Game 34: Indians at Yankees
-
- May
- 6
YANKEES
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Matsui DH
Giambi 1B
Cabrera CF
Cano 2B
Betemit 3B
Molina C
Pettitte LHP
Andy Pettitte vs. the Cleveland hitters.
Fausto Carmona vs. the New York hitters.
Notes: As you can see by the lineup, Wilson Betemit has been activated off the DL. No word yet on the move to clear a spot but I wouldn’t imagine this is good news for Alberto Gonzalez. … Contrary to reports on the radio yesterday, Kei Igawa has not been called up. At least not yet. … Bobby Abreu is 9 of his last 16 with five RBI. … Derek Jeter is 9 of his last 18 with six runs scored. … Johnny Damon is 14 of 34, raising his average from .244 to .295. … Hideki Matsui is riding a 14-game hitting streak. … Then there’s Jason Giambi (1 for his last 21). But he has somehow managed to drive in four runs during those seven games.
UPDATE, 5:49 p.m.: Alberto Gonzalez was just optioned to Scranton. “That was a tough one,” Joe Girardi said after breaking the news to the Attorney General. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”
Spoke to A-Rod before. He is going to start doing some baseball stuff tomorrow for the first time since he went on the disabled list. “I’m encouraged. (His quad) feels much better,” he said.
The tentative plan is for Alex to workout in Tampa starting on Thursday and perhaps play rehab games next Monday and Tuesday. He hopes to be activated a week from tomorrow.
But Girardi said that this time, A-Rod will get an extra day once he declares that he’s ready to play. They don’t want to take any chances.
UPDATE, 5:56 p.m.: Kyle Farnsworth had his hearing with Bob Watson today. No word yet on whether he will have his suspension reduced. A decision should come down within a day or two.
UPDATE, 6:00 p.m.: The rotation for the rest of this week:
Today: Pettitte
Tomorrow: Wang
Thursday: Mussina
Friday: Igawa (”We’re 99 percent sure,” Girardi said.)
Saturday: Rasner
Sunday: Pettitte
UPDATE, 6:08 p.m.: Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride were on the field for BP and talked with Joe Girardi.
Spagnuolo is from Massachusetts and was a coach at UMass-Amherst when I was there. While I may still be stinging from the Patriots losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl (OK, I’m still furious), I wanted to congratulate Spags because he’s a good guy who has logged a lot of miles in his business.
We had a nice talk and he admitted the Giants were totally lucky and it was a fluke they beat the greatest team in league history. OK, maybe that part isn’t true. But we did have a nice talk and I am happy for him.
UPDATE, 7:22 p.m.: Matsui has now hit in 15 straight games, a personal record for him.
UPDATE, 7:47 p.m.: Ian Kennedy has a perfect game through four innings for Scranton tonight. He has struck out three. 48 pitches/31 strikes.
The Yankees are playing Charlotte.
UPDATE, 8:08 p.m.: Ian Kennedy is perfect through five innings in Scranton. Isn’t that something?
UPDATE, 8:23 p.m.: Kennedy allowed a hit in the sixth. He still has a shutout. Good for him, hopefully he’ll get himself together. Now keep in mind that he has to stay there for 10 days unless he replaces somebody put on the disabled list.
Meanwhile, some guy wearing Jason Giambi’s uniform just crushed an opposite field RBI double to the gap in left.
UPDATE, 8:52 p.m.: Ian Kennedy is done in Scranton: 7.1 1 0 0 0 8. 90 pitches/58 strikes. He also hit a batter. Rafael Chavez is clearly a genius.
Meanwhile, the Yankees need six more outs out of Pettitte unless you trust Farnsworth with the seventh inning.
UPDATE, 10:24 p.m.: Wow, stunning result here. Joba had not allowed a run in the Stadium in his career, 15 innings over 12 games in the regular season. Now the Yankees are 4.5 out of first.
They’ve scored three or less runs 14 times in 34 games. But this one is on Joba. Baseball’s law of averages was bound to catch up with him eventually. Nobody goes through their career with an ERA of 0.74. Walks will get you every time.
Back later with some reaction.
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on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 3:41 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Good ol’ Cabo at 2B. Maybe a name change will help end his slump
Hopefully the day off didn’t cool off the bats of the top of the line up.
I also will be very interested to see if Betemit gets moved over to 1st late in games so the overall D gets somewhat better.
Hopefully this is just temporary, till Wilson gets traded. I’ll be very sad if Alberto was sent down.
What was up with WCBS saying this morning that Igawa had been called up? As the Yankees’ station you’d think they could get this stuff right, but I find that the best you can hope for is that they correctly identify the winning team from the previous day’s game.
Betamit- i’m not sold on that being a good idea…
Betemit should change his “coming to bat” song from pearl jams’ cant find a better man, to Beck’s I’m a loser baby.
Someone get him some pink eye stat
Unfortunately looking at those number albeit a small sample size Carmona is not the pitcher for Giambi and Cano to face to come out of their slumps
Giambi…urgh
This is not a very good lineup..I’d rather have Gonzo stay and Wilson B stay in AAA.
ill be very upset if betemit replaced alberto. although they may have sent down one of our 9 relievers. The yankees have shown they dont realy want to play him at SS or 2B. so if alberto is gonE, once arod comes back we have 5 corner infielders and no viable back up middle infielders.
ugh i’m so sick of betemit, i would much rather gonzalez who not only is a good fielder but has a good eye and makes contact with the ball, something betemit has been lacking
Luke -
Betemit can’t stay in AAA forever… he can only go on a rehab assignment for some maximum amount of games (and he doesn’t have any minor league options left)
They’ll have to make another move at the end of the week for another starter. Hopefully Wilson will be gone by than.
I’d rather see Gonzo than Betemit but maybe Wilson will prove me wrong.
Who is this Cabo guy? Some rookie from Mexico?
During Betemit’s rehab in AAA, he only played either DH or 1B. Now in his 1st game back they have him at 3rd. You would think that if they wanted him to play 3rd, the Yanks would have allowed him to play some 3B while on rehab.
Or they did not want to mess with the small groove that E. Duncan has been in.
Who knows anymore.
I think Pete’s dreaming of a vacation — Cabo San Lucas anyone?
Is Wilson well enough to trade him to Pittsburgh?
