Don’t ask me where that came from. Just said the first thing that came to mind.
Guess not. 2 out…
eh
bats need to get hot eventually
Oh~~~~
Does Arod lead the league in infield/foul popups? And I’m just askin’, not hatin’!
Was that Hideki Irabu as the bat boy in the Yankee dugout?
they need to adjust ARods contract
rather than bonuses for his career HR, give the guy a bonus for doing his job and getting a run home from 3rd with less than 2 outs.
he has been popping out more often than i can ever remember.
is that Hideki Irabu in the dugout
ok obviously it’s not, but can he catch?
Ellen – thanks anyway.
ANSKY – Santa? Love him! Easter bunny? Love him!
Nick,
i cant see how he wouldnt be in the lead for that
Nick, I was thinking the same thing….I have NEVER seen a guy pop up so much in all the years I’ve watched baseball..
Laffy looks like a mix of David Wright and Scott Kazmir
yikes
that sucked.
Let’s go Moose
The Yankees strand more people than Oceanic 815.
That said, on a normal night, the Abreu and Giambi balls are home runs.
Giambi and Bobby put nice wood on the ball. Betcha before the night is out…
Warning track power from the Big G who has been getting “Good at bats” apparently. Here I thought he has a 177 batting average.
RISP….........runners in stranded position, again….. This team could be 5 games over .500 with just a few timely hits..
Why do our hitters NEVER cut down on there swing go make sure we get the run in instead of trying to hit 500 foot bombs? We MUST have one of the worst percentages in all of baseball from getting that runner in with less than 2 down. All of nothing hitters, they need to swallow that effin pride and play baseball the right way!!!!!
geO
April 28th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Laffy looks like a mix of David Wright and Scott Kazmir
yikes
He looks like Micah Owings?
Can any stat wizards give me A-Rods avg with RISP this season? He seems popup/strikeout prone in those situations. Not even getting good wood on the bat.
That was two hard hit balls that sounded like they should have produced more than outs. But as long as ARod keeps popping up, it seems like it will do no good to get anyone on. If they have been pitching him in and in and in, as Michael Kay was saying, why hasn’t ARod made adjustments? Everyone always talks about making adjustments, but I never see it on the Yankee side. I see other teams making adjustments, but not Yankee hitters. Pitchers, yes; hitters, not so much.
Nick,
I don’t think there’s a stat for that (though I wouldn’t be surprised at all if there were), but anectdotally, yes.
Have all of Giambi’s hits been homeruns this season?
Kennedy vs. Laffey would’ve been a good matchup.
Slow the swing down Alex and make contact. It could result in an RBI on many occasions.
Rebecca-
what does that mean? – I’m lost.
Mel, I remember Giambi getting at least one hit into right field.
Why is Giambi constantly in the lineup? Not only that, Girardi feels the need to move him up, ahead of Matsui.
Matsui has, arguably, been our best hitter. Is he in Girardi’s dog house or something.
Giambi has been terrible outside of two games and he still gets start after start. It makes no sense. Why did we call up Duncan if we weren’t going to bench Giambi against lefties?
Right away, this bonehead move by Girardi pays off, Giambi hits an easy fly ball to right field on a 3-1 count with 2 out and runners in scoring position. That should’ve been Matsui in that spot!
I’m so sick of seeing Giambi in the lineup, what is the deal here?
Rebecca, as a Lost geek, I can say with statistical certainty that the Yankees actually strand more people than Oceanic 815.
Unless you count those that didn’t survive the crash, in which case we won’t be able to say that until…. um, sometime in mid-May at this rate.
I haven’t seen this many stranded since the last Gilligan’s Island episode…..
tight strike zone tonight…
not good for Moose
Uh, Giambi hit that ball pretty damn hard. You people are retarded.
Mel, of 11 Giambi hits this season, 5 were HR.
Did Clemens have sexual relations with Mindy? Vote now.
