Game 42: Yankees at Rays
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on May 15, 2008 
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YANKEES
Damon LF
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Giambi DH
Duncan RF
Ensberg 1B
Cano 2B
Gonzalez 3B
Molina C
Ian Kennedy (0-2, 8.37) against the Tampa Bay hitters.
Scott Kazmir (1-1, 2.70) against the New York hitters.
Next time you’re mad about the Yankees, remember this story from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette about a high school baseball player.
Notes: The Yankees have grounded into 11 double plays in the last six games. … They’ve also scored four runs in their last 33 innings while hitting 20 of 110. … Jose Molina got two bunts down yesterday. But he only has three hits in his last 42 ABs. … Joe Girardi is the Joe DiMaggio of lineups. That’s 37 in 42 games. Anybody know what the record is?
Back later with updates.
* * * * * * * * * * A-ROD UPDATE * * * * * * * * *
3:32 p.m.: Alex Rodriguez ran the bases for 14 minutes this afternoon and has been cleared to play in rehab games starting on Saturday. He will have his usual workout tomorrow in Tampa then play in an extended spring training game on Saturday, an intrasquad game on Sunday and an extended spring training game on Monday. If that all goes well, he will be activated for Tuesday’s game against Baltimore.
UPDATE, 3:39 p.m.: Jorge Posada threw again today. He will rehab with the Yankees over the homestand and if that goes well, start a rehab assignment. … Francisco Cervelli joined the team today and will travel with them to New York to get his wrist checked out. He hopes to be cleared to start working out beyond what he has been doing. … Kei Igawa was optioned to Scranton and will start tomorrow against Louisville. Means a few hits for Andy Phillips.
UPDATE, 4:25 p.m.: Well, they wanted Ian Kennedy to throw strikes. He did and Iwamura hit it out. But he recovered nicely.
UPDATE, 5:23 p.m.: There’s been a lot of things to like about Ian Kennedy today. One walk, working ahead, working at a good pace, etc. He’s throwing strikes. But four runs in four innings isn’t progress no matter how optimistic you want to try and be.
But at least he’s competitive, which is more than you say for Kei Igawa.
4-0 against Scott Kazmir? It’s not impossible. But the Yankees have scored four runs in their last 37 innings. What makes you think they’ll score five in the next five?
UPDATE, 5:28 p.m.: Here’s an interesting question, which roster would you want, Yankees or Rays?
1B: Giambi or Pena? Pena
2B: Cano or Iwamura? Cano
SS: Jeter or Bartlett: Jeter
3B: Rodriguez or Longoria? Rodriguez
C: Posada or Navarro? Posada
LF: Crawford or Damon: Crawford
CF: Upton or Cabrera: Upton
RF: Abreu or Hinske/Gomes? Abreu
DH: Matsui or Floyd? Matsui
UPDATE, 6:19 p.m.: The Yankees were 2 for 22 with runners in scoring position in this series before those RBI singles by Cabrera and Jeter. They need somebody to put a ball in seats to really make this a game.
UPDATE, 6:41 p.m.: The Yankees are a dull team at this point, which is worse than simply being a bad team. They’re also three outs away from last place in the AL East.
Not only do they badly need A-Rod back, they need him back in MVP form right away. Talk about pressure.
UPDATE, 6:54 p.m.: The Yankees leave The Trop having been outscored 15-6 in the series. They have lost three of five and six of the last nine. At 20-22, they’re a half-game into last place behind the Jays.
Now come the Mets.
the only suprise is Molina. I thought he would get the day off.
Kazmir is tough on lefties so MR. Bail out Abreu gets the day off. watching him flail is to painful so thank you Girardi.
3 lefties in the lineup…
not exactly murderers row, but not many choices…
great story….makes you stop and think!
per NJ.como – Igawa optioned to make room for Kennedy…pretty obvious, I think
Someone tell Girardi to please stop OVER MANAGING! Enough is enough. How can anyone expect a team to win consistently if they can’t even have a consistent line up.
Peter, thanks for the link to that story. It puts life is perspective when you read a story like that.
“How can anyone expect a team to win consistently if they can’t even have a consistent line up.”
Yeah! Who cares if Abreu and Giambi stink against guys like Kazmir! It’s more important for them to have a “consistent lineup”!
I know Yankee fans aren’t used to platoons. But they’re not uncommon in baseball, and they make sense in a lot of cases. The Yankees need to know if Duncan and Ensberg can perform as platoon guys against lefties. If they can, it’ll really help this team address a weakness they had last season — and early this season. If not, then they know they need to look outside the organization for some helpful righty bats. I think these next several days are big for those two guys, with all the lefties out there.
peter- that story is really touchy!!
wow – what an inspirational story…thanks for sharing, Pete.
Surprise surprise.
Abreu not playing even though he is hitting .333 off Kazmir.
Giambi DH’ing over Matsui even though he is hitting much worse than Matsui both this year and career wise off Kazmir.
I thought Girardi was a stats man? What stats exactly is this doofus looking at?
Did I mention that Duncan does not belong in the outfield. Give Giambi the day off. DH Matsui. Keep Abreu in RF. Play Duncan at 1B. And get Ensberg out of there. Pretty simple Joe.
oh jeez, a daygame. i guess i know what i’m doing for lunch – going home to set up the tivo
Abreu has looked pretty awful at the plate lately. I can’t fault them wanting to give him a day off.
And, like I said, they need to know if Duncan and Ensberg are going to help them or not. This is the only way to find out.
“Yeah! Who cares if Abreu and Giambi stink against guys like Kazmir! It’s more important for them to have a “consistent lineupâ€!”
Hi, Did you miss that Giambi was batting clean up?
I wasn’t aware that they have faced Kazmir like pitchers the other 36 times.
only thing O don’t like is Matsui benched for Giambi
I*
(sorry typing w/ my left hand while eating)
Abreu may be looking bad at the plate, but so is Giambi. Giambi is 2-13 off Kazmir. Abreu is 3-9. I’d rather risk Abreu here.
And I really don’t think Ensberg has anything to offer offensively.
SNY getting too creative again
Pete – That was a great story. It should give all of us pause….
Gotta rest these players.
I want to just point out that while there is a plus with having Gonzalez at 3rd, putting Duncan in Right is a down grade defensive move. It doesn’t surprise me, as Kennedy is pitching. It seems like Girardi doesn’t think all that highly about the young arm. Why set him up with lesser defense rather than the strongest you can muster?
Thanks for the link from the Post Gazette. That was a 2 tissue read. What a remarkable young man.
Pelfrey is in trouble he’s already leaving the ball up and giving up flyouts…it won’t be long before the Nats figure it out
Just put on the Met game and the first thing I hear is Aaron Boone is playing first base because Nick Johnson was sent back to Washington for examination because he hurt his wrist.