I’d be curious if Joe was ‘ordered’ to wilson in the lineup. We’ll never know. But I would guess that.
Kay is killing Joe T for calling Joe’s players.
Hey Pete, is Alex making any progress?
so take Giambi not GONZO
They’ll probably send down Britton for Betemit. At least until Saturday when the next starter is called up.
Betemit rhymes with can’t get a hit.
Michael Kay wants the Yankees to protest to MLB about Joe Torre calling Posada.
If you are ever searching for another reason why Kay is a moron, reference this.
They aren’t DFA’ing Betemit. He could be prove valuable if Giambi continues his slide. He could end up platooning at first with Duncan. He played first at Scranton during his rehab assignments.
If that doesn’t happen, he could be a trade chip for another arm.
Gonzalez has options remaining. Betemit does not. At some point, Gonzalez has to play to continue his development.
The good news is, the Yankees now know he can play in the majors. They were probably unsure of that until his fine play since he was recalled.
They also have a glut of relief pitchers. You have to think one of them will go down when they call up Igawa.
From NJ.com:
“Andy Pettitte has not beaten the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium since June16, 1996.”
This is one of the things I that really makes me tick about Michael Kay. The things he says on his radio show day in and day out are things he would never say about the team, its players etc on the YES broadcast at night.
If you are going to go negative on the team, its players, management etc you need to be consistent and do it for both the places that pay you your money.
Pete- what did you hear from giambi about pulling up his pants and wearing socks till the knees?JUst like A-rod does. i read somewhere that he did it for good luck! just like a-rod did last year. Just wanted to know if its a true story!
Nobody is ordering Girardi to play Betemit.
Ensberg has struggled with the bat lately and Betemit gives them another LH bat in the lineup against Carmona. Its as simple as that.
I wonder what is brewing - trade-wise - for Cash and the Yankees. Starting Betemit might indicate that he could be part of a deal (after all, how many 3B do you need?). Face it, any team who might be interested in him would demand to know if he was over his eye problem and could hit ML pitching. If he does that, 1)it helps us, obviously, and 2)it makes him more marketable.
Because I can’t see that AG did anything to warrant a demotion, other than have options, and if they were going to trade him, they would have done that without having to send him down.
Or I could thinking too much.
I’ll plan that day to be a fishing day, off somewhere in the mountains where there is no radio or cell service.
Kei Igawa will start a weekend game in Detroit
al arodian -
NJ.com has it:
http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2008/05/slump_wears_on_giambi.html
“Michael Kay wants the Yankees to protest to MLB about Joe Torre calling Posada.”
wouldn’t this be tampering ? I’ve never heard of a coach calling his former players, I could see why the Yankees wouldn’t like this, I mean what is being talked about, what are you trying to do ? players get recruited in alot of ways, I wouldn’t want a former coach calling my players. The Knicks did it to Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy, the Giants did it to Jim Fassell. I agree w/ cabezon on this one.
Did you hear what Kay said about Joe? Buck sent letters of congrats after every WS win, and Joe didn’t acknowlege them. Very nice.
He also made the point that if Buck called up his players he would have hit the roof. Yet he is doing it to Joe’s players.
It would be a plus if Betemit gets hot. Maybe now his “new eyes” will get him going.
thanks Rishi
Rishi: Seriously? That’s a little depressing, though you have to consider he probably didn’t pitch in that series every year and he had two in Houston.
Gayle: Agreed.
“Brandon (supporting “Alex being Alex”) (J.Santana HR allowed count: 7) May 6th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
“Michael Kay wants the Yankees to protest to MLB about Joe Torre calling Posada.”
wouldn’t this be tampering ? I’ve never heard of a coach calling his former players, I could see why the Yankees wouldn’t like this, I mean what is being talked about, what are you trying to do ? players get recruited in alot of ways, I wouldn’t want a former coach calling my players. The Knicks did it to Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy, the Giants did it to Jim Fassell. I agree w/ cabezon on this one.”
What’s the big deal that he called him? Kay’s anti-Torre mentality is really getting over the top.
I think we should get Pete and Kay together in the ring to resolve this once and for all.
What’s the big deal that he called him? Kay’s anti-Torre mentality is really getting over the top.
Gayle - I totally agree - was talking about it to the guys sitting next to me at the game when Michael Kay changed the countdown thing.
If you listen to the postgame, the Joe Girardi show and his radio show he is saying three completely different things! We are a little too smart to fall for that stuff!
I keep hoping their decision to play Giambi, now Betemit and possibly Kei Igawa this weekend is just part of a grand scheme to let them have a few good outings to get them traded. I’m gonna keep believing that because the alternative would make me mad.
Now yhis is insane mikael kay is as stupid as it gets! torre shouldnt be alowed to speak to his former players???!!!! Gimmi a break are we in russia or romania??!! what will happen if he spoke ?! Possada wont hit any more?! Stop with these horse blank!
Betemit, uggh…. Sorry gonzo.
“This is one of the things I that really makes me tick about Michael Kay. The things he says on his radio show day in and day out are things he would never say about the team, its players etc on the YES broadcast at night. ”
he’ll mention it on the air tonight. he may not be as animated about his disapproval of it, but he’ll bring it up and probably ask an opinion of whomever’s in the booth with him. just wait
Gayle, Kay has always done that. He’s literally a YESman when he’s on TV.
Let me see who I should believe…Jeter, Posada, Mo and legions of other ballplayers who love Torre and believe him to be a good man or Michael Kay who’s never hit a baseball in all his life.
and people wonder why the 2 dopes on the FAN do so well against him in the ratings.
Mikael kay is a torre , mussina , and jeter hater!
“What’s the big deal that he called him? Kay’s anti-Torre mentality is really getting over the top.”
he’s an employee of another MLB team, like the players, you wouldn’t want a former employee talking to your workers, while he’s working in another competitive branch. What if NYY and LAD meet in the WS, you can’t have that and these talks effect your players, he’s not the manager here anymore, this isn’t that type of thing where you can have access to what you use to have. I don’t see why he’s doing it, nd if he is he clearly is too emotionally attached.
Oh and you can say what’s the big deal but point is you don’t know what they are talking about and if your were thier current employer it wouldn’t fall well w/ you. Take the the name Torre away, say Willie Randolph or Mike Soscia talked to Jose Molina would you like it ?
Drew: YES cuts his paycheck, right?
