Game 37: Yankees at Tigers
-
- May
- 9
YANKEES
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Matsui LF
Duncan 1B
Giambi DH
Betemit 3B
Cano 2B
Moeller C
Igawa LHP
Kenny Rogers vs. the New York hitters.
Kei Igawa will be facing the Tigers for the first time.
Notes: No word yet on who is being demoted. It’ll be one of the 1,765 right-handed relievers on the roster. … Robinson Cano is 5 of 15 with two homers and four RBI in the last four games. … Hideki Matsui has hit safely in 17 straight games at 23 of 68. He is 10 of his last 20. … Ross Ohlendorf’s last three outings: 6.1 3 0 0 1 7. … Jose Molina is 2 of his last 34. His batting average has gone from .364 to .209.
Back later with updates.
UPDATE, 6:00 p.m.: Chris Britton was optioned to Scranton. … LHP Sean Henn was claimed off waivers by the Padres. … Igawa has already been scheduled to start again on Wednesday in Tampa. … Girardi said they want to give Wilson Betemit a shot against lefties because he’s swinging the bat so well.
A-Rod’s MRI will be Monday morning. He could play in an extended spring training game on Tuesday.
UPDATE, 6:07 p.m.: Meanwhile, some of the boys (and Michelle Damon) took in the hockey game last night. The Big G is tight with Chris Chelios.
UPDATE, 7:19 p.m.: Igawa is better than I thought he would be. It took two pitches before he gave up a hit.
UPDATE, 7:22 p.m.: So far so good, a double to the gap, a line drive off his backside, a 410-foot sacrifice fly and a double to the gap.
UPDATE, 7:32 p.m.: Giambi has figured out how to beat the shift. He has 15 hits this season: seven homers, four doubles and four singles.
UPDATE, 7:59 p.m.: That’s an error on Jeter? Tough call at home for Raburn.
UPDATE, 8:13 p.m.: Brooks Betemit is having a rough time at third base in this inning. But most of those balls have been hit pretty hard.
UPDATE, 8:22 p.m.: The official scorer changed his mind. Raburn was credited with a single in the third inning. Just a hunch, but Jim Leyland might have made a call upstairs.
UPDATE, 8:26 p.m.: You couldn’t see this coming, could you? They basically gave this game away by starting Igawa.
He has faced 20 batters and 11 of them have hits.
So far.
UPDATE, 8:29 p.m.: That’s it for the K-Man. Holy cow. They can’t start him on Wednesday, can they?
UPDATE, 8:43 p.m.: Say this for Kei Igawa, he didn’t show up anybody by pumping his fist like that rotten Joba.
Meanwhile, he threw 64 pitches and two swinging strikes.
UPDATE, 9:13 p.m.: Jonathan Albaladejo was injured and came out of the game. All is forgiven, Chris Britton. Come back.
It’s been a few days since somebody went on the DL. They were due.
UPDATE, 9:46 p.m.: Albaladejo has “discomfort in the medial right elbow” according to the Yankees.
That doesn’t sound good.
UPDATE, 10:10 p.m.: They can’t actually pull this off, can they?
UPDATE, 10:11 p.m.: Guess not. Nice try. Makes what Igawa did even worse.
Back later with some reaction.
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on Friday, May 9th, 2008 at 3:44 pm by Peter Abraham.
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oh god just make Bet bat LH vs everybody.
Igawa vs the Tigers offense… this should be fun.
Why is Johnny Damon out of the lineup??!!
Oy vey, what’s wrong with yesterday lineup? you know the one that they got a W with? The only change should’ve been Moeller for Molina.
the SWEEP starts HERE !
Duncan and Giambi and Wilson?
I *really* hope Girardi is playing a hunch.
ugh, Matsui in LF with the super fly ball pitcher Igawa on the mound. Sub optimal.
Imagine this lineup if we, by some miracle, got Mark T. right now to play 1st and had A-Rod and Posada back AND Damon at the top of the list. WOW….makes yer mouth watir !!!
Don’t like Betemit batting RH tonight.
This may not be pretty.
Poor Igawa. I sure hope he can’t read the Yankee fan boards with all the nice things said about him, eve more so if he doesn’t do well tonight.
“Don’t like Betemit batting RH tonight.”
Don’t like him doing it on any night. Ensberg’s bat isn’t so slow that he can’t catch up to Rogers…is it?
“This may not be pretty.”
I’m sure Igawa’s dad said that when he was on the verge of telling him he wanted to play baseball.
Yes, Damon’s only hitting .302 with over 50 ABs against this bum….make sure you SIT HIM DOWN….right ???
Igawa. Eek
I know Ensberg has been struggling, but this is the exact scenario they have him for. Even if Betemit has his normal form against lefties, that’s still not very good.
after every Igawa strikout, I like to yell his last name like those Ricola commercials…
we have nothing to lose with igawa pitching .we already think he stinks, maybe he’ll surprise us.
stranger things have happened.
i’m actually looking forward to seeing how he’ll do.
The last time Igawa pitched for us in the regular season, he staked us to a 5-0 lead.
Which Brian Bruney and (I think) Edwar Ramirez promptly blew.
“after every Igawa strikout”
After every igawa walk, I like to throw a full can of beer at the TV.
Remind me to pick up a 30-rack.
I expect that it will be Ramirez that gets sent down. Hopefully Moeller can work some magic on Igawa and make him pass for the day.
I keep hearing and reading how smart Girardi is. Is this an example of how smart he is?
Betemit is not a switch hitter. Just because he can swing the bat from either side doesn’t make him one. You actually have to hit sometimes.
Matsui in Left. How about we keep count of all the extra base hits he allows that Damon would have had as outs.
Did Ensberg go on the DL or something? Isn’t he a better option as a right handed bat at first than Duncan?
Betamit at third? Is this a prelude to Ensberg being released and the Yanks carrying 13 pitchers when A Rod returns?
joba should teach igawa his fist pump celebration for inning ending strike outs.
now that would be funny in japanese.
my question is should I go 6 pack, keg can or just a full keg for tonight’s start ?