I love Nick but put that boy in bubble wrap for his own good.
Molina stays today as Moller will start with rasner tomorrow he has been catching him for his first 2 starts why mess with it
Damn that story’s sad.
2 inning outing for Kennedy. Ohlendorf for 3 again? (But he pitched 1 inning last night.)
What an incredible and inspirational story, thanks for sharing it Pete.
Pete,
Thank you for that story. If anyone hasn’t read it yet, it is worth a read. It sure makes one realize that sports are just a game, as is life. My cousin lost her life to cancer when she was only 8 years old but she had a sense of maturity about her that I have never seen in anyone else, adult or child. Kids who have life threating illness are special kids…the rarely complain, rarely say why me, they realize how special and precisous life is…it makes all the money in the world look like pennies.
at this point Girardi should look to set a record for most lineups used in a season.
this is like a moment of truth for IPK. time to see if that great start at AAA really restored his confidence and he’s going to challenge hitters today, or of he’s just gonna go back to trying to be too fancy and being no where near the strike zone and throw 45 pitches in 2 innings.
is there a reason why the Yankees don’t activate Posada as a DH? Would be nice to have his bat in there, especially against lefties. does his shoulder injury prevent that?
hope IPK gets a win today!
They’d be carrying an extra player, likely losing a bullpen pitcher, who could only DH and would not be able to participate in rehab sessions and such. We also have a few people who use the DH spot, so it would be a waste.
Old man Torre would never do anything like this. NO WAY! I mean, I bet stupid Girardi would even move AROD around! Imagine him batting 8th.
Oh.
george: i don’t see what good it would do really. even if he can still swing a bat it would be best to just rest him entirely to make sure the shoulder can heal enough to get him through the rest of the season. besides, when he was used as a DH before he was going on the DL he just caused a logjam in the lineup. you couldn’t get Matsui and Damon both in the lineup with Posada DHing.
Girardi has been over managing all along. Hes got to stop trying to impress everyone with how smart he is. He does it with the lineup, and pitchers. Remember not starting Kennedy then brining him in a tie game? Matsui is his best hitter and should be in the line up everyday. Ensburg should get released. Let the rookie play, hes a better fielder, better hitter and can run and bunt.
“ER May 15th, 2008 at 1:23 pm-2 inning outing for Kennedy. Ohlendorf for 3 again? (But he pitched 1 inning last night.)”
That’s the spirit. Think positive!
(/sarcasm off)
from nj.com
“Testing his strained right quadriceps, Alex Rodriguez today did baserunning for the first time since going on the disabled list.
A-Rod wasn’t quite full speed as he ran through first (as if beating out a grounder) for times, turning at first twice, home to second twice and first to third twice.
“Perfect,” third-base coach Bobby Meacham said. “Just right.”
“
When you have your starting MVP 3B out and star catcher out, and no solid definite back-ups behind him, your gonna have many different line-ups. There are 3 back-ups for A-rod and 2 for Posada, how in the world can you use the same lineup day in day out.
I know it’s annoying, but stop bringing it up Pete there’s no way to have a solid lineup until they’re back.
Hey Pete,
through the first 42 games of the season, the 1998 Yankees, probably the greatest team of our lifetime, used the same lineup 2 days in a row a grand total of…
THREE times.
that’s right, Torre changed the lineup almost every day in the beginning of the year.
the 1996 Yankees used 131 DIFFERENT lineups throughout the season. 131.
in 2006, Torre used 120 different lineups. why? because like this year, there have been a lot of injuries to position players.
your harping on the revolving lineup is beyond boring. you are trying to make it into some sort of referendum on Girardi, and some of your posters are just eating it up, but you haven’t provided any sort of context.
and the context is that this isn’t really abnormal at all.
the team has scored 4 runs in 3 games and there is a lefty on the mound. if Girardi DIDN’T switch up the lineup, i’d say something was wrong.
i’m glad that when i checked in today it doesn’t seem like i have been missing much. just more of the same baseless complaints.
god i can’t wait until A-Rod and Posada are both back. if at that point Girardi decides to have a regular lineup and everyone is healthy: Damon, Jeter, Abreu, Rodriguez, Matsui, Giambi, Posada, Cano, Cabrera.
SA,
ER is a Red Sox fan. He posts his predictions everyday in the game threads.
Yankee Lover:
Joe Torre and opposing manager did the same thing with their pitchers. Girardi didn’t start Kennedy because there was going to be rain and he felt the game would be delayed. If you watched that game with your eyeballs, you would have seen the lakes on the infield. It was horrible weather and I am surprised they didnt delay or postpone the game.
Oooooohhhh. I see. Thanks SJ44
Austin Kearns bad OF
# of different batting orders (slightly different than lineups, but Pete is using “batting order” interchangably with lineup here) before todays’ games:
Yankees: 36
Red Sox: 34
Indians: 34
Orioles: 33
so wait, what the yankees are doing really isn’t that wierd?
who needs facts!
Not sure how that article is relevant to being mad about the Yankees. Another cheapshot at the fans who voice their opnion on the Yankees, and have to have Pete throw it in their face every time. Nice.
Ryan Braun signed for 8 years $45 mil. not sure if that’s a smart deal on either part. well, for the Brewers it’s smart in the sense that they have him for the next 8 years for only between 5 and 6 mil a year but they coulda gonna a couple more years paying him the league minimum, while making sure he actually continues to play so well. as for him, i’m sure if he continued playing well he coulda made way more than between 5-6 mil a year in a few years.
I agree that the lineups are ridiculous.
You simply cannot sit Matsui and Abreu when you already have Posada and A Rod out. Especially against Kazmir. You may as well mail it in, just give the Rays the game. Its a disgrace.
Giradi is all about giving guys days off, how about giving Molina one? The guy has looked awful at the plate for the last 2 weeks and is used to playing part time. Start Moeller.
Instead we get a lineup that includes Duncan, AG, and Ensberg. Again Girardi decides to start the entire bench (except Moeller, which actually makes sense) on the same day against a premier pitcher when we have Kennedy starting.
I should bet my entire savings on the Rays. Its a slam dunk.
“oh jeez, a daygame. i guess i know what i’m doing for lunch – going home to set up the tivo.”
saucy,
You need to man up and go to your boss and tell him”Look. Iv been here for 10 years now and i think i should be rewarded for my seniority. I want mlb games on the internet. Make it happen or im out!”.
WARNING!! I reserve the right not to be blamed or sued if for some odd reason you get canned.
just like last night miggs, shields vs. moose, its a slam dunk, you should have bet your entire savings on that one
everybody join in:
‘thats why they play the games!’