Scorpio - I’m sure Michael Kay once used a baseball to represent a planet in a model of the solar system at the science fair.
“Take the the name Torre away, say Willie Randolph or Mike Soscia talked to Jose Molina would you like it ?”
I wouldn’t care. Is Torre asking for state secrets or asking Posada to demand a trade to the Dodgers? Players from opposing teams go out to dinner together all the time during the season and coaches from opposing teams do too.
I’m sure employees of Microsoft speak with employees of Google without being called into security.
If Torre was calling a player trying to get him to come to the Dodgers, that’s tampering.
If he is calling a player to wish him well or ask how he is feeling, that’s not tampering.
Its called being a human being.
I don’t see it as a big deal. He certainly isn’t undermining Girardi in any way.
But, its talk radio and they need something to talk about.
Its why sports talk radio truly is a cancer in sports today.
not at all brandon! what bad could happen?! you relly think that he is calling him to steel some signs?! come on! lighten up a lit!
cashman is really starting to piss me off with this betemit garbage. yeah, let’s call up a dude with marginal defense and a .150 batting average, and send down the dude with a great glove and a better batting average. that makes sense.
Rebecca, what’s that got to do with it? So because he works for YES he can’t be honest with his opinion about a player, coach, or manager?
Kay wants the Yankees to get all up in arms with the MLB because their ex-manager called one of his friends and former players? Geez, what is the world coming to?
Hopefully Cabo does a good job down there at second. He must be some prospect to be in the majors this soon. I haven’t even heard of him.
Betemit at third? Hm…I’ll take average defense and a hit, if possible.
As Brandon said, Joe is clearly still emotionally connected to this team and his players. What I don’t get is why he felt the need to share this. Jorge didn’t say anything. It was Joe.
Kay is an idiot, that I admit but this thing of calling former players during a season you mean to tell me no one has a problem with this ?
Jennifer, what’s the difference if he shared it? Jorge is like a son to the guy.
There’s a bevy of deals that could be made with Pittsburgh. They have some guys the Yanks could use whether it be relievers, starters or infielders.
MERITOCRACY !!! Francessa brings up the meritocracy again and he wants to trade Jackson for a useful veteran pitcher…. NO
In the best case scenario, Betemit is being showcased. Gonzo has shown that he can cover 3rd, SS, and 2nd base when called upon. Shelley can cover 1st base.
Keep the fingers crossed that Betemit shows just enough to garner interest.
“Kay is an idiot, that I admit but this thing of calling former players during a season you mean to tell me no one has a problem with this ?”
Not at all. Again, unless he’s doing something devious what’s the difference.
I’m glad that Betemit’s eyes are better. Having something in your eye for an extended period of time is never pleasant.
—————————————————
Totally off topic, but Hollinger (I know, ugh) is a big believer in point differential in the NBA, but I think some of it applies to baseball and run differential (which is why I was 99% sure we’d make the playoffs last year-because there was no way that Seattle could continue their pace with a negative run-differential)
He had this to say today about basketball:
“It’s a fallacy that the good teams win the close games; the good teams win by 20. The lucky teams win the close games. There is no team in history that’s been able to defy the correlation between scoring margin and wins over an extended period.”
Of course, baseball’s even more predicated by luck, but I thought that was kind of interesting seeing that Boston’s been able to win a lot of close games with clutch hitting.
Right now, we’re at a robust +3. Going to have do something about that if we’re going to make a move (only Oakland and Tampa are ahead of us in the WC, moving on up!)
Meritocracy? huh? Which Jackson, Austin? Thankfully no one in the front office takes advice from Fatcesca.
Rob NY what is that FATA.. chirping about now ?
He actually said the Yankees “should declare war on Torre”
am I the only one who heard that?
CABO WABO!!!
I wonder if anyone would have a problem with Bowa calling Cano? What if they had a talk and he started turning it around.
Like SJ said, tampering is one thing, but giving a pat on the back to old friend are another.
I guess Kay never went to an old mentor for advise.
first of all if its a problem torre wouldnt tell us that he spoke! 2nd of all tell me what problem could happen!
“Kay is an idiot, that I admit but this thing of calling former players during a season you mean to tell me no one has a problem with this ?”
If Torre called Posada up to say that he should ask for a way out of his contract and get down to LA, then I’d have a problem with it. That probably wasn’t what the conversation was about, considering they’ve got the best young catcher in the game with Russell Martin.
Torre probably called Posada to check on him and to see how he was feeling. I mean, come on, if you’d been connected with someone for over 10 years and for the first time something bad has happened to them, you wouldn’t call up to check on them to see if they’re okay?
I’ve got no problem with former skippers calling up players to wish them well or to check up on them.
So why do you all listen to Francesca and Kay? I mean, if they’re really as bad as you say, I much prefer to play some good music instead.
“I’m sure employees of Microsoft speak with employees of Google without being called into security.”
Having worked at Google and hung out with MS employees while there, I can truthfully say no one cares at all. There’s stuff that’s confidential, but they don’t want you to talk to ANYONE about that. Doesn’t matter who it is.
Torre calling an active player on numerous occasions may be distracting bordering on interference. But I’ve got no problem with Torre calling to give Posada support if he’s inactive. Severing the ties must cut deeper than any of us could know. Frankly, I think the players would be insulted if Torre didn’t reach out to offer support.
Brandon -
If Posada was going to be a free agent then it might be an issue but Torre coached Posada for just about his entire career. Torre isn’t even in the AL.
It is just hard to see any bad motivation for the call or any possible damage that could be done by the call.
Steph if that is the reason why then I can’t get up in arms on this. I don’t have the radio stream on my internet connected so IDK what Kay said or Fatcessa on the FAN
Rebecca, I generally catch some of either of them on the way home and then turn it off when I’ve reached my limit.
My real issue with Kay is that he’s using his radio program to take care of a personal agenda. Clearly, Torre dissed Kay in some way during his tenure with the Yankees. As soon as Torre left, Kay went into a diatribe for days about how Torre was not what the public thought, and ripped him for not taking the 1 year deal.
So Torre didn’t call A Rod when he went on the DL? Guess that tells you what Torre thinks of Jorge vs. A Rod.
He actually said the Yankees “should declare war on Torre”
am I the only one who heard that?