Ensberg, Giambi(except when facing rhp that throw meatballs, Bettermeat(batting right handed), Jose Molina and Shelley Duncan should just go to the plate without a bat and hope the [itcher throws 4 balls beofre he throws 3 strikes.
CHRIS BRITTON HAS BEEN SENT DOWN TO MAKE ROOM FOR IGAWA.
Brandon go with 2 full kegs. And a 6 pack for emergency relief - relief.
“Francis The Praying Mantis
May 9th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Ensberg, Giambi(except when facing rhp that throw meatballs, Bettermeat(batting right handed), Jose Molina and Shelley Duncan should just go to the plate without a bat and hope the [itcher throws 4 balls beofre he throws 3 strikes.”
I think we need an Igawa drinking game for tonight.
A shot of vodka for every walk or maybe for every run given up?
Will I need to go to a hospital?
Seriously though, expecting the worst, hoping for the best. Go Igawa.
Igawa’s tossing tonight, brandon. Stick with the harder stuff.
A-Point…or even better, if Im Girardi, Id go Buttermaker on them and say “I need you to lean into one this time”….only Id say that everytime they were about to bat.
Brandon = Full Keg, for SURE
S.A. = Please don’t do either, it could be dangerous !
.
Brandon, a keg for Igawa, and a keg in honor of this graduation thing
SA I’m game. A shot of vodka for every walk, a can of bear for every run and a bottle of Corona for every multiple HR
Can’t watch the game tonight…could be a good thing or a really bad thing. I’m hoping Igawa blows everyone away
Brandon….Sake, go with sake
beer * …I started early
randy l.
lol. I found this clip yesterday when I was looking for Pap’s temper tantrum.
Read the description, it’s pretty funny.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5jSw8wsQ3i0
“SA I’m game. A shot of vodka for every walk, a can of bear for every run and a bottle of Corona for every multiple HR”
lol
Will they allow alcohol in a hospital waiting room. Might as well watch the game there and drink. Save on travel time
That lineup makes me ill.
I have Miggy Cabrera on my fantasy team.
The Sox shut him down and continued his lousy season thusfar.
I think Igawa-Rasner is just what he needs.
“CHRIS BRITTON HAS BEEN SENT DOWN TO MAKE ROOM FOR IGAWA.”
Shocking.
I guess throwing 2.2 shutout innings against this very team doesn’t earn you much. Certainly not another opportunity of any kind. I mean, the guy hadn’t pitched at all since then.
Igawa 3.2 IP 5 ER
this game could get ugly……really fast
When the Tigers found out that Igawa was starting tonight, the upper management decided to change the teams logo from a tiger to Bob the Enzyte guy.
Igawa could be a large contributor toward cirrhosis conditions with a bad outing tonight.
Liquor stores are doing a brisk business today.
Sapporo or Kirin beer for Igawa. Maybe it’ll keep his pitches down?
Can someone call into Kay’s show and tell them he rubbed his hands through his hair and stuck a towel on his head yesterday too.!!!
so who would you rather have pitching for you tonight? igawa or kenny rogers? i think ill take igawa.
Remember the game that Igawa pitched against Boston when Karstens broke his leg? Maybe we can start someone else and bring Igawa in after the first batter? it sure couldn’t hurt :/
Id rather have Ralph Macchio start for the yankees tonight…better yet, Pat Morita
Sean Henn was cclaimed by the Padres today, thank the lord he’s gone.
I like this lineup, because I believe Girardi is subconsciously giving Igawa bad defense so IPK can come back sooner rather than later.
I’d like to think that Kei Igawa stands for everything Joe despises: doesn’t seem to have a problem with losing, full of excuses for bad performance, and of all people, showing up in ST out of shape.
Dee -
just to underscore your point - the minor league AAA team didn’t move anyone up to take Kei Igawa’s spot.
I don’t think that KI is going to buy a midtown place anytime soon.
LOL Francis!
when the yanks were beating seattle 6-1 on moose’s turn (2 days after the tigers beat up kennedy) i was thinking that joe should have just told kennedy to go warm up and put him in in the 8th inning. sometimes when a guy has no idea he’s gonna pitch, he turns in a great outing, and with a 5 run lead, id like to have seen goe give him a shot.
“When the Tigers found out that Igawa was starting tonight, the upper management decided to change the teams logo from a tiger to Bob the Enzyte guy.”
- God damnit that’s a great line!
“so who would you rather have pitching for you tonight? igawa or kenny rogers? i think ill take igawa.”
– I hope you are talking about the country singer and not the pitcher.
“so who would you rather have pitching for you tonight? igawa or kenny rogers? i think ill take igawa.”
I don’t know, Rogers did beat us last time.
I have to believe there is something we aren’t seeing with Britton. He was a SU man for Baltimore in 06, throws strikes, has had great AAA numbers, he also did well last year (3.55 ERA) and threw 3 scoreless innings this year. Aside from being overweight, what else is negative about him?
Torre never used him, Girardi doesn’t use him, and Cashman never talks about him when mentioning our relivers in the farm. He must have done something wrong.
NYPD113th -
God Bless you if you are a peace officer.
That said, you might be happier in life if you contributed in a forum where one human being agreed with you. Don’t piss into the wind.
“so who would you rather have pitching for you tonight? igawa or kenny rogers? i think ill take igawa.”
I’d rather have Suzyn Waldman
RIP Pat Morita.
Yeah for Sean Henn.
Igawa’s like Matsuzaka in that he’s often been blessed with generous run support.
Let’s hope that trend continues. Better yet, let’s hope that we don’t need it.
We couldn’t get to the Gambler last time, I think we’ll get him this time.
“That said, you might be happier in life if you contributed in a forum where one human being agreed with you. Don’t piss into the wind.”
–Wait, wait, wait.
You don’t think that there’s somebody here other than me that’d rather have Kenny Rogers than Kei Igawa pitch for their team tonight?
Wouldn’t it make sense if one day instead of talking about Joba’s fist pumps Mike & Dog asked Cashman or Girardi about why it seems that Britton is in the doghouse?