That was a great story, but how does it relate to the Yankees specifically. Couldn’t it be linked to anything complaint, such as airport delays or lack sleep.
Come on Pete, don’t try to turn a story about a boy into your self righteous rant against people who aren’t satisfied with the performance of mege-millionaires.
Maybe you should show that story to them the next time they complaint about how tough they’ve got it.
i would guess the comfort level IPK has with Molina lead to Molina getting the start today.
Abreu got days off starting last year against real tough LHP, because it seemed as though when he’d face one for a game, it’d throw him off for the next week. i’ve got no problem with that.
Well, they say variety is the spice of life.
i think the point Pete was trying to make with linking that story to being mad about the Yanks was something like “don’t worry about baseball so much there are more important things.”
wow… great story
maybe we do get carried away with things sometimes
saucy,
1) get yourself a schedule and you wont have to go home every time.
2) you can program tivo from your computer
3)you could always go with the transisor radio in your shirt pocket with the (single) earpiece in the ear towards the window. this is how i listened to the world series from 1968 till they stopped playing day W.S. games.
I hope Ian does well today.
That lineup is…interesting
Why you making me cry Pete?
Re: lineups. Some of us “old-timers” remember Casey Stengel’s line-ups. Not only did he move people around in the line-up, but he was 3 deep at every position and he made sure everyone had some experience at these different positions. Plus he didn’t hesitate to adjust the pitching rotation according to the opponent and the situation. And he doesn’t have a bad Yankee pedigree.
I still think some of Girardi’s choices for certain pitchers are suspect. Take out offense, put in questionable defense.
It just seems odd.
Casey’s days are a long time ago, and those moves probably wouldn’t work in today’s game.
Jobalation machine
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn.....ortCat=mlb
Casey was a big believer in platooning positions. Its probably where Cashman got the thought that he could platoon 1st last year.
I think saucY and I both just assumed that it’d be a night game.
I mean why schedule a day game on getaway day for the Yankees when you don’t have to? I can only recall one other day game on a travel day.
“don’t worry about baseball so much there are more important things.â€
Brian from PA,
The only thing more important than the Yankees winning are vending machines that work and dont steal your money when your hungry.
Although there’s fan frustration in seeing Girardi posting different lineups daily, there a method to his managing and it’s his thinking toward the big picture.
Because of no teams showing breakway positioning in standings, he has the flexability to see exactly what the entire roster can do and when the time is right (it will be soon enough) stable lineups will be seen more often than not.
They’ll be times later in the season when for example, Jeter and Cano can be spot rested and feel good about Alberto Gonzalez filling in temporarily. A-Rod and Jorge will not have the wear and tear they might have had.
A season of 162 games is long enough and Girardi will not want burned out players in September.
sos, i’m in market, so even if the company paid for MLB.tv, i think the yanks would be blacked out, even at work. i have a feeling downloading and using sopcast would raise bunch of red flags flags with the security people.
ham fighter, i really do need to just print off a calander, just marking the day games and tape it to inside of the cabinet door that holds my morning cereal.
Will Gonzalez be the one sent down once Arod comes back?
I wonder why the Rays went with a 4:10 start time – not a typical “day game” time…
no the authorities have said the lineup today is wrong. abreu got 3 hits in 9 ab’s off Kazmir he is a KNOWN KAZMIR KILLER.
9 AB’s is a huge smaple size… Giradi you know nothing read this blog and listen to the experts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Even though Abreu looks like crap, it is a illusion listen to Eugie and Chris.
Eugie is upset you change the lineup after all if you hit in the 3rd slot opposed to the 4th it affects your success!!!Who the hell knows why but eugie thins it is not familiar like sleeping in someone elses house instead of your own..
Girardi please listen to these great baseball minds, come on… How di the Yanks succeed in 96 and 97 and etc. with Curtis, and Hayes, and strawberry not playing everyday but playing matchups..
giradi stop that…….
“I mean why schedule a day game on getaway day for the Yankees when you don’t have to? I can only recall one other day game on a travel day.”
or at least do the reverse and schedule 10 PM starts on the day after a getaway day. quite often it would be a friday night anyways
Wow…getting dicey in here today…
Another lineup? Where’s the breaking story?!
“Will Gonzalez be the one sent down once Arod comes back?”
i doubt it. i don’t think ensburg can back up 2B or SS. i think he may be gone once Betemit is back though.
Touching story Pete… but do you really believe that folks here need links to real-life tragedies to be able to put Yankee woes in perspective? It would be sad to think so.
I don’t think today’s players would accept Casey’s methods, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t work. Billy Martin, Casey’s protege, did many of the same things.
“Although there’s fan frustration in seeing Girardi posting different lineups daily”
and here is my question:
why? why the frustration frustration?
i just posted the facts that Torre used to juggle the lineup almost every day, yet no one got up in arms about it until someone started posting the lineups on a blog and making snarky comments about it.
“Its probably where Cashman got the thought that he could platoon 1st last year.”
or maybe from Torre platooning Curtis and Ledee?
just because the Yankees have generally had an all-star at every position the last 4-5 years doesn’t mean it was ALWAYS that way.
even the championship teams sometimes got by with a platoon at one position.
I think Ensberg goes after ARod comes off the DL. My two cents – why send down Gonzalez when he has the skills to play 3B, SS and 2b, can steal a base, and lay down a bunt. He has probably reached his potential with regards to batting and keeping him in AAA makes no sense when we projects to be a backup in the majors anyway. Ensberg, while better defensively than Betemit can’t hit a lick anymore. The yanks invested in Betemit but also showed their hand when Jeter was injured and Betemit didn’t play SS. This team can’t afford to have Betemit AND Ensberg on the team when ARod comes back, but I have been wrong before.
yeah the players would revolt if you platooned them.. they would be willing to forgo there pay and get suspended for the principle!!!!!!!!!!!
these are different times, didn’t you see Jeter change the lineup yesterday and refuse to hit and run!!!!!!!
The patients run the asylum now.. again girardi listen to the players and our astute bloggers they know all………
“Girardi please listen to these great baseball minds, come on… How di the Yanks succeed in 96 and 97 and etc. with Curtis, and Hayes, and strawberry not playing everyday but playing matchups..”
beat me to it.
thank you stuart.
it’s amazing how short some of the memories are here.
If we were ten games over .500, everyone here would be waiting in anticipation for the lineups to see how creative Girardi is. Cano’s struggles have nothing to do with the lineup. Giambi’s refusal to attempt to avoid the shift have nothing to do with the lineup. And of course the absence of Alex and Jorge have no correlation to rotating role players into the lineups or giving the older guys a breather.
A lineup will never be posted that does not get at least one “wtf” on this blog.