He really said that? Boy, there’s a headliner. Which players are going to be armed? I’m sure glad the Yanks have Duncan, Farnsworth, and Chamberlain.
“Of course, baseball’s even more predicated by luck, but I thought that was kind of interesting seeing that Boston’s been able to win a lot of close games with clutch hitting.”
Wasn’t it just like…three games? It’s just they happened to happen last week against teams with bad bullpens.
The 07 D-backs are a much more interesting counter-example.
Francesa asking Heyman “will the Yankees deal big prospects for a veteran pitcher?”
So Mike’s looking for a number 3,4 starter for Jackson and McCutchen. SMH
So Torre didn’t call A Rod when he went on the DL? Guess that tells you what Torre thinks of Jorge vs. A Rod.
Maybe Torre doesn’t publicly announce every single phone call he makes.
“So why do you all listen to Francesca and Kay? I mean, if they’re really as bad as you say, I much prefer to play some good music instead.”
amen!
from previous thread on pitching auditions and Igawa:
If all we hope for from Igawa now is for him to eat innings, he’s not the best Japanese import for the job:
http://tinyurl.com/2fqgzt
“That probably wasn’t what the conversation was about, considering they’ve got the best young catcher in the game with Russell Martin.”
Geovany Soto begs to differ
(ROY candidate if I ever saw one).
Rebecca-
Good idea - what are the kids listening to these days?
Ever hear of Regina Spektor? she’s pretty cool
“So Torre didn’t call A Rod when he went on the DL? Guess that tells you what Torre thinks of Jorge vs. A Rod.”
He’s knows Jorge since he came up, and they were together 12 years. He and ARod warmed up to each other last year, but there’s just no comparison. Also, Jorge is MUCH more emotional than Alex. You know Jorge would take the DL stint harder, especially since he was gimping along for a month beforehand.
Will Giambi be able to get around on a Fausto Carmona fastball ?
“Francesa asking Heyman “will the Yankees deal big prospects for a veteran pitcher?”
So Mike’s looking for a number 3,4 starter for Jackson and McCutchen. SMH”
STUPID USELESS WASTE OF A FATMAN
“Francesa asking Heyman “will the Yankees deal big prospects for a veteran pitcher?”
So Mike’s looking for a number 3,4 starter for Jackson and McCutchen. SMH”
Who the hell is dealing a #3 starter right now?
First of all, Posada just signed a 5-year (4? or 5?) contract with the Yankees. He’s not going anywhere. If a friend can’t call a friend to inquire as to his health, then something is seriously wrong. Andy has often said that Torre was (is?) like a second father to him. So, they’re not supposed to talk. I would highly doubt that you are talking about regular weekly phone conversations here. Which, I do believe the managers (Joe & Joe) may be engaging in.
It’s a non-issue.
“Will Giambi be able to get around on a Fausto Carmona fastball ?”
I’d rather see him let it come to him and smack it to left or center. Cano too. They both need to take those pitches on the outside part of the plate and hit them to left.
Soto looks like he’s going to be a great catcher. I’ve just seen Martin longer and see him play on a near-daily basis out here in California when I turn on the Dodger games…and since he’s been in the league longer, I’m going with him as the best catcher for now.
Soto probably will win the NL ROY award by a landslide if he keeps up the work he has done so far. I’d take 6 homers and 24 RBIs from anyone on this team right now…
V: Agreed about Soto. He is something really special.
Jimmy: I listen to a lot of alternative rock bands and medieval folk music.
Yeah, I know. I’m weird.
“Which, I do believe the managers (Joe & Joe) may be engaging in.”
Right! I forgot about that. Joe G and Joe T have spoken on the phone a number of times since the season started. Why would he care if Joe T calls some of his old friends on the team when they’re going through tough times?
I’m still laughing at the thought of Kay saying the Yankees should declare war on Torre. LMAO. The man is nuts.
And he can deny it all he wants, but he clearly favors the Yankees over the Mets on his radio show.
Cabo??? Great vacation spot!
Hopefully Cano will come back from there soon and start hitting the cover off the ball again!
Haha just kidding Pete!
Somebody should ask Kay, if David Cone left YES to go to SNY and then do a show on WFAN would he stop talking to him?
whozat,
Absolutely great counter-example. And this year’s D-backs squad supports Hollinger’s theory.
Rebecca Haven’t you heard??
weird is the new cool
BTW to all involved - the whole Martin Luther dialogue from the other night was GOLD
John C -
Whozat -
I’m thinking that facing a pitcher like Carmona might actually get Giambi and/or Cano/Cabo to really, really, really focus. What say you?
Facing Carmona will only serve to deepen the funk that both Cano and Giambi are in.
Kay has two different jobs. Play by Play guy for the Yankees and a radio talk show host.
As a radio talk show host, his job (in caller driven sports talk radio) is to get the phones cooking.
He’s not talented enough, nor are his sidekicks, to do 4 hours of sports talk daily on interesting topics.
What better way to get the phones cooking than to say something stupid? Such as the Torre stuff today.
We hear similar stupid stuff with Mike and The Mad Dog every day.
As the PBP guy of the Yankees, Kay has to adhere to the YES guidelines. That is basically, to provide an infomerical like atmosphere in promoting the Yankees.
In one job, he can take shots at players (radio talk show host).
In the other, he can’t. (Yankee PBP guy).
He’s a marginally talented guy who has the good fortune of being well liked by the people who matter with the Yankees.
That’s given him the street cred for his radio show.
Still can’t make a dent in the ratings. But, he has the show just the same.
I actually liked Kay as a play-by-play radio guy. Wish he had stayed in that position.
Not trying to nitpick a typo error, just making a joke of course…
But:
Is that ‘Cabo’ Wabo at 2B tonight?
I’m starting to think a stumbling drunk would have better luck in the batter’s box right now than Robbie Cano…
BUT, I guess if you believe all the rumors, Cano is staggering drunk after every game every night…
SJ–
totally agree with you he has to serve 2 masters thus why he takes 2 different approaches. The problem with that however is he then has little to no credibility in either job as if you believe something then you need to be consistent.
It is why amongst other things i stopped listening to his radio show as he would say one thing to please the Yankees and YES brass the night before and be totally different on the radio the next day.
From Filip Bondy’s column today, “Life’s a pitch for kids, Cash and Yankees”.