Wouldn’t that be a more useful way to spend 4 hours during their day?
BTW - the sports hernia has a couple yankee related articles up:
http://thesportshernia.typepad.com/
Joe .. ENOUGH with this BULL $#@! about resting your regulars!!!
It’s 36 lousy games into the year .. you’re telling me these guys are TIRED ALREADY?????
c’mon joe!!!
You’re KILLING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“You don’t think that there’s somebody here other than me that’d rather have Kenny Rogers than Kei Igawa pitch for their team tonight?”
I’d much rather have Rogers.
maybe Im naive, but does Kenny Rogers have some type of gambling problem or something? Why do people call him the gambler?
“Joe .. ENOUGH with this BULL $#@! about resting your regulars!!!
It’s 36 lousy games into the year .. you’re telling me these guys are TIRED ALREADY?????
c’mon joe!!!
You’re KILLING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I can tell you’re a bit irrational at the moment, but what regular player that is regular do you have an issue with? Damon?
Molina played 2 games in a row, a night game followed by a day game. There’s no way he was catching tonight.
Francis,
I’m LOL but not at you…”The Gambler” is a Kenny Rogers, the country singer, song.
Francis -
It is a cultural reference from 1977
http://www.amazon.com/The-Gambler/dp/B000TE38VA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1210365742&sr=8-4
“Francis,
I’m LOL but not at you…”The Gambler” is a Kenny Rogers, the country singer, song.”
– WOW Scorpio! You didn’t just point that out did you?
Francis
Ask Jessic Alba next time you see her. She’ll explain it to you.
Yes, Damon needs to be at the top of tonight’s lineup and NYPD113th needs to take a hint and go away, like permanently !
Britton is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO shortchanged.
“and NYPD113th needs to take a hint and go away, like permanently !”
- Not as long as you’re here Vito!
Id much rather have Dolly Parton pitch.
Pick up your sword then,,,,En guard!
You gatta know when to fold em. Know when to hold em. Know when to walk away. Know when to run. You better count your money. When your sitting on the table.somethin,somethin,somethin… Help me out guys.
Francis,
I echo Scorpio’s LOL. You must be young? Although I swear I thought you were Hugh…
sing by the window and i’ll help you out!
SoS,
The only hand that the Gambler hides nowadays is his pitching hand.
Joe better have the umps inspect it.
No Damon?
relax, he’s sitting damon b/c he plays better when he gets some time off. also damon is ‘only’ batting .307 lifetime vs rogers, which is fine, but matsui is .400 and giambi has 4 homers in 25 ab’s against him.
…nowhere to hide…
…there’ll be time enough for countin’, when the dealing’s done !
……..
Damon is ONLY batting .300 in over 50 ABs against Rogers and Melky has not seen ONE dang pitch….EVER….yes…this is the game to rest Damon….STUPID MOVE !
I think that tonight is going to be a high scoring game. The Yanks should be able to score off Rogers and who knows what Igawa will do.
I don’t understand resting Damon when he is so hot. It does makes sense for Moeller to catch Igawa tonight and Rasner tomorrow since he caught them at SWB.
ONLY BATTING .300 ???….ONLY ???….are you out of your mind ???
Shame on Brian Cashman for bidding against himself and spending $46mil on Kei Igawa. I never read a scouting report that was impressed with Igawa’s stuff.
Double shame on Cashman for having Kei Igawa as Plan B if Hughes or Kennedy failed.
Wasn’t Melky out of the lineup last time against Rogers? Supposedly because he hadn’t seen him before? But he gets to play tonight. Huh!
How many of us are on Twitter? There are some good Yankee fans on there during the games blogging about it.
Also check out my blog and click some ads at the top. Your clicks will help my son get through college someday!
http://kallardnyc.tumblr.com/
i dont get it why is not molina playing tonight he is 5 for 12 off kenny rogers
DVAB -
Giambi has RAKED “the gambler” with power. 400 BA w/ 545 slug.
Matusi is only batting 500
Are YOU out of your mind?
Im not young…but Im Cuban and Italian and I grew up in mostly all black neighborhoods in NYC so Kenny Rogers catalog isnt one that I recognize no matter how popular he may have been.
also, Im sure Kenny Rogers has many other songs…why call the pitcher the gambler and not another one of his tracks?
LETS GO FATA.. & FRUITY PEBBLES VS JOE GIRARDI
Francis -
You aren’t missing much - the Marc Anthony with less talent.
Damon needs rest every now and then or he’ll start to break down. I have no problem with him sitting this one out tonight.
just read the Padres picked up Sean Henn great move by the pads picking up a an arm for peanuts…..
except Sean Henn isn’t an arm
Marc Anthony is the man…when he sings in Spanish that is.
“Double shame on Cashman for having Kei Igawa as Plan B if Hughes or Kennedy failed.”
Actually,
Alan Horne was the original backup plan for Hughes OR Kennedy failing.
Darrell Rasner then became the backup up plan for Hughes OR Kennedy.
However now they have a situation where Hughes AND Kennedy are out of the rotation at the same time. Which is why Igawa was called up.
However in a few weeks Joba will be in the rotation. Therefore it’ll be Joba and/or Kennedy/Rasner.
OK….I’ll make it simple for the simple ones….HOW DO YOU PLAY Melky instead of Damon ? Melky likely won’t see first base unless Rogers plunks him. Damon has a HOT BAT right now and is hitting .300 with over 50 ABs against Rogers. It is silly to put Melky leading off and I am SO hoping I get shown to be 100% wrong with my opinion, y’all !
Thanks guys. Im that guy that never learns a complete song. Sing the words i know louder than the singer himself and mumbles the rest. And i still dont know why i dont.
mel,
lol on the hiding comment.That was a nail biter yesterday. Ginobli is hurt and playing through it. CP3 is iverson with more skill. If we take this series, i believe that we’ll be to beat up and worne out for l.a. Its seems like its all lined up perfectly for your Lakers.