“And of course the absence of Alex and Jorge have no correlation to rotating role players into the lineups or giving the older guys a breather.”
seriously, you’d think by the responses here that Girardi was breaking up an offensive powerhouse.
no one is hitting. the offense has been terrible.
what would people say if Girardi kept running the same lineup out there day after day while the offense kept struggling?
no need to answer that, they’d piss and moan for him to “shake things up”.
That was a very beautiful story.
i think pete’s not being around the yankees in the 90′s is starting to show a little. i believe torre is the only yankee manager he’s worked with.
56bomber said it all right there.
Its amazing to me to listen to people complain about the lineups everyday.
They are missing their two best hitters and they haven’t hit as a team all season.
Why wouldn’t you experiment with the lineups?
Especially, as Hmmm estutely points out, its not exactly something different than what has been done in the past with Torre.
Just complaining for the sake of complaining over this stuff.
Sad & touching story. But it’s pretty condescending for it to linked on this site under the advice to maintain perspective, I’m sure Yankee fans do watch the news & read the papers in “real” life.
This is a baseball blog, let’s keep THAT in perspective.
Ranting & raving about your favorite team on a fansite does not make one incapable of the sensitivities & perspectives of this world.
Back to BB…no Matsui??? Arghh, Girardi!!
really ensberg, duncan, gonzalez, etc. these guys are not exactly monster players..
they really miss AROD.. if they had Arod especially against a good lefty it makes a big difference.
these guys have nothing to do but bitch about Girardi using 37 lineups but if they were healthy he would have probably used about 7 different lineups….
Arod cannot get back soon enough and I agree with others keep AG up(speed, versatility, can bunt), say adios to Ensberg(slow and low OBP with mucho K’s) they have 3 other guys that already do that…..
could Pelfrey ?
nevermind..
think we got it bad? the tigers are 16-24, in last place 5GB and have won only 2 of thier last 10. and now kenny rogers just gave up 3 runs in the 1st! also note that the yanks were 8 out at this time last season!
My goodness. Will someone score a run in this Mets/Nats game
Pelfrey is pitching a no hitter into the 7th. and Aaron Boone gets a hit as I type that.
Well there goes that
SJ Posada is not there 2nd best hitter……
I like Girardi I can think of only a few things I have disagreed with this yr.
It would be great if they could bloop and bleed there way to a win today..
Stuart,
He was last year. In terms of coming up with the big hit, not having a lot of 0-fer days, and being dangerous from both sides of the plate, he’s their next, best threat after Arod.
The other guys in the lineup are too inconsistent. Too many highs and lows.
You know what you are going to get from a healthy Posada everyday. Not sure you can say the same thing about some of the other guys in the everyday lineup.
stuart,
in your whine fest!!!!!!!!!
take the time to learn the difference between THERE and THEIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
they’re is not wear, i mean their is not we’re, i mean there is no where?
There is no there, there.
wasnt that someone’s description of oakland?
in 1998, this was the Yankees most common batting order (again, batting order, not lineup):
“Knoblauch
Jeter
O’Neill
Martinez
Williams
Strawberry
Curtis
Posada
Brosius”
this was the MOST used batting order.
it was used 8 times in 162 games.
To Jeff:
You must be a miserable bastard. If you can’t make the connection Pete was trying to make, you’re hopeless.
royals have bunted 4 times already in the 2nd inning and they’re killing the gambler. he looked like cy young against us…
“Eugie is upset you change the lineup after all if you hit in the 3rd slot opposed to the 4th it affects your success!!!Who the hell knows why but eugie thins it is not familiar like sleeping in someone elses house instead of your own..”
What? I don’t speak gibberish.
The only thing i would want Girardi to do more of is play more small ball. Stealing bases,moving runners over and showing more emotion in the dugout. I do like when he goes out to argue a play. Seems much more intense than Torre. Thats refreshing.
Does anyone know when the time table is for Joba becoming a starter?
sos, there’s about 1000 baseball writers (including our esteemed mr.’s abraham, jennings and ardsmore trying to find that out and still nobody outside the yankees hierarchy knows the answer
and washington is on the board
Personally, I don’t mind all the lineup shifts. At least it shows Girardi is thinking and trying to come up with something to win that day.
I think the whole theory that if Damon, Giambi, Matsui, Abreu all play every single day at the same positions is suddenly going to make them and the team more productive is false.
If you haven’t noticed, the old guys look old. They can barely handle being productive with the days off they are getting to rest up.
How in the world are slow older players on the decline supposed to suddenly regain the fountain of youth by using them more?
I’m pretty convinced what we’re seeing this season on this team and many other teams is the reality of a sport where amphetamines and other PED’s are no longer being used as prevalent as before.
5 years ago, a 34 year old player looked a lot younger than they currently do now.
funny, watching this tigers-royals game is almost a mirror image of watching the yankees and rays play. the royals are doing everything right and the tigers cant get out of thier own way. if you only saw this game you would pick the royals as by far the better team. the tigers look so slow and sluggish and defensivly challenged, while the royals are flashing timely hitting, productive outs and general athleticism.
even though they look terrible, i still think that every loss by the tigers puts the yankees closer to the PS.
and i just LOVE watching kenny (mr. anti-october)Rogers get killed. i hope you choke on your yankees WS ring you didnt deserve!
ham fighter,
I thought Cashman was a big fan of this blog and read it? Besides, i believe we have under cover Yankee scouts and players that post here. Damn if they all dont know the answer,then who does? Hank are you reading this!
yeeeeeeeeeeup
“The only thing i would want Girardi to do more of is play more small ball.”
This is such a buzz word these days. First of all, when you play for one run, you usually only GET one run. With young pitchers that are likely to have hiccups and old pitchers who can sometimes succumb to a bad inning, you really don’t want to be playing for just one run unless you absolutely need to. And, furthermore, this team really isn’t built for it. Matsui, Giambi, Cano…these guys are NOT good bunters. Matsui and Cano ARE good hitters. They usually get a hit 30% of the time, but they’ll probably botch a bunt if they try it.
Also…when you’re struggling to get guys on base, does it really make sense to risk them by trying to steal?
Smallball only makes sense late in games with a team that is configured that way. This team is configured to crush you with OBP and extra base hits. Problem is that the guys high in the order aren’t getting on base enough and the guys in the meat of the order aren’t getting XBH enough, or hitting with RISP. Timely hitting is the cure to what ails this team, not bunting.
Michael Kay is giving Mussina some props right now.
who saw that clothesline on Reyes by Guzman
SA you know it’s killing him inside
sos, anybody who started as a yankees fan in 86 deserves some dap b/c all the real bandwagonners were going the other way as that was the mets year of glory. (are you listening dear brother?)
also, if cash is reading this blog, he’s definetly got thicker skin than i do.