Slays Brian Cashman…
“Despite all the solid moves Cashman has made over the years involving position players, he has done nothing to convince anybody that he knows much about starting pitching.
His resume is littered with mistakes on this front, from Jeff Weaver to Kevin Brown to Carl Pavano. This is not an uncommon affliction among major league executives, because the rotation is a mysterious and nuanced thing. It is far easier to predict the near and distant futures of position players, and even those of closers, than those of starters.
But over a long period of time, patterns of organizational success and failure emerge and they determine whether a team wins its share of titles. During this millennium, the Yankees are chronic losers on this front.
Picking from the same talent pool and with similar resources, the Red Sox somehow acquired the better ex-Marlin (Josh Beckett vs. Pavano), the better ex-Diamondback (Curt Schilling vs. Randy Johnson) and the better ex-Japanese star (Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. Kei Igawa).
And, over recent seasons, the Chicago White Sox won a title on arms from the Yankees’ discard pile.”
Wow… Basically says Cashman knows nothing about starting pitching!
jimmy: S that explains why people actually read my blog!
Fatso & Fruitloops are in prime form today. They must have had some Red Sux juice with Steve Phillips this morning. Boston can’t do anything wrong. Ready to run away with things.
bronxbomber77– anti-anti-Girardi media -
And yet somehow we are in the playoffs every year. It is just years and year of dumb luck of course
Putting together a pitching staff is the hardest thing in baseball. That being said Cashman has done an awful job putting a bullpen together year after year.
As for the names Bondy mentioned, we really didn’t have the minor leaguers to acquire Beckett. The Yankees didn’t do their research on Pavano though. His pitching style wasn’t a good fit for the AL.
The Yankees were smart not to overbid for Dice-K. THey should never have bid on Igawa.
As much as a pain the Big Unit was, I am SOOO glad Schilling was never a Yankee.
Do some people really not understand how much players, managers, etc. from other teams talk to each other during the season? It is a complete non-issue, and even more so when it is a former manager of a veteran guy going on the DL for the first time ever, about which he was reportedly pretty upset.
Players make connections through their time in the game. Face it- some Yankees and Red Sox, Mets and Phillies (pick your rivalry) are actually friends. Oh, the horror!
Being that the current roster has 12 position players and 13 pitchers, it’s possible that Alberto Gonzalez stays on the roster and they send down one of their many right handed relievers. I understand that we currently have only 4 starters, but we started the season with 13 position players and 12 pitchers, and I think we could go back to that considering the injuries. All that said, it doesn’t answer the question of playing time for Gonzo.
“Picking from the same talent pool and with similar resources, the Red Sox somehow acquired the better ex-Marlin (Josh Beckett vs. Pavano)”
I wasn’t aware the Yankees had a blocked, offensively potent SS at AAA, AND an opening at 3B to take on (what seemed like) an albatross of a contract there. Huh.
Basically, the guy compares apples to oranges and then decides Cashman is an idiot. He blissfully ignores the fact that the Red Sox offered Pavano the same money to go to Boston. He ignores the fact that the Red Sox outbid the next highest offer by 15-20 million for a 5-6 inning pitcher. He ignores the fact that Cashman DID NOT WANT to trade for Randy Johnson.
I think the one to go is Edwar Ramirez. He’s not a major league pitcher, at least, not now. He’s almost totally inconsistant. That’s his only consistancy he allows. He’ll either strike out the side or sprinkle in 5 walks with the doubles and homers he allows.
“The Yankees didn’t do their research on Pavano though. His pitching style wasn’t a good fit for the AL.”
Then no one else did either. Several teams were lined up for him, including Boston and Detroit. Also, we don’t really know if he’d have succeeded in the AL. It’s not like he was ever pitching healthy.
**correction.. That’s his only consistency.** Also need to learn to spell consistency, consistently.
GB: And Edwar did not have a great outing the other day, either.
I’m not sure managers are subject to tampering rules. Only team “officials” are. I don’t think the manager counts as a team official but I am not certain. Seeing as he has no ability to sign a player, I would guess he is not an official which would make such contact permissible.
Players can solicit other players anytime and its not tampering.
Why let actual facts get in the way of good lambasting?
Yanks win tonight in a close game.
I think that Ramirez is going to be sent down for Igawa’s start…but they could send him down today to make room for Betemit. He’s definitely the odd man out in the pen.
“GB: And Edwar did not have a great outing the other day, either.”
yeah, but he’d had two good outings before that, no?
Not that I’m saying I’d pick Edwar as the keeper.
Steve B -
Be careful when you talk about players soliciting other players. With Roger Clemens and the Ronaldo stories floating around, people might not understand what you mean!
That’s what bothers me, Rebecca. Those walks come in bunches. The only thing they didn’t do was hit him. I’m almost more comfortable with Farnsworth than Ramirez. Watching Farnsworth pitch is like knowing that no matter what he’s doing, he’s one pitch from Armageddon.
I think 2 of 3 get sent down - Britton, Ramirez, Veras - for Betemit and Igawa. Which ones probably somewhat depend on who gets blown out for 2+ innings the night before the move is made.
“I wasn’t aware the Yankees had a blocked, offensively potent SS at AAA, AND an opening at 3B to take on (what seemed like) an albatross of a contract there. Huh.”
I agree. I also seem to remember reading on MLBtraderumors that winter that the Marlins, in an attempt to get the Yankees to join the bidding war for Beckett, asked for Wang and Cano, plus another two prospects.
And, the fact the FLA wanted the teams to take on the Lowell deal (which I believe was 2 years and $18 mil), was asking a lot for a lot of teams involved…
Veras will probably stay for now, but Ramirez and Britton will be back to Scranton soon. Hopefully Igawa gets lost on the way to the game.
Hope I’m not offending anyone, but don’t you Giants fans get tired of Strahan’s hemming and hawing?
TKinDC: I think ESPN’s page 2 got it right when they said of Clemens’s recent troubles, “Well, at least he’s not Ronaldo”!
Good afternoon all.
Been all into these election and trying to work. I just want to say to all the Hughes and Kennedy doubters. TWO WORDS.
Urban Santana. Who would of thought after a horrendous 07. He would be undefeated today.Patience my friends patience.
Oh and can someone on the inside please tell Girardi that this isnt Giambi of 2000. This is the 08 version. Bench him already!!