Francis,
I think he’d prefer to be called the gambler than Lady. Or maybe not.
Brandon
2 kegs intravenous might do the job tonight.
He’d probably prefer to be called The Pitcher, but thats just me.
Don Vito A. Bellamo:
Have you ever seen Johnny D. play CF?
Kei Igawa is a flyball pitcher. We need as much range as possible out there and a strong arm.
“Shame on Brian Cashman for bidding against himself and spending $46mil on Kei Igawa. I never read a scouting report that was impressed with Igawa’s stuff.”
Cashman always thought Igawa would be a back end of the rotation guy ala Carlos Silva who received 48Mil from the Mariners to be a back end guy.
However, Igawa salary is only 26 mil for a 6 year contract IIRC, which has a much lesser hit on the salary cap. If Igawa would have been what Cashman thought he’d be the deal wouldn’t look bad at all.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2680508
M&MD are just amazing - they have Joe Girardi on for 20 minutes or so and they are insisting on bringing up the stupid issue with the fist pump and how it’s not the Yankee way…I do think Joba needs to tone it down a bit, but wow are they beating a dead horse. I want to smack both of them.
TKinDC ….have I ever seen Damon play CF ???,,,,likely MANY more times than you have, dude !….If Melky goes 0 for 5 and leaves like 5 guys on base and we lose by 1 run and he makes no real plays in the OF,,,then ….nah….fergitt it !
raymagnetic,
I appreciate what your saying but Igawa should never have been on the depth chart at all. That fact that he is speaks volumes about how shallow the pool really is.
Pitiful lineup tonight. Igawa, et al, will need to hold the Tigers to two runs or less!!
Don Vito, I’m with you, Damon needs to be in the lineup leading off but my beef is, why Duncan?
Should be: Giambi @ 1B, Melky CF, Damon LF, Matsui DH = One big happy family.
“M&MD are just amazing - they have Joe Girardi on for 20 minutes or so and they are insisting on bringing up the stupid issue with the fist pump and how it’s not the Yankee way”
I said this yesterday, that this is what pisses me off about them most. They have the access to interview Cash, Girardi, guys like this…and then they ask them the STUPIDEST, most irrelevant bullcrap. Or questions to which the answers are obvious…”So, you guys think Cano’s gotten lazy because of his contract?” or something similarly moronic.
big bad Fatcessa and Fruit Juice went into a sissy interview after talking about laying it on Girardi, what happened.
Don Vito -
“likely MANY more times than you have, dude” how do you know? were you his little league coach?
he has no arm and okay range. Has the news gotten to you that Melky leads the team in HR’s?
I guess not.
“Don Vito, I’m with you, Damon needs to be in the lineup leading off but my beef is, why Duncan?”
Because the only reason he’s here is to hit lefties. If he can’t deliver in games like today’s, then there is literally no point in having him on the team. These is exactly the games he’s supposed to play in.
chris britton said that the yankees should pay the gas and tolls bcs. every other day he comes and goes to scranton…..
Betsy Joba has toned it down a bit. Before yesterday the last time he did the fist pump was against Frank Thomas. Which was like 4 weeks ago.
“big bad Fatcessa and Fruit Juice went into a sissy interview after talking about laying it on Girardi, what happened.”
I complained about that yesterday too!
I’m glad to know that I wasn’t imagining that they do this.
TKinDC…..I WAS his little league coach, how did you guess ?…Scorpio…I am with you on that one….get Duncan Hines outta the lineup and then TKinDC and I can stop fighting over the Damon/Melky thang !
“These is exactly the games he’s supposed to play in.”
I am the king of grammar.
Oh,,,and $1000 says Melky comes closer to striking out 3 times than hitting a HR against Kenny !
“get Duncan Hines outta the lineup”
Like I said…if he’s not going to play in games like today’s, then they should just cut him. Do you think he should be cut? If not, then stop whining about him playing today. If you do…ok, that’s fine.
whozat,
ok, I’m all for giving Shelly the benefit of the doubt, hope he capitalizes. Damon will be missed though.
No one really has a bad history against Rogers as seen in the splits, let’s just hope they can all put it together today.
cut him !
Don Vito -
How can I stay mad at you when I am typing with these pinstripe pom poms on?
It isn’t fighting, it is just me convincing you how incredibly wrong you were to ever challenge even the smallest thought that ever occurred to me
(total bs by the way!!!)
it is all good in the hood.
Carmelo Anthony on the trading block ?
be back later.
“Damon will be missed though.”
Then who would you sit instead? Giambi? Matsui? Both have even better numbers against Rogers. Do you want Matsui/Damon/Abreu in the OF?
“I appreciate what your saying but Igawa should never have been on the depth chart at all. That fact that he is speaks volumes about how shallow the pool really is.”
They could have brought up another rookie pitcher instead of Igawa, there are other options in the minors. However what good does it do to bring up another rookie to an offense as good as the Tigers?
There’s also 40 man roster implications with some of the other guys that might have been brought up to spot start.
“cut him !”
Ok, then. At least that’s an internally consistent point of view. What should the Yankees do about their generally hideous performance against left handed pitching? This happened all of last year as well. What right-handed bat would you acquire? How would you acquire him?
I hate My9 Yankee broadcasts. No pre or post.
I would sit Duncan and take my chances with .300 Damon. lefty vs. lefty.
Bring it on, Gambler!
Shelley’s a nice kid but there’s a reason he’s a 29 year old minor leaguer.
“That fact that he is speaks volumes about how shallow the pool really is.”
Igawa was initially 9th on the depth chart.
Wang
Pettitte
Hughes
Moose
Ian
Rasner
Karstens
Horne
Igawa
It sucks that the Yankees are down to their 9th starter, essentially, but it’s ridiculous to complain that Cash doesn’t have a better 9th starter than Igawa. To say he should have predicted that three guys ahead of him would get hurt and another would be ineffective is kind of ridiculous.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is going to be a high scoring game and a battle of the bullpen. Hopefully we can be patient against Rogers, make him throw a lot of pitches, and beat up their bullpen early in the series.