It looks like Moose is throwing a good mix of pitches tonight.
I am telling you. Aliens came down to earth just before the start of the season and the Yankees are the Cubs and the Cubs are the Yankees.
remember in ST when giambi was going the other way and knocking the cover off the ball? just like he did in oakland in his mvp year? im sure he doesnt have any hits to LF yet and he’s hitting 170.
he wont even go to LF with RISP and 2 strikes.
$20M doesnt get you much anymore
Nick: LMAO! I haven’t seen LOST in ages, need to get Season Three on DVD and catch up.
Nice strike out from Moose!
Boston Dave, OK…now you STOP with that A-Rod Bashing !!!
DIRTY!!!
Nice first inning for Moose. Keep it up.
I don’t understand that strikeout pitch looked exactly like the pitch that was a ball before it. I can’t figure out if Moose is gunna have trouble with that outside strike or not.
Beauty of a pitch.
Rebecca,
Very eerie reference there, the Oceanic 815.
good evening everyone.
So sad reading this.
Jorge Posada flew to Birmingham, Ala., today to meet with Dr. James Andrews. No word yet on his status. Tonight will be the first game the Yankees will play without Posada on the roster since Sept. 1, 1996.
This is the difference between the teams of the last few years getting bounced in the 1st round versus teams in the late 90’s winning championships. We had baseball players that were all for the good of the team versus personal stats. Are you telling me that Bernie Williams in the late 90’s or Tino wouldn’t have cut that swing down, hit a fly ball into the outfield and scored that runner from 3rd? Those teams would have made Cleveland pay and pay dearly for that missed 4-6-3. This team, just continues to try and hit 500 foot bombs. But to be fair, those teams had much better starting pitching, and the bullpen was, well… I don’t need to tell ya.
Nice Moose!
16 pitches that inning
trish,
Thanks. Again, anectdotal, but that means there’s hope.
Did Hafner argue that called strike 3? Gameday showing Moose getting the ump love.
Clemens hooked up with Hannah Montana???????? What’s this world coming to???
One down, eight to go…
That ball was not hit hard by Giambi, he got under it.
Giambi’s batting average entering tonights game: .177
Against lefties this season, Giambi is batting: .000
That’s right, he doesn’t have a hit against a lefty. He’s been awful.
He has 5 homeruns, but we’ve lost three of the four games he’s hit homeruns in. Either way, I don’t care how many homeruns you hit when you can’t do simple things, like get a hit. HE HAS 11 HITS IN 63 AT BATS!
He’s awful and I think he’s probably the main reason why the Yankees just aren’t scoring runs this season.
His only asset this season has been his OBP, but that doesn’t help us when he’s serving as protection for Arod.
That pitch certainly didn’t make Matsui look very good.
Not sure if it was brought up by Zito may go to the pen. I think this might be the first pitcher in history who got worse once he went from the al to nl.
SDJohn –
Do you really believe these guys are trying simply to pad their statistics? I doubt it. I think they’re going at it the wrong way, but they are trying to score the runners.
And the offensive futility continues. By the way, Ensberg sucks.
Mel, I definitely haven’t given up on Giambi.
I think there is more than hope. But you know some of the posters here. Come on. Anything short of a Yankee shutout where the offense scores at least 10 runs is grounds for raging and criticism!
Great 6 pitch inning.
GREAT commercial on YES!
sd john
you are absolutly right about that. the 90’s yankees were the best team i’ve ever seen at capitalizing on the opposition’s mistakes, it was uncanny. you throw to the wrong base, both yankees would move up and come home without a hit, you miss getting the lead runner, the yankees turned it into a 4 run, 2-out rally.
this is a different team.
Hopefully the at-bats will get better the second time through since they have not seen this pitcher before.
I mean the one with the car and the animals, not the gross hairy guys and Old Spice.
Great, Laffey’s settled down. Lots of AO, so maybe one or two will do us a favor and leave the park.