Looks like Rasner on Saturday not Igawa.From Feinsand’s blo below
Girardi also informed us that Kei Igawa will likely get the ball on Friday, with Darrell Rasner starting Saturday. That will break up lefties Igawa and Andy Pettitte from pitching on consecutive days, which seemed to be the reason for giving Rasner the extra day instead of Igawa.
I also think they will send down a pitcher tonight. They are carrying 13. When Alex went on the DL they replaced his spot with a pitcher. Now that Betemit is back, they can send a pitcher back. Could be Briton or Ramirez
Considering how many times Britton has been shipped back and forth, I’d expect that it could be both him and Ramirez…but I think the Yankees will send down AG simply because they’ve got a haul of IFers on the roster already. They’ll probably carry 12 pitchers, not 11.
Andy making his 400th career start tonight.
lol, I love this quote by Giambi:
http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2008/05/slump_wears_on_giambi.html
“That’s the whole thing, that’s the hard part,” Giambi said. “We’ve gone through my tapes, and I can’t really change anything. I’m taking my walks, I’m not striking out. It’s just one of those things where I’m hitting it right at everybody right now. I think it’s more frustrating, because it’s human nature to want to fix something. But there’s nothing to fix.”
Nothing to fix? How about you STOP PULLING THE BALL. There problem fixed, end of story.
Why aren’t these reporters asking Girardi, WHY Giambi? Why?
Here’s hoping for win #205 for Pettitte, Jennifer.
“It’s just one of those things where I’m hitting it right at everybody right now.”
That’s a problematic mind-set. Hitting into the shift all the time is not bad luck.
Eugie, if they pitch him outside, he’ll hit it to left. They aren’t going to stack the infield and then pitch him outside.
“I’m hitting it right at everybody right now.”
Immagine that? Someone tell Giambi that all 8 guys on the field are on the first base side of the field!! Even the pitcher is pitching on that side of the rubber.
Eugie -
Giambi has a history of ignoring his faults and making excuses instead. Watch any postgame this season and all he says is he “hit the ball hard”. I wonder how hard one can hit a ball that ends up in the third baseman’s glove in front of the visitor’s dugout?
He’s also made plenty’o excuses related to his health in most recent years.
There’s only one Mike Timlin. Giambi has to face other pitchers, too. Get it together.
He wouldn’t be hitting into the shift if he’d bunt one down the third base line just out of reach of the catcher and pitcher.
“hit the ball hard”
Thats the problem. We’re not even asking him to hit the ball hard. Hell a ball that looks like a drag bunt to third will do.
I wonder if his definition of “hit the ball hard” means anything past the pitcher.
Eugie, if they pitch him outside, he’ll hit it to left. They aren’t going to stack the infield and then pitch him outside.
They stack the infield like that because it doesn’t matter where you pitch him. Anything that he hits to the left side are usually foul balls off of the end of his bat.
SOS 27 - watch the field umps, too. When Giambi is up they’re all way out of position. One of them is standing on top of the tarp tube in foul territory behind first.
“Eugie, if they pitch him outside, he’ll hit it to left. They aren’t going to stack the infield and then pitch him outside.”
I thought that too. But then I saw them pitch him outside and him roll it over to the 2B.
“He wouldn’t be hitting into the shift if he’d bunt one down the third base line just out of reach of the catcher and pitcher.”
Easier said than done. More likely he’d pop it up, bunt it back to the pitcher, miss, or not get it far enough away and get thrown out. He’s SLOW.
“Hell a ball that looks like a drag bunt to third will do.”
That’s not a drag bunt for a lefty.
Lol @ Giambi for driving in 4 runs over 7 games with one only 1 hit. I guess it’s kind of hard not drive in 4 runs in 7 games with Damon, Jeter, Abreu and Matsui batting ahead of you.
True. Too bad it’s not like kickball and someone could kick and then have someone to run for them once they make contact.
stevehowyadoin,
Even the freekin squarrell shifts!!
“I wonder if his definition of “hit the ball hard” means anything past the pitcher.”
In fairness, there have been a number of times he’s hit the ball hard, just right into the shift. The problem is that he sees this as OK and NOT as indicative of his needing to change.
You expect Giambi to bunt when Jeter, Cabrera, Abreu and Damon have trouble getting bunts down? It’s the same reason Ted Williams refused to give in to bunting or slapping grounders to the left side. They’re being paid to hit homers. You don’t think that managers would rather see him hit singles than put one in the upper deck?
*wouldn’t** not would
I’m one who doesn’t think Giambi can bunt for base hits.
However even if he were to bunt does anyone really think that teams will stop using the shift because Giambi has started to bunt for base hits? I don’t.
There’s only one way teams will stop using the shift on Giambi and that’s if he starts hitting the ball hard the other way.
%100 of teams will take Giambi trying to bunt for base hits all day every day. Walking accomplishes the same thing as a bunt base hit does.
On his blog Mark Feinsand is saying that Girardi has said Igawa will probably start Friday, Rasner Saturday and Pettitte Sunday to break up the lefties.
He also said that Alex will begin some physical activity tomorrow.
“That’s not a drag bunt for a lefty.”
Good. I guess he wont feel so bad to poke it that way then. Wouldnt want to hurt his manly pride.
O.k. Im done venting. Thanks guys. I needed that.
you guys know, the more we keep ragging on Giambi like this, the greater possibility he’ll hit a home run tonight, right?
Rebecca: exactly. Look what happened when we all ragged on Damon last year.
I really dont know why Giambi isnt benched, he’s been beyond awful for almost 2 years now
They’re being paid to hit homers. You don’t think that managers would rather see him hit singles than put one in the upper deck?
But making the opponents aware that he can use the shift against them and go to the left side might open more holes on the right side. Not saying that it would happen, but it might make teams a bit more weary.
you guys know, the more we keep ragging on Giambi like this, the greater possibility he’ll hit a home run tonight, right?
Then everyone should rag away. Maybe he could squeeze out a 2-homer performance.
“There’s only one way teams will stop using the shift on Giambi and that’s if he starts hitting the ball hard the other way.”
Yup. Hitting the ball deep to left the other day, the one Ibanez wound up catching, that was a promising AB.
“you guys know, the more we keep ragging on Giambi like this, the greater possibility he’ll hit a home run tonight, right?”