Isn’t signing a 16 year old for that money just a little risky? Or is it just me?
Brandon and SA, you think Michael Kay just threw up a little in his mouth?
LOL
Oh I know Brandon. It must be painful for him.
But he is saying..nice things about Mussina.
Hello twilight zone.
Shame on anyone who criticized Pete for linking that article. There’s never a good time to discuss cancer but it’s a relevant topic in each of our lives. It’s never a bad thing to step back and put priorities back in order. Thank you, Peter.
Now that I’ve read the article and got that off my chest I’ll stop worrying about how this hardly intimidating lineup is going to score enough runs to offset Ian Kennedy. Good luck, and Go Yanks!
Joe-he probably threw up on Don just now
Poor Don.
whozat, you are obviously NOT watching this tigers game and the pressure the royals are putting on the tigers had them throwing the ball all over the yard. i’m not saying the yankees should bunt 4 times in 2 innings, but there seems to be a shift going on away from bashing and back toward moving runners and productive outs. i realize the season is only 1/4 concluded but i have heard alot of ppl saying the same thing, that the power game is diminishing b/c of steroid testing.
It is risky, but better then 75 million just to talk to one.
I wonder what Reyes did now?
“Isn’t signing a 16 year old for that money just a little risky? Or is it just me?”
better than throwing it at a guy like Jaret Wright.
it’s increasingly looking like the only way to get top-tier talent is to develop it. So, if you’re going to spend lots of money…spend it on acquiring potential young hotshots.
There’s that
And ye olde inflation; it doesn’t stop!
GLove, I think you’re on to something.
I remember when I was a kid, a ballplayer in his mid-30s was at the end of his career. 35 was old. Then, over the past decade – 15 years, player performance continued at a high level as guys hit their late 30s, and in some cases even 40. We all figured it was better conditioning, or at least I did.
Well, the conditioning programs ain’t what they used to be, because we’re seeing the older players suddenly start playing like guys their age did in the 60′s and 70′s. Look at Jason, Sheffield, Frank Thomas, Sosa, etc. Look at how the Rays and the Royals are running circles around the more vereran teams.
Lack of “chemistry”? Or lack of steroids and amphetamines? We’ll probably never now for sure. But I think the balance of power is changing to younger and better naturally conditioned teams.
BTW, if that’s the case, don’t expect our Jason to suddenly turn it on. I bet Cash is pondering this exact question. The GMs know what’s going on, I’ll wager.
cant wait for arod to come back
Jeter in the 3 hole? I wonder if Jeter will take a different mindset to at-bats in the 3 hole. Rather than slapping the ball somewhere, looking to drive runners in. Also, since he is the best hitter in the line-up with A-Rod and Posada out, shouldn’t he hit third? Or does Joe want to keep Abreu as comfortable as possible?
I still think this team needs to walk more.
ham fighter,
Steven Phillips mentioned that runs or homeruns(not sure which one)were 1000 runs less than 06. Time to find a Ricky Henderson or Vince Coleman to add to this lineup. Gardner?
“whozat, you are obviously NOT watching this tigers game”
True.
However, it’s also the case that the Royals players are different from the Yankee players. You can’t just magically turn a team into a bunting-and-running team. You know what happens if Matsui or Giambi bunts? He probably gets thrown out at first, unless he pops out to the catcher. Melky’s a guy who REALLY should add bunting to his game, and Brett Gardner had better be good at it.
“I still think this team needs to walk more.”
Yep. Jeter and Damon definitely haven’t been on base enough. And Abreu too, though it’s not surprising that he’s swinging more without ARod behind him.
“it’s increasingly looking like the only way to get top-tier talent is to develop it. So, if you’re going to spend lots of money…spend it on acquiring potential young hotshots.”
and the good thing is he is potentially more durable then the future MLB FAs, we have innings caps here in the states when you go into college, in Latin America we laugh at the word innings caps
the only problem I have with the lineup is I have to refer to it the first time through because it’s not automatic. Other than that, I really don’t care. Sometimes the changes are notable, but most of the time, no so much. At least to me.
Here’s hoping IPK has a good day.
“in Latin America we laugh at the word innings caps”
You have that backwards. Less abuse at a younger age correlates with better future durability.
WILLIE HARRIS STRIKES AGAIN !
Giambi should be using steroids this season, its the leaset he could do.
Speaking of the Mets. Does anyone here think that Cashman made the right choice not signing Beltron? I for one didnt want him to for all that money and a 270 hitter. That had one good playoff run to sky rocket the demand. He’s batting .240 and i dont believe he’s hit over .270 since.
Oh and im glad we’re done with the Wright and Reyes are better than Jeter and Arod talk.
the lineup ‘controversy’ is really ridiculous. as hmmm pointed out so well, this is buisness as usual for the yankees, even though it hasnt been the case during pete’s time with the yankees.
also, the only significant change he’s made all year was yesterday when he switched abreu and jeter. up until then, whenever damon, jeter, abreu and arod did play, they batted in thier regular position. does anybody on this team other than posada really deserve thier own regular spot in the lineup. maybe when cano starts hitting or when matsui starts hitting for power you could make the case that they should settle somewhere, but not right now.
when they announce your name, you step in the box and hit the ball.
damn Washington took out the rabbit trick gloves in the 9th
Uh oh. The WFAN phone lines might explode with upset Mets fans.
I really think Willie is in trouble.
I hope the Yankee fans have something to smile about later.
“I remember when I was a kid, a ballplayer in his mid-30s was at the end of his career. 35 was old. Then, over the past decade – 15 years, player performance continued at a high level as guys hit their late 30s, and in some cases even 40. We all figured it was better conditioning, or at least I did.”
Is this even true though? Right now I could probably google a dozen players off the top of my head that played well into their late 30′s.
I would also suspect that a lot of them are some of the all time greats. The greater a player is I would imagine the slower the player’s decline will be.
Babe Ruth was a great hitter at the age of 39. Hank Aaron was a great hitter at the age of 39. Bob Gibson was still a great pitcher at the age of 37.
There are dozens of other examples of guys like that who are in the hall and who played well into their late 30′s.
Even in the so called steroid era there weren’t a great many players in their late 30′s and early 40′s still putting up monster numbers.
I can name only 1 hitter and 1 batter who have been over the age of 40 still putting up monster numbers in recent years. Perhaps it had more to do with their overall greatness than any PED.
Funny Moose story on M. Kay. Cash offered Moose 2 yrs/$18M on this last contract and Moose said do you really think I would accept less than Carl Pavano? Cash came back with 2 yrs/ 24M. Too funny.
Moose makes me laugh more and more each day.