Pale hose tie it up in the bottom of 11th.
‘Lost’ season three starts off a little slowly (and has some VERY DISTURBING BOSTON RED SOX CONTENT) but ends very well and is highly worth it if you enjoyed seasons one and two.
Much like Arod’s season 2008 has started off pretty slowly but will also end very well and is highly worth it if one enjoys late October/early November NYC parades!
Man, this Laffey’s stuff is ELECTRIC ! I wouldn’t think even an all-star team’s lineup could even bloop a single in on him…Give this dude a $200 million 10 year contract right now….put this one in the L column and let’s hop on the plane back to NY ( oops, sorry, a troll just invaded my brain )....and now back to the game….
Nick: I saw the Red Sox episode. Best LOST ending ever.
I didn’t see any episode after January, though, cos I was in London an didn’t get TV (wasn’t going to pay for just four months)
Doreen, of course they are “trying” to score the runner, but when you don’t cut down on your swing or make any adjustments whatsoever and continue to fail getting the job done, than I would say they are defintely going about it all wrong. When other teams come up in a situation with runners on 3rd with less than 2 down, you don’t see them swinging from there heels, especially with 2 strikes. We do. Do you see Giambi, Arod, EVER simply try and put bat on ball and score the run? NEVER. Shorten your swing give yourself more bat control and do YOUR JOB
Does it seem to anyone else that this balls are not moving today?
Is $28m ever going to buy a sac fly?
EDIT: these FLY balls
Boston Yankee, with RISP, Arod is hitting a resounding 136.
Usually I can’t stand the guys that call the games for ESPN but this team isn’t bad outside of Steve “I traded Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano but still act like im smarter than everybody else in baseball” Phillips. Hershiser is pretty good.
I wonder if Jeter is every going to lay out for a ball again.
Giambi has 2 doubles to left field in Yankee Stadium alone.
Lost has been fantastic this season
SDJohn—
I agree they need to do those things; my quarrel was that it seemed you were saying they were being selfish in their approach. I had just posted that I don’t understand why other teams seem to make adjustments at the plate, and many of the Yankees don’t seem to. O they don’t seem to know how to.
Nice fast inning for Moose – that’s 2.
Nice job by Moose in getting the 6-4-3 DP.
At least Moose looks good…
Some time this season the Yankees will put together 3 hits in a row. I still am holding out hope on this.
Trisha – just saw your email, not really my area. Does your state (RI?) have any statute regarding the rights of landlords? The right of inspection seems pretty clearly defined in the contract as not to cover the prospective tenants inspection, but again, I would check with your state’s precedent in that area. Although, with a state as small as RI, I would guess you don’t have lots to research. Sorry I cannot help here, but good luck.
Speaking of 3 hits in a row, have they won 3 in a row yet this year?
I’m too scared to un-mute my TV. The radio broadcast team is good enough for me for the play-by-play.
Trisha – meant to say “just saw your post”.
Phillips is a moron, but it was Duquette who made the Kazmir trade.
Yea, they won 3 in a row last week. Jesus.
giambi thinks he’s still the cleanup hitter, in fact he’s a #7 hitter and needs to do a much better job at the plate. arod can swing for the fences, thats kind of his job but giambi, you’d think hed be trying to help the club somehow, knowing he’s hitting .170, but 6 years of having him here its clear, hes never going to cut down his swing to score a runner, he’s never going to hit a gb to the left side, not even with a runner on 2b, and he still hates dh’ing even though he is incapable as a fielder. nice guy, but way less of a ballplayer than his stats indicate.
We all know that cold weather isn’t their fav.
Dr. Cox, the air is cold and heavy and because of it the balls are not going to travel too far.
Yeah, the Yanks have won 3 in a row twice so far this year. No sweeps yet.
Yeah, the Yanks have won 3 in a row twice so far this year. No sweeps yet.
Dr. Cox; Those comments, and your name, made me LMAO.