That’s why we do it in the first place
Anything to help the team
GreenBeret,
Its either watch a 20 million dollar man hit singles. Or watch a 20 million dollar man ride the pine. .150 aint cutting it. He either need to dump or get of the pot. What message is this sending to everyone from his teammates to the minor leagues. Its o.k. to hit a buck fifty and still start everyday. Non sense. Like whozat said. Its a cause for concern when he doesnt see there being a problem.
“But making the opponents aware that he can use the shift against them and go to the left side might open more holes on the right side. Not saying that it would happen, but it might make teams a bit more weary.”
As Ray said…no, they wouldn’t. They won’t care if he’s bunting his way on. He stands a great chance of walking anyway, and a bunt is no better than that. And if he bunts, he’s certainly not driving the ball anywhere. They’ll continue to shift to take away legit hits and let him try to poke bunts to the right all he wants. He’ll fail at it a lot and put himself in bad counts, and even when he succeeds…meh, so what? He had a pretty good chance of walking anyway.
Farnsworth had his appeal heard today.
“you guys know, the more we keep ragging on Giambi like this, the greater possibility he’ll hit a home run tonight, right?”
Rebecca,
Why do you think Damon got hot. Im sure hoping to go 2 for 2 and then go on to the next slacker.
“Farnsworth had his appeal heard today.”
Oh, right. That makes me think they’ll have sent down Gonzo, since the pen is back down by one. Then they’ll send down a pitcher for Igawa.
Giambi is more likely to bunt himself to the DL than first base.
Forget about bunting. If he hits the ball the opposite way, everything is fine. If he can’t do that, he’s too cooked to be of any use to the team.
Any word on the results of Farnsy’s hearing?
On a possitive note.
I see that trenton and scranton are in first. Say what you want about Cashman. He has done a tremendous job reviving the farm. Thats not including that dream team in Charlston.
Question. Who is this Dan Giese. He’s pitching well right now. Can we bring him up instead of risky business?
“Giambi is more likely to bunt himself to the DL than first base.”
Man thats tempting.
OBP of 1B/Util Players:
.345 - Gonzo
.333 - Duncan
.317 - Giambi
.246 - Morgan
.214 - Betemit
Getting rid of Gonzo for betemit is the dumbest decision - so what he’ll hit a HR for every 30 strikeouts. He’s terrible.
Even tho Giambi isn’t hitting for his life, at least he’s getting base with walks, which helps with runs and keeping the inning going.
If you’re gonna bring up Betemit, send down Ensberg, no Gonzo, commoooooonn.
Why isn’t Duncan spending any time at 1B??? Rest Giambi a little - and Duncan is better anyway. I’m sick of seeing Duncan every 5 games.
“Question. Who is this Dan Giese. He’s pitching well right now. Can we bring him up instead of risky business?”
A career minor league journeyman. Almost certainly not worth making a 40-man roster move for. If he keeps it up, he could become a legit long-man candidate. A mopup-type guy. Put it this way…he was a long guy in the AAA pen before Horne’s injury moved him to the rotation. He has two pitches. Not even Rasner’s stuff.
“If you’re gonna bring up Betemit, send down Ensberg”
He doesn’t have minor league options. You DFA him and you lose him. It’s still worth waiting to see if he can replicate his career rates against lefties, which have always been good.
Any word on the results of Farnsy’s hearing?
Not yet. The Yanks expect to hear something in the next day or two.
Dan Giese was a guy who was invited to ST as a non-roster player, but he didn’t make the club. He’s a bit of a journeyman…if the Yanks get desparate for some starting pitching, they might go to him.
Speaking of first base busts. Eric Duncan is now batting .270. Still young. I said he would be the comeback story of the year. I assume his back isnt giving him any problems. Could he possibly help this team out in the future? Or is he no better than a future aaaa player/phillips? Dont know much about his D.
Considering that Duncan was taken out of high school rather than college, it is possible that he is finally working his way through the kinks…but I’m not going to hold my breath.
Any news on Horne? Has he started throwing yet?
Yes, Horne threw a couple days ago. Chad Jennings texts with him and reports it on his blog, linked off this site.
Duncan’s D is generally mediocre.
It would be GREAT if Duncan came around
I like that Duncan’s walks and K’s are near even. I wish he’d slug more or hit for better average, though. It’d bode well for his potential MLB numbers. It’s certainly encouraging to see him actually doing well at AAA, though. We’ll see how he’s doing after a half-season down there.
http://emedia.thetimes-tribune.com/Blogs/SWBYankeesBlog/tabid/552/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/3471/More-from-Alan-Horne.aspx
Horne
Can anybody imagine Giambi playing baseball after this year ?
Clearly, the Yankees will not pick up his 2009 option and will gladly pay his $5 million dollar buyout.
If any teams signed him it would have to be in the AL where he could only DH and be paid the minimum salary. A far cry from what he’s been cashing for paychecks.
re - Farnsy
I’m sure the muckety mucks at MLB will come out and say
“You know, we started watching baseball these past couple of weeks and we’ve seen a lot of players get hit in the shoulders. We’re sorry we bothered you with this initial ruling and we’ve seen the error of our ways”
Let me know when I can exhale
Thats great news on Horne. If he goes back to scranton this month. Could he spell Joba in the pen by late June? Or be a long man?
Man FRansworth has been a disater and people called for his head the past two years.
Now he has only three good apperances and not any of them has been in back to back games or more than 1 inning and everyone here is concerned about his appeal and think FRansworth is better.Funny how people here (*Cough…Nick from SF…Buddy…Cough*) can actually think FRansworth gonna be anything but a 4.50Era reliver.
Hope Latroy doesn’t go in the DL or this blog will go crazy.
unreal. sending gonzales down for a player who is worst defensively AND offensively right now. unreal.
*who is worse
miss that edit feature
I know it wasn’t like i predicted anything crazy and was right, but i’m still proud of myself since I only missed the guy who was on the DL when i said this lol:
JoeT YANKEES - Joba = SP
May 6th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
3 hours to the 4:00 line-up lol
Lets take a stab at it
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Matsui DH
Giambi 1B (UGH)
Cabrera CF
Cano 2B
Ensberg 3B
Molina C
Pettitte goes 6 5 3 3 2 5 (woo Quality start!!)
at least betemit is fast…maybe he can pinch run.
oh wait…
Gonzo got sent down? WTF!
whozat,
I know youv been a fan of Ensburg. But i dont see the same player he once was. I weant into this year hoping he would revert back to his all star years. I cant see it happening. He looks stiff out there. Struggling on outer half of the plate pitches. IMO. I would have kept Gonzo and cut or found a taker for Morgan.