“Does anyone here think that Cashman made the right choice not signing Beltron? ”
06 and 07 were really good years for Beltran. Pretty good OBP and very good SLG. I think I’d have rather had him and some league average pitcher instead of Randy Johnson.
the Yankees need to be on thier toes vs that Mets team, they are hungry for a win after today.
“I really think Willie is in trouble.”
If Willie is in trouble then Omar better be in trouble as well. This is the team he put together.
Well, just glad it’s not my money
I’m a little unclear as to how folks expect Girardi to play small ball with this team.
Jeter is still hurting. Damon doesn’t get on base enough as a leadoff hitter. He is also playing with a groin injury and if you have noticed, hasn’t taken sufficient leads at first in 3 weeks. He’s more station to station everyday.
Abreu can’t bunt. Nor can Giambi, Matsui and Cano.
If Cabrera reaches base, they can have Molina bunt him over. That’s about it.
Still means somebody has to drive them in. That’s been their problem all year (lack of hitting with RISP).
This isn’t a small ball team. Its also not a healthy team.
To put guys in motion and do all these other things folks want to see, you have to have the guys to do it.
The Yankees do not.
Recently, everytime Girardi has even tried to hit and run, guys haven’t put the ball in play.
Will they run more? I expect they will once they get healthy.
That said, its not going to make them more of a smallball team. Not unless they find those type of players and I don’t see that happening during the season.
I was having a bad day until I read that story.
“I really think Willie is in trouble.â€
“If Willie is in trouble then Omar better be in trouble as well. This is the team he put together.”
Oh I totally agree. Omar was the one who put that team together. But if they are gonna make a change, and it’s between Omar and Willie. I can see them saying bye bye Willie.
Let’s hope Rasner can do well tomorrow… Tim Redding and some guy named Jason Bergmann who had an 11 ERA shut them down these last 2 days.
OTOH, lets hope Santana and Perez don’t shut us out.
Raymagnetic, I understand your point, but I’m not talking about Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Bob Gibson. I’m talking about Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield, who, as SJ44 has pointed out, have been two of the worst hitters since last summer. I’m referring to somebody’s post, above, wondering about Bobby Abreu’s declining power and OBP.
Are these related to less PEDs? I don’t know. That’s the crime of all this, that we have to wonder about it and potentially tarnish players’ reputations.
Enough of my rant.
whozat,
I know he’s been decent. But was he really worth over 100 million? What does he have 3 more years left? I guess im a bit gun shy when it comes to 7 year contracts. We’ve been burned before.
As a new dad, that linked story makes me want to go home and hug the heck out of my son. I swear I wasn’t this emotional before fatherhood.
IPK you better challenge hitters today!
well at least the mets get thier misery in fast, that game only went 2:30.
Thanks for the link, Pete. Places things in perspective.
” But if they are gonna make a change, and it’s between Omar and Willie. I can see them saying bye bye Willie.”
The Mets fans gripe all the time about having a Yankee as their manager. It warms the soul!
Willie is in a tough spot and if the Yanks put a hurting on the Mets this weekend it could get REALLY hot for him.
willie got booed heavily by the home folks last night as he came back from pulling hielman from another disaster.
sos..home runs are on pace to be down by 1000 from 2006! steroid error is over. Yanks need speed on the bases…baseball is going back to small ball. Not only are home runs down but so is pithers velocity
Sayonara Kei Igawa!
sorry i meant steroid era…ha!
how many home folks could there have been ? I mean it was Weather Day at Shea, so it was basically 5th graders and junior H.S. kids at the park in Shea
Let’s not worry about the met’s today we have our own issues, kennedy needs to step up tonight and let’s hope robbie can start hitting like his normal self, I would like to see more hit and runs and SB, girardi looks like torre in that dept.
There is one player who can go a long way making the Yankees a small ball team and that is Brett Gardner. Later in the season I would like to see him up as the 4th OF. Matsui should be the everyday DH. Also a real 1B man would be nice. This means cleaning the roster of the fat around 1B, Giambi, Duncan and Ensberg. If there was a real 1B like Textiera, that frees up space for all types of roster additions.
whozat I kind of said that the innings cap isn’t that enforced in Latin America, therefore they are use to throwing lengthier starts before they reach the states, the younger age means less burn on the arm, for a SP like Inoa it’s like endurance training over there. They build you up to be a horse in the states. Am I wrong on this ?
woah, Bergmann shut down the Mets? my dad met him at the iron pigs game last week. nice.
Thanks Sara,
Another stat i heard on the radio is that 5 of 8 youngest teams are on top of their divisions. Reasons being they were not risking missing an opportunity to play by taking or getting caught taking p.e.d. Hence less injuries.
pat
Get the book On the black. Half of it is about Mike!
Sara, in theory you were right, the era was an error.
I think Bergmann is a Rutgers grad…
Whozat…
I couldn’t agree more:
“06 and 07 were really good years for Beltran. Pretty good OBP and very good SLG. I think I’d have rather had him and some league average pitcher instead of Randy Johnson.”
Beltran’s number with Mets:
2005 151 G16HR 78 RBI 17 SB .266 avg .330 OBP .414 SLG
2006 140 41 116 18 .275 .388 .594
2007 144 33 112 23 .276 .353 .525
2008 39 3 23 3 .241 .363 .423
AND— he was willing to take LESS money to become a Yankee. All but begged the organization.
Instead, The Boss got RJ.
brandon, i think you missed that i said it was last night. they drew 48,500.
great news on a-rod!! cant wait!!!!!
HR hitting is dropping alot now,(POST PEDS) so the sluggers that use to be sluggers are hitting into more outs or a few XBH, I think the speed game is going to be key to a winning team especially this season. I mean that Mets vs Nats game is a perfect example, last 2 yrs. that game is 10-9 today good pitching shuts you down for real.
OK I’ll be back later people. GO YANKEES !
Seems like ARod is close to returning – that is great news.
Now let’s hope that Kennedy has a good start.
“06 and 07 were really good years for Beltran. Pretty good OBP and very good SLG. I think I’d have rather had him and some league average pitcher instead of Randy Johnson.â€
right, but where on earth would they have been able to find that league average pitcher?
http://www.baseball-reference......ja01.shtml
good news on Alex, Cervelli is back ? I thought out until June atleast, strong kid.
ham I know but it sure as heck didn’t look like it. OK now I’m gone
If HR were down because of decreased PED use, it wouldn’t just be in the AL.
To wood is good
Nah, not miserable at all. In fact, pretty happy overall. The only thing that irritates me a little are hypocritical people who moan and groan (about things much less important than baseball) but don’t feel others have the same right.
You must be a relative of Pete.