We really need Kei to go at least 5 and give up less than 4. Unlikely, but there’s always hope.
You cant totally fault Cashman for the Igawa signing. His e.r.a. in Japan was only a half a run higher than Dice. The only other option he had was Lilly.
Whozat…I am just yankin’ yer chain, dude. Let’s agree that we don’t agree,,,K ?….I would rather have Melky in CF ….and Damon’s bat right now ( remember…he’s HOT ) I really don’t care why Duncan is on the roster…tonight, I wouldn’t use him over Damon….that’s all….you think otherwise…I understand…..now if I could just see this flippin’ computer screen while trying to peer through these sunglasses that have NY plastered all over the lenses…. DANG !…
Francis,
I think we call him the Gambler because, and correct me if I’m wrong guys, but he starred in a tv movie called…”The Gambler”.
And I can’t recall a single other song by him. “Lady”? Did someone say that?
“I would sit Duncan and take my chances with .300 Damon. lefty vs. lefty.
Bring it on, Gambler!
Shelley’s a nice kid but there’s a reason he’s a 29 year old minor leaguer.”
Fine for today. However, there are plenty of lefties against whom some of our lefties stink. What should the yankees do about those cases?
I acknowledge that Duncan is a career minor leaguer. However, if you don’t think he should play in today’s game, then there’s no reason for him to be on this team at all. That’s a fine point of view to hold. It essentially means that you think Duncan can’t survive as even a platoon guy at the major league level. Ok. So who do you go get to help balance this lineup? If you have no answer…well, then, they need to see if Duncan’s going to perform in these kinds of situations. And so it makes perfect sense to play him in tonight’s game.
SoS,
I thought your Spurs were in trouble at the half. Big push in the second and good move to start Manu, who is not a 6th man by any definition.
Lilly did great today, but I’m not one to second-guess moves, especially when you can’t undo them. Can you imagine if the contracts weren’t guaranteed? We’d be dropping guys by the innings.
Thank God I don’t work with any of you. You’d have thrown hissy fits and cried the first time one of your team members failed or made a mistake. Or worse, you’d be ready to kill yourselves because someone had an idea based on ration rather than an emotional reaction.
This board, at it is thus far today, is ridiculous. Learn about baseball before the daily line-up whining begins. Look at the stats. Learn about resting people over 162 games. Research who is playing hurt this year (Jeter and Damon).
But most of all, get a clue. This is not a video game. This is a professional organization they are trying to run.
Whozat…and when Duncan goes 0 fer 5 and leaves 7 on base…will you still hold on to your silly argument ?
Westerner99 …oh my…the voice of reason has arrived !!!…everybody sit in your seats and keep quiet…this is no place for any goofing around !
This not a video game ???? Dang…that explains why every time I see that Westerner99 bozo, that my ESCAPE and DELETE and END buttons don’t work….thanks for ’splainin’ that BOSS !…I am going to go get my mind right…ok ?
“I really don’t care why Duncan is on the roster”
Then you’re not particularly interested in thinking about how the Yankees can overcome one of their chief issues from last season: an inability to beat left-handed pitching. Yes, more pitching will help them keep more games close overall, but that doesn’t mean one should ignore other areas in which the roster can be improved.
I think Girardi was going to give Johnny Damon a game off here in Detroit at some point, especially playing in a stretch of 13 games in 13 days after long April/early May. Now, if that’s the plan because Damon gets banged up a lot. Where would you rest him? Against Rogers who he hits .302 against with most of the damage before 2005, against Bonderman who he hits .429 against, or against Robertson who he hits .364 against.
whozat,
Thanks for laying out the SP order. I swear I’ve been feeling gloomy all day not because of the horrible weather in NY but because I felt sorry for our team that we have sunk down to Kei Igawa so soon in the season. Having your depth chart in front of me makes me feel less pitiful.
whozat,
i get your point, but Shelly can platoon when A-Rod & Po get back, right now with the team hovering at .500, i’d rather have Damon’s bat than learn whether or not Shelley is good enough.
“Whozat…and when Duncan goes 0 fer 5 and leaves 7 on base…will you still hold on to your silly argument ?”
I don’t have a silly argument. I have a valid argument. Either you believe Duncan’s performance thus far is an accurate picture of him as an MLB player and believe he has no place on this roster, or you believe he needs more ABs. If the former, fine. If the latter, then he needs to be playing tonight. How he actually does tonight does not impact whether playing him was the right decision. If you don’t think he’s dead weight, then he needs to play tonight.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3389031
Sexon suspended 6 games.
It’s pretty funny. Yesterday Sexson apologized for the “chick move” (throwing his batting helmet at Gabbard)
How many times will Betemit strikeout against Rogers? I’m betting at least twice, if not three times!
silly argument
Was that Gabbard that Sexson charged? If so, he’s a pretty big wussy. He just kind of stooped over and waited for Sexson to pound him. Man, I miss Nolan Ryan! He would have dropped Sexson like a bad habit! HA!!!
“i get your point, but Shelly can platoon when A-Rod & Po get back, right now with the team hovering at .500, i’d rather have Damon’s bat than learn whether or not Shelley is good enough.”
But we need to know as soon as possible. As the roster starts to crunch, we need to know who we’re going to keep among him, Ensberg, Betemit, and maybe even Giambi. We need to know if neither Morgan or Shelley is good enough, and the team needs to go looking for a platoon right-handed bat. As guys come back, there won’t be ABs to find that out. The whole reason he’s on this team is to play in games like tonight’s. If they don’t think he’s going to hit a soft-tossing lefty, then they should just cut him and be done with it.
“silly argument”
Wow. That was an iron-clad, well-reasoned refutation of my point.
Kudos.
Shelly Duncan is a AAAA player. Always has been…
Chicago Dave…the over/under is 2.5 !
Chicago Dave = Valid Argument
Whozat = Silly argument
Yes Lady. I think it goes like this.
Lady….im your night and shining armour and i love you. Lady!!! I need your love.. Could be wrong.
Yes kenny was in a movie the gambler.