Is it me or is there a grave injustice that we had to send Gonzo down and couldn’t Giambi?
Also, what does it say when I have more confidence in the names “Mussina” and “Rasner” than I do Igawa?
MoBoy, you are totally full of cr*p. When I have I EVER said anything about thinking what you said I think about Farnsworth? Not once. I’ve been accused of being an excessive Farnsworth basher on this blog.
Your problem — well, one of your problems– is that you seem to think that anyone who wants Joba to move into the rotation therefore must think that Farnsworth is the only candidate to take his place. I don’t think so. I’ve never once said so.
Also, I’m not from SF. I live in SF. I’m from New York.
Can anybody explain to me why Jason Giambi is hitting fifth again?
Wow! Just under an hour to go until game time and the board is already out of control.
*No one is getting DFA’d. Not Giambi, not Betemit, no one.
*Giambi will keep getting run out there against RH for the most part for the forseeable future. As a veteran with a history of high OBP and with a big contract, he will be given a very long leash.
*Betemit is a LH bat at 3B while A-Rod is out. They acquired him in a trade for a serviceable bullpen arm and he will be given the opportunity to succeed.
*Gonzo does the Yankees no good sitting on the bench as a utility IF right now. He needs to get ABs playing every day down in Scranton.
*Ensberg can not be sent down. Look at his years of service.
*No trades are going to be made in May…it is too early to tell how all of the pieces fit together.
This is not a video game, this is a professional organization. Changes aren’t made by clicking the x or triangle button.
Betemit being a lefty bat is not the reason he’s here. You don’t replace a right handed bat with a left handed bat in a lineup DOMINATED by left handed bats, if you can help it. If anything, Gonzo was optioned because a) he has options b) he needs ABs and most importantly c) Betemit is a player they acquired, and they want ROI.
“Your problem — well, one of your problems–”
This is a great construction - mind if I use that?
but betemit really, at this point, as shown little use on the team. hopefully they can get some HRs out of him, or figure out a way to get him to bat above .150 and play 1st base. but if they’re going to use him as a 3B, then why not go with the “slick-fielding” gonzales. at least that dude can run from 1st to 3rd on a single.
“This is not a video game, this is a professional organization. Changes aren’t made by clicking the x or triangle button.”
This. Quotable. Know it.
Victor Martinez was a late scratch from the Indians’ lineup
TKinDC, use it with my blessing.
Posada said Girardi’s like his brother, whereas Torre is like his father.
So maybe Posada wanted to have a chat with his “father.”
How is that anyone’s blanking business?
I agree with the posters here about Kay: he has a inexhaustible vendetta against Torre. I was all for his exit, and even more in favor of Girardi’s entrance, but Kay is out of line and typically, full of himself.
Trying to make something out of nothing; what else is talk radio for.
release giambi,betemit at first,alberto gonzalez backup infielder,dh matsui,damon in left,bret gardner backup outfielder.huge mistake having igawa pitch.he has a 4.0 era in AAA wich means at least a 6 era in the majors wich is what he had roughly.you call up a pitcher who is hot like resner who had a 0.87 era or mcutchen or give olendorf a start.they should have given kennedy one more start before they sent him down,i get this gut feeling that they sent him down one game to early.anybody but igawa.that is a automatic loss.
Yankees will win tonight. Bank on it.
Today: Pettitte
Tomorrow: Wang
Thursday: Mussina
Friday: Igawa (”We’re 99 percent sure,” Girardi said.)
Saturday: Rasner
Sunday: Pettitte
.
( then on Friday, we have a 1 percent chance of winning )
I swear, bringing in Igawa to lose a game is just silly…How about ANYONE else in the minors ? Well with that loss already counted, if we go 4-2 in the next 6 games, it would be a good thing, huh ?
Get over it Pete. The Giants where the better team that Sunday.
inexhaustible vendetta - good one
hello ?
As much as I like Kennedy and as much as I dislike Igawa, it was Kennedy who was the automatic loss. I think his trip to Scranton will be good for him. Maybe this lights a spark as it gives Kennedy something to prove.
with Igawa on the mound, we need to score 12…and like 10 of them early on…to both win the game and save the bullpen…he is a nightmare waiting to happen and if the Yankees trot him out, they are basically giving up on that game….
People, can’t we all just get along?
Pete - your Pats completely misjudged Big Blue. I hope Carmona does the same with Giambi tonight.
Brandon & SoS,
Who wins tonight & who takes the series? C’s or Cavs?
Its tough to see Gonzo sent down but its best that he gets regular playing time to continue to improve. It also gives us a chance to see what Betemit can do now that his eye problem is resolved. If he can show anything close to what he did last year then he increases his value for us (over Ensberg) as a switch-hitting 1B/3B option or as potential trade bait. Ensberg has not really shown much at all.
Glad that Alex is feeling better. He is going to start working out Thursday and hopes to be back in about a week. That would be great.
If Gonzalez upgrades his bat his potential can be so great.
Let’s go Yankees!
Nice to see Spags and Gilbride there. Go Giants!
Let’s go Tampa Bay Rays!
I know many things, but I know nothing about creating a website. I have an idea for a website, what do I do?
Huh? ^^
Clay,
Blog or website?
If you mean a blog, look for hosting companies like Wordpress or Blogspot. You can buy your own domain name if you like.
“Blog or website?”
What’s the difference? Only kidding. A website.
I thought of writing a blog, but some bastard stole my laptop!
Sorry, the “Huh?” was @ TBR, not you Clay.
First I think you need to get your laptop back.
Try godaddy.com
O/T but has anyone seen the Red Stripe commercial with the Bahamian in the tux dancing with the big white kid? Is that Tony Soprano’s kid?
Am I the only one not hearing the intros on YES and everything? I’m only getting background noise from the ballpark.
is yall’s MLBtv sound messed up?
Geesh, some of the snark directed at Betemit is really mean.
…but I’m on MLB.tv, so I guess that could be part of the problem.
is yall’s MLBtv sound messed up?
You mean you don’t lip read either?