Even trying to compare anything about the Yankees with that young man is foolish. If you’re going to post the story, then post it, but leave the comments about it relating to a fan reaction aside, unless you’re willing to compare it with any rant, even ones related to airline delays or hotel staff (a favorite of Pete’s).
Good news about A-Rod. Can’t wait to have him back.
Let’s go Kennedy and Let’s go Yankees!
What’s all the fuss over lineup changes, the greatest platoon strategist of them all was our own Ole Perfessor, Casey Stengel?
When arod and posada are back, it’ll be like a .100 point bounce to those places in the batting order, not to mention the additional power.
Mike and the Mad Dog is starting on WFAN.com
I think A-Rod being out is the main reason for the lineups. Once he returns you will likely see a consistent lineup.
since it came up: when the yankees traded vazquez for randy johnson and gave johnson that 3 year extension, there was alot of discussion about which guy would win more games over the life of rj’s contract. well, this is the year that contract would have ended (i think they extended him again when they got him back) and as of today….its a dead tie, 41-41.
Prediction on Kennedy today.
6 innings
2 runs
5 hits
1 bb
4 k
Wins his first game of the year!!
Hopefully the great failed experiment that is kei igawa is now mercifully at an end
Nice story Pete…
put things into perspective… but damn man, I’m crying like a little boy
“Hopefully the great failed experiment that is kei igawa is now mercifully at an end”
I don’t understand why they don’t just DFA him and open up a spot on the 40 man roster. He has no value.
well, here we go….is it the ian of last year or the ian of this year?
im with brandon, i say he commands the strike zone and this becomes a pitchers duel that is settled after both starters have left.
C’mon ian, show em what you really got!
Just jumping in with today’s game prediction.
I know I already said it but I’m saying it again. Kennedy will show us why he was considered to be a hot prospect.
Yankees will eventually get to Kazmir.
Yanks will take the game.
Talk to you later.
GO YANKS!
i’m willing to bet he didnt say anythnig to anybody about making them look stupid today!
Come on Ian, you can do this, you are so much better than Kei Igawa!
…. Or not.
I have to sell two tickets for Monday afternoon June 9th.
Face value is $95. Section 26 down the left field line. Field Box tickets a few rows from the field. The seats come with 2 tickets to the Stadium Club.
Anyone interested?
OH, how I’ve missed you, IPK!
Yikes! hopefully he won’t be scared out of the strike zone now.
Is it too early for scotch?
Bring back Iggy…
Nooooo IAN!
He looks like he’s about to vomit.
oh boy, here we go again.
What me worry?
IPK will not be lasting long if he tries to live there.
It’s never too early for scotch!
I predict Kazmir will show why he’s the future best pitcher in the majors.
Looks like par for the course with Kennedy.
And this season just keeps getting better. Think this lineup can come back from one run?
With this offense, this game is almost certainly over already.
Tagline change.
Well, he’s already pitched a whole inning…
Kennedy looks much better so far. He’s throwing strikes and challenging hitters and got pretty squeezed that inning I thought. Even the HR was on a pitch off the plate inside that he somehow hit.
Well, except for the lead-off homerun, looked pretty good to start. I know, that sounds a little like, “So how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?”
Can someone tell Iwamura that flipping the bat the way he did is showing off a pitcher. If pumping fist is than bat flipping is as well.
Remember, in Rasner’s great first start back up from the minors he gave up a two-run dinger in the first inning and then shut the Mariners (I know, the Mariners) down. I’m hoping IPK can follow D-Razz’s lead.
I wonder if a pitcher could shut this team out on 60 pitches.
Lori: You know, I think that line’s become the unofficial LoHud motto for the season.
How much longer can this team endure a minor leaguer like Shelley Duncan starting games? If we want great attitude, let’s just bring back Don Mattingly and start him. He’s as good today as Duncan.
Maybe he won’t give up six runs in three innings.
Probably not.
That slider should have been strike 3 on Upton. He got squeezed there.
Kazmir threw 16 pitches in the first inning.
For us to wear him down, we need him to throw 20 pitches per inning for 5 innings, not 15 pitches per inning for 6 innings.
Not Giambi jumping on a first pitch or Shelley hacking at a 3-0 or 3-1…
Well Kazmir has 32 pitches already.
Giambi jumped on the first pitch because he has the eye of an eagle and the strength of a lion.
The gun shows 88 for Kazmir. Is it just me or does it look like its going faster than that?
No way, Cano struck out? Imagine that.
Did sterling said that cano is the hottest hitter on the team???..
yes’s gun is always wrong
S.o.S.27(bandwagoner since 86) May 15th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
The gun shows 88 for Kazmir. Is it just me or does it look like its going faster than that?
Gameday has him regularly topping out at 92mph with his fastball…
The pitch was outside, and further outside even than some of the pitches that were called balls for Kennedy.
Cano struck out because he has the speed of a cobra
okay, ian has now lowered his season era!
Vrsce you are great
“Cano struck out because he has the speed of a cobra”
lol. The hard shot hit by floyd was caught by a cheatah.
Anyone here know why Yahoo MLB always displays balls to the outfield as “deep”, even when they’re not?
Every homerun that’s hit is displayed as “deep to center”, or “deep to left”. I think that goes without saying, no?
Never have I seen a description that said: “flied out to center”. It’s always “deep center”.
Although, Shelley’s ball was described as “shallow left”.
Now, if they’d labeled it as “deep shallow left”, I would’ve really lost it.
Cant say he isnt attacking the hitters today.
6 innings 2 runs folks. Bank on it.
well, Kennedy looks good. Aside from the leadoff homer of course, but i liked how he kept his composure and got 3 quick outs afterward, and now had a good 2nd inning and is throwing strikes. very, very promising.
now for some offense!
BTW, if there is a Dunkin Donuts near you- free 16 oz ice coffees today until 10pm.
“So how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?”
A little known fact: Mrs Lincoln actually did love the play.
Nice inning for Ian
The Ghost of Andy Fox,
Is Michael Kay still taking off from the YES booth? Maybe he works for Yahoo on his off-days?
25 pitches, 17 strikes. lesson learned?
The yankees will never score again!!!
“BTW, if there is a Dunkin Donuts near you- free 16 oz ice coffees today until 10pm.”
I actually got one this afternoon. I left a dollar tip, which works out to be an infinity plus a dollar tip.
Wait a minute – I take it back – “A. Gonzalez flied out to right”.
My bad.
This ump is really giving Kazmir some calls.
everybody was speculating on monday what would happen if santana pitched vs. kennedy tomorrow and what that might say about the non-trade, especially if kennedy got shelled, but….
what if the yankees young arm (rasner) sticks with the cy santana tomorrow and the yankees win. do the mets fans start weeping and wailing that they should have stuck with thier young talent. might make some ppl rething santana’s vorp value, eh?