Sean Henn signed with San Diego
On a different note…Is Girardi finally learning how to use Ohlendorf properly? God, I hope so! He could really develop into a pretty good late-innings reliever if they give him the opportunity.
Whozat, in reference to your prior attack on my character, I can only offer multiple words that may encourage you to partake in an activity that may bring you great pain or great pleasure, based on your preferences that have been established for many years as a result of life experiences that you may or may not have either experienced or sought to experience that, if I were to fully explain them, could well cause you great embarassment and cause my presence on this form of communication to be terminated. ( is that better ? )
“Sean Henn signed with San Diego”
Good for Sean…He’ll certainly enjoy the weather out there (if he isn’t assigned to the minors, that is).
Westerner, I just read your post and felt okay about being here to post right now, even if it is going to be short lived. I haven’t bothered coming around for a bit (probably a cause to celebrate for the members of the lohud Whiners Club) because I find the lack of rational vs. emotional posting in short supply. I enjoy the posts of some of the people here, but there are so many freakin ridiculous crybabies that I find it hard to believe that many whiners actually congregate in one place.
So far, the only Yankee head that hasn’t been called for is - you know, they’ve probably called for all of them! I find their lack of appreciation for all this organization has been and given to its fans absolutely appalling. Imagine if the Yankees ended up having a mediocre season from beginning to end? They would curse every single Yankee player, coach, the manager, GM, and the owners.
Of course, when you are perfect at everything you do in life, you have the right to expect the same from the members of the team you root for.
Anyway, since I support Igawa, I thought I would be as trite as some of the whiners here are if I hid on the night he was going to pitch.
Congratulations to those of you who have more of a tolerance for crybabies than I do. At least you can keep each other company. What a sadass place when you can actually show up at any time and will be assured that someone will be whining about something.
The New York Yankees - the most storied franchise in the history of organized sports. The players - men who want to go out and have success as much as fans want them to, if not more, but unfortunately are men and not machines.
GO YANKEES!
Trisha - Wow, you’re an Igawa supporter, too?! You must truly be a saint!
“my presence on this form of communication to be terminated.”
Using more words doesn’t make you sound more intelligent. Especially when you crank out a gem like this. How can you have a “presence on a form of communication”?
If you think Duncan’s a AAAA player, that’s fine. I’ve already said that 16 times (that’s hyperbole, by the way. I haven’t ACTUALLY said it 16 times.) But, tell me how you’d address the long-standing Yankee weakness against lefty pitching.
If you want to say they should have gotten Kevin Mench (poor fielder, whines about playing time, but could be a great platoon option for Abreu in RF), that’d be reasonable. If you want to say make a big move for Adam Dunn and put him at first (can he be as bad as Jason??), fine. But THINK. Do some research and MAKE A POINT.
whozat…how can you be so DAFT as to take that seriously ?..How about we go out and start acquiring baseball players that hit well against lefty pitching ???…or better yet…how about, each time a lefty pitcher throws a pitch, we go all “Richie” on him with a guy on our team we could do without for a few games…someone like, I don’t know…DUNCAN ??? LOL
” it’s ridiculous to complain that Cash doesn’t have a better 9th starter than Igawa.”
especially since the first rule of the blog is “thou shall not criticize cashman”.
actually i am not so dwon on si
“But, tell me how you’d address the long-standing Yankee weakness against lefty pitching.”
Find multi-dimensional hitters who can consistently exhibit patience and strike zone discipline at the plate. Regardless, guys like Duncan (and Betemit, etc.) who desperately swing for the fences every pitch of every AB are certainly not the answer.
Whozat,,,one last thing ( no, not really ) ..if you think that everyone on here backs up their *opinions* by THINKING and RESEARCHING, then you must be in the wrong place, Einstein !
Trisha
What a rant. You must realize that you are whining about whiners.
BTW, I support Igawa, Farnsworth and all of them. Though I was p’od at Mussina for his Manny pitches.
Vrsce , I’m glad you said that first !
whoops-
what i was saying was that i’m not so much down on signing igawa. i would have liked the yankees to have pitched him like he was pitched in japan and that was with a lot of innings and pitches per game. he often went 145 pitches three to four games in a row.
i do realize that he was so bad that it was hard to give him innings, but this affected his command. it became a circular problem.
My prediction for Igawa tonight…He will last 3.2 innings and give up 7 or maybe 8 runs before he is pulled.
… SO Damon has by far the most PA vs.KR and is hitting over .300… yet he’s left out of the lineup today. In addition to the fact that he had a couple big hits yesterday. Ummm… ok…
Does Damon still have a bad foot? Does anyone know?
….they all look so angry…
When does displeasure about your team losing become “whining?” By definition, fans are not terribly logical and reasonable about their team. They are fanatics, after all. But there has to be some leeway between being a full-time cheerleader and being a considered a whiner.
Can someone explain how the Yankees lost control of Henn? Was he cut, or was it some type of waiver process? I know he was on the DL for some time, but he started in AAA, so i’m confused as to how he could’ve been exposed to another team picking him up. Unless, of course, the Yankees just straight up cut him.
Chicago Dave….Only if the Yankees score 12 and win the game, do I like your prediction. This way…the bum goes away for good…AND we get the win !
Nice picture, Pete! Is Duncan Giambi’s personal man servant or something? Looks like he follows Giambi wherever he goes.
“if you think that everyone on here backs up their *opinions* by THINKING and RESEARCHING”
Man, if only they would. Then their opinions would actually be worth the time spent reading.
Don Vito - I don’t like my prediction either, but I’m afraid it might end up being accurate! I always want to see the Yanks win, but sometimes you can just feel a bad night coming (especially with Igawa on the bump), you know?
Chicago Dave - A saint, or perhaps according to some, an idiot.
My problem, if you will, is that I tend to see players first as human and then as ball players. So I figure they laugh like the rest of us, cry like the rest of us, feel good like the rest of us, and hurt like the rest of us. I decided a long time ago that I didn’t have the right to demand of them any more than I demand of myself. Since I know I am prone to good and bad days, why should they be any different?
I think if you support your team, you support it. I also think that players who aren’t playing well hurt a lot more than we would think. The booing bothers them, the lack of support bothers them, their own poor playing bothers them.
But Chicago Dave, most of all I think that you don’t flip out per bat or per game. If I had to list every player here who has had to be at the end of pure OUTRAGE on the part of one poster or another on one day or another, the list of the exempt would be the short list! What’s up with that?! I thought a fan was someone who cheered for the team through thick and thin. It’s one thing to feel down or disappointed when your team or some individual player isn’t doing well. It’s another to rail like someone killed your mother! These players don’t WANT to stink out the joint. Sometimes they run into buzzsaws and sometimes their bats are cold, and sometimes they can’t locate their pitches.
But thought it all they’re giving their best. Shouldn’t that be enough for us?
Yeah, I do believe in Igawa, but I also understand why most others wouldn’t. I’m patient.
Blargh, did you both THINK about that and do the proper amount of RESEARCH before subjecting all of us to your post ?
“if you think that everyone on here backs up their *opinions* by THINKING and RESEARCHING”
Uhhh. Put me on the list of not thinking or researching. It gives me migranes. Ill just copywrite sj,cb and all the insiders posts.lol
P.S. - Michelle Damon looks completely bored in that picture…
Don Vito: What, can’t take what you dish out?
“Find multi-dimensional hitters who can consistently exhibit patience and strike zone discipline at the plate.”
They DID. Ensberg has a career OPS over .900 against lefties. Even last year, he was at .830 against them. His OBP was 90 points higher than his AVG against lefties. He’s struggling this year. Duncan actually DID show a good plate approach last season, though this season it looks like he’s swinging from his heels all the time. They both had excellent springs. Plenty of reason to think they’d hit lefties…especially Ensberg, since he ALWAYS has.
Fine, you’ve soured on these two options. Who do you want to go and get?
Don Vito
Just when you thought he was out, they drag him back in.
jgnyc,
I believe he was on the 40 man roster and they needed to make room once Arod got hurt. So he was unprotected.
Blargh ( love your name by the way )…again, I have to question the RESEARCH you put in before your last post.
“Is Duncan Giambi’s personal man servant or something? Looks like he follows Giambi wherever he goes.”
Duncan’s dad was with the A’s back in the day, so Shelley’s known Giambi since he was…15 or so? Maybe even younger.
Trisha - You do need a thick skin at times to survive on this blog! Having said that, I do think people should be allowed to vent their frustration when the Yanks aren’t playing well. They just need to refrain from personally attacking one another in the process…
Who wants to bet (and how much) Igawa will walk the first batter?
They all look very..intense in that picture
“I believe he was on the 40 man roster and they needed to make room once Arod got hurt. So he was unprotected.”
They needed to make room for Stewart, I think it was. And Henn was on the 40. Still technically on his rehab assignment. They activated him, DFA’d him, and added Stewart to the 40-man so he could be put on the 25-man so he could come catch when Posada had to go on the DL. At least, I think that’s when it was.
” Fine, you’ve soured on these two options. Who do you want to go and get? ”
.
….ummm,,,let me see,,,,can we go out and get Babe Ruth ????….dang…no….it says UNAVAILABLE here….HONEY….get me an encyclopedia, QUICK !!!
VRSCE -
Ellen - I actually just covered that point. And sure there is that middleground. Cripes, if everyone was nothing but a cheerleader it would sound mindless. Better that we leave it to me and one or two others to do that part of it.
I can always understand disappointment and frustration. I can’t understand the level of venom I see though toward players who wear the pinstripes but may not be wearing them quite the way we all wish they would on any given night - or in any given month.
I kind of believe in unconditional love. I also believe in tough love, but only when you need to pull it out. If someone is showing a lack of hustle and you sit them down, they probably need that. But if someone is doing everything they can to help the team win but they’re just not making the grade, I don’t see the point in annihilating them.
“Having said that, I do think people should be allowed to vent their frustration when the Yanks aren’t playing well.”
Sure! But, if you’re going to sit around and nitpick decisions that Girardi/Cash/the organization make…tell me what you’d do instead. Otherwise, what’s the point?
barry, I will be you a billion dollars that he throws at least one ball to the first batter….
I dread Chicago Dave’s prediction but I’m afraid that’s not being pessimistic, that’s just rational given who we have on the mound tonight.
I think Shelley and Giambi have known each other for more than a decade since Jason’s A’s days when Shelley was a kid hanging around the clubhouse with his dad.
How do they get front row seats? Do they just pay season ticket holders stupid amounts of money to give them up for the night?
Who’s that guy on the left of the photo, Pete?
whozat - Thanks for the info. on Duncan. I didn’t know that. As for your comments re: Ensberg…I meant my comments more generally, as in hitters who potentially can hit BOTH righties and lefties well because of the solid approach they take at the plate every AB. I didn’t mean the Yanks should hone in simply on guys who have compiled some decent stats against just lefties (or just righties). Regardless, I would encourage a more diverse approach to evaluating hitters than simply looking at a statistic (or even two or three statistics). You need to actually watch a guy’s ABs to get a sense of how he approaches things, you know?
As for Ensberg…He has looked lost at the plate for some years now. Lefties OR righties…He hasn’t exactly lit up the joint. So, no, I don’t think anyone should have necessarily assumed that he was going to be some sort of “answer” to anything.
oops, didn’t see whozat already clarify Jason and Shelley’s relationship…sorry about repetition.
Isn’t it the point of these blogs & fansites to be “armchair GMs” & “laptop managers”?? It’s supposed to be fun & therapeutic, otherwise, why call yourself a fan?
Chicago Dave, well let me say this. I think you (the general you, not you personally) have a lot more credibility if you selectively vent, rather than if you can be counted on to wet your pants any time something goes wrong, and then throw an automatic nonstop tantrum! And that definitely does happen here. Now that’s whacked out. And it doesn’t really speak well of the level of support one really has for one’s team. That’s my opinion anyway.
Here’s the dream I had last night. I tuned into tonight’s game and the first inning wasn’t even over and Igawa had already given up 5 runs, and I felt sick inside because I knew that I was going to have to hear a ration of stuff about how everyone was right about Igawa. (And I wasn’t going to be able to answer to it because it would sound ludicrous for me to support him. I mean I would be tomatoed off the forum - and I would have to understand why!) That was definitely a stress dream and not a prophetic dream, by the way. Fran can tell you that my inability to call numbers of runs and final scores is second to none!
trisha,
When i first started seeing your post here i didnt know if your were crazy or just a possitive person. You tear people up for being negative and never have any problem with a player doing bad. Its just not normal. I want to trade a different person on the team weekly.Now im convinced your possitively crazy.lol I mean your in the minority how else would you describe yourself?
trisha - agreed, no one should be annihilated. But when, for example, a pitcher walks the first batter in an inning, then grooves one to the next batter (who promptly deposits the ball over the outfield wall), it’s disappointing. What I see here, though, is that fans who express their disappointment in such a situation are labelled whiners or bandwagon fans. That is, frankly, ridiculous. You can be hopeful, even confident, that your team will overcome such a deficit. The point is that it’s OK to say, “boy, that stinks” - with even more emphasis, perhaps - without being a whiner or a bandwagoneer.
Barry I’ll take the bet. I will bet Igawa does not walk the first batter. Want do you want to play for?
OK, all, I’ve got to split for a while. Hopefully when I get back you won’t be at each others throats! (Be kind to Trisha…She means well and she is a fellow Yankees fan, after all!)
Barry - what if the first pitch is in the strikezone and gets hit?
Ellen - I absolutely agree with you! But I think there is a vast difference between saying “that stinks” and “that guy is a bum! why don’t they just DFA him. Yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada.” I think when someone starts to get crazed because a player who is struggling takes a bad swing (yet another) and some poster is ready to call him the worst signing in the world and a mistake and and and and and - i think you know what I mean.
SOS - not a question I am pretty much out here without much of a parachute or team rooting me on. But that never bothers me. Being positive creates its own energy. Being negative knocks you to kingdom come.
It’s really not a bad way to live!
Trisha
We are probably in accord. I like all the Yankees. I am a Yankee fan, happy when they win and low when they do not. Like most fans, I am not objective; the players, who are professionals, are objective, it is their living.
So when Giambi, (whom I have always liked) is getting $22mm and hitting .155, I am upset. he is hurting my team, I care about the team, I respect the team and I want the players to feel the same way, although that is naive, except I truly believe that Jeter cares.
So, if a player demonstrates that they are more important than the team, I am going to complain.
Heading out. Have a good game, everybody.
Does Giambi color his hair? I swear he had a lot of gray last week but now it looks jet black…
“But I think there is a vast difference between saying “that stinks” and “that guy is a bum!”
Would throwing empy beer cans at the t.v. like whozat does be considered somewhere in between? Or how about my F-BOMBS at the player when he strands runners or gives up a game changing hit?
I’m on my way to my cousins house, pretty upset I can’t participate in the drinking game (top of the thread if you missed it). I’m game next time though
Question: if you’re playing an Internet drinking game does it count as drinking alone??
shelley should consider wearing a hat all the time.
VRSCE, I guess the stuff can get a little subjective. I am in complete agreement with the “hurting the team” stuff. But the way I think about it is when I believe a player is being selfish and is hurting the team in the process. And really, what gives me the right to say a player is being selfish? But I have done it. I’ll give you an example. If I had been posting here with David Cone was pitching for the Yankees the season he had his no hitter, I would probably have been considered worse than the most out-of-control complainer on this blog. I hated Cone with a passion when he would go out to the mound and kills us every 5th day. (It started as soon as he got his no hitter.) He was not getting any better, we were losing every game he pitched, yet he would not volunteer to get help with his pitching, nor would Joe Torre take the ball from him. I thought I was going to pop a blood vessel! I don’t think I loved George Steinbrenner any more than the night he ordered Torre to send Cone down to Tampa!
Michelle needs to sue her plastic surgeon.
SOS - hmmmm. Good questions.
Of course I’m the wrong one to ask. The most I end up doing is saying DAMMIT!
Trisha - I am glad you came back. I think a lot of people just expect the Yanks to always win and get frustrated when they don’t. Some of the posters do go overboard and get a little ridiculous. They have DFA’s just about every player on the team. Just ignore those.
Now for the important stuff Trisha - tonight’s score prediction. I really think the Yanks will win but it will be a high scoring game. I leave the numbers to you!
after seeing that hockey photo pete added, i’m wondering if it’s smart letting shelly duncan see a hockey game. imagine if he brings what he observed to the baseball field tonight .
mel,
She’s just bloated. It happens to all women. All i want to say is GO WINGS!!
In the picture heres what they are all thinking.
Giambi-I wonder if i would be faster in skates?
Duncan-You mean i can bash someone here and not get tossed? Im in the wrong sport.
Michele-This is too damn cold for me. When is the seventh inning stretch start?
Damon-Why did i bring her!!
I remember reading that Giambi is maried but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pic of his wife. Does he have kids?
6-4 Yankees - GEM by Igawa (by his standards)
Be Nice. Mrs. Damon is with child.
Wow, at least they look like they’re having a good time…NOT REALLY.
Bob Ryan’s taking Tony’s place on PTI.
They’ve covered Joba, Alex, Jeter, Farnsworth
Big Yankee day.
Hope Sean Henn can make it in San Diego
Watching Yankees on Deck. Shelley and Joba playing miniature golf. If someone already announced that, sorry. Usually only get the read the immediate posts when I come on since there always so many!
GO YANKEES!
GO MINNY!
GO KEI, OR I WILL NEVER LIVE IT DOWN!!!!!
Shelley just showed up Joba with a fist pump in Kids on Deck while playing Mini Golf… this will be brought up on the ned M&MD show.
with regards to Damon …you r right she should sue …yikes
pat,
Okay, I’