Amazing how locked in Molina was before the injury. And how lost he looks post injury. Hope he finds his mo-jo soon.
and of course, once again our offense can’t get a hit to save its life. Oh well. Maybe we’ll win.
Yahoo MLB: “J. Damon flied out to deep center ”
Was his ball hit “deep”?
The Yankees score as often as Ugly Betty
I didn’t leave a tip. when you tell me something is free, it’s free.
Molina’s frustration with his trouble at the plate is pretty obvious. terrible body language after his swinging strike 2. someone needs to tell him to just relax.
jesus, it’s like the Rays have 6 infielders and 4 outfielders. do they ever not make a play?
Let’s bunt 3-4 times in a row next inning.
Can’t hurt.
ghost, yes, damnon’s was a nice running catch about one step in front of the wt.
“what if the yankees young arm (rasner) sticks with the cy santana tomorrow and the yankees win. do the mets fans start weeping and wailing that they should have stuck with thier young talent. might make some ppl rething santana’s vorp value, eh?”
If i had to guess.The Mets fans would be saying that they could have had Rasner for less.
yeah, baby! a roy white reference, one of my 1st favorite yankees!
Yes Andy Fox. It was.
why would anyone fight ham? It is sooo delicious.
i used to work at a smokehouse.
Ham Nippon Fighters?
“I didn’t leave a tip. when you tell me something is free, it’s free.”
Dammit Brian! Stop being so cheap. You can hold off on getting your chips for a day. Tip man! Tip!
This is the ballgame right here…
ok here’s where ian has to come through with something. c’mon kid!
Game is over, I am just PRAYING Yanks get a hit, that is all I want today. Nice line up Girardi LOL
Ian is being squeezed!! Thats 2 concecutive strikes!
come on ian
He seems almost like he’s scared of the strike zone again.
Get em Hank!!!
smokalicious!
Student’s get an automatic waiver from tipping on free stuff.
COME ON IAN THIS IS THE GAME.
bases loaded, good job Ian
trying to throw a perfect pitch right there.
Single. Hit batsmen. Walk.
It’s time for our first triple play of the season.
Gulp.
Things went bad pretty quickly
Yanks could have back to back games w/no hits….when is the last time that happened?
game over folks
I’m gonna go stick pencils in my eyes.
Less painful than watching this.
prediction: triple play
I hate this season.
Wow Kennedy continues to get unlucky. Bloop single on a ball, hit batter with 2 strikes and the ump is squeezing him again.
Let’s watch the Rays execute how to score a runner from third…someone TIVO it so the Yankees can watch it later.
its ok ian now double play your out of the inning
noodle-arms, throw to home was comical there, i cant imagine why they let it go through.
wow
ump = chump
At least I’m not going to ruin another night watching this POS team.
Kenndy will never win a game this season.
Why is Kennedy starting over Rasner?? Thats crazy. Rasner has done everything right and Kennedy has done everything wrong!
2-0???
Why doesnt Damon just underhand it in. Seriously a girl can throw harder than he does. Not one that throws good either.
Get Pena here and we’ll only lose 2-0.
I really wish Carl Crawford hadn’t signed that long-term deal with the Rays – he is a really good player.
wow, now i know why i don’t bother with game threads at home. see you all tomorrow. the sane folks at least.
ok, a few ppl were panicing there but THIS hitter right here, really could be the game. c’mon ian, keep it together!
Gotta love every count starting at 2-0
And he goes 2-0….
Tribe wins again I see
That throw by Damon is as bad a throw as I have ever seen a major league Of make.
He’s now in another one of 1-15 funks. If you are going to go with young pitching, you can’t sacrifice defense.
At this point, like Giambi, if Johnny Damon can’t hit .300 he has no value to this team.
He can’t run anymore, his defense is awful and like Giambi, is prone to deep funks at the plate.
Brett Gardner needs to get on a hot streak and get ready.
They can’t afford to keep Damon in LF all season.
Ten good days, which is all he has had this year, is not enough to be a functional everyday player.
Anyone see that play where Manny cut off Damon’s thrown at Fenway a couple years ago in left-center?
If you get a chance to see it again, watch the throw Damon makes. It’s no wonder why Manny cut it off.
If he had let it go, I don’t think it would have even rolled to the infield dirt.
Oay, all things considered, that could have been a lot worse Now, if we just had something that remotely resembled an offense…
Nice K there Ian. Not get the kid some freakin runs.
Nice K there Ian. Not get the kid some freakin runs.
Yanks getting 2 runs is like trying to squeeze blood out of an onion
nice recovery right there, now we need some run support, LETS GO!!!!!!!
good job by kennedy getting out with limited damage
Kennedy actually did a good job getting out of that inning.
If he had a competent LF, the runner gets held up at third base.
It was a catcher running and that wasn’t even a deep flyball.
that wasnt bad. games like this will only help kennedy
I only count 8 good days Damon has had lol
Insofar as IPK is concerned, gotta call that inning a success. He worked into and then out of a jam, and a run scored solely because Damon is in left, as opposed to, say, a high schooler.
I figured IPK was going to do his 4th inning implosion in the 3rd tonight. But he worked out of it.
People wonder why Boston didn’t sign Damon to 4yrs and the Yanks did.
I think Ian’s gonna be fine. Bases loaded, no outs could have been (would have been) a disaster but he got out of it.
Now let’s get the bats going.
You know what is really awesome? Waiting so long in between every one of Kennedy’s pitches. If he is going to just lob the ball and try to paint the corners, at least do it quickly. It gives my anger less time to fester. He looks like a completely different pitcher than he did last season. And personally, if one of our pitchers is going to be lousy, I’d rather it be a guy who can break a pane of glass with his fastball. UGH.
2 runs Prediction guys! He will have 3 shutout innings.
To all hatin on the Yankees. Tigers are accepting applications. We will win this game. It should have stayed 1-0. They could have thrown out that runner with a half decent arm in left.
Not a bad job by Kennedy to get out of the jam but if he wanted any chance of winning tonight he had to hold them to negative runs given the way our offense has been in this series.
Melky Cabrera…the should be new leadoff hitter
I can’t believe that IPK is actually going to raise his 8.37 era.
The way the yanks and the mets are swinging the bat, this is going to be a great weekend… Final scores: 1-0, 0-0, 1-0.
The Ghost of Andy Fox May 15th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Anyone see that play where Manny cut off Damon’s thrown at Fenway a couple years ago in left-center?
If you get a chance to see it again, watch the throw Damon makes. It’s no wonder why Manny cut it off.
If he had let it go, I don’t think it would have even rolled to the infield dirt.
There you go:
http://video.google.com/videop.....#038;hl=en
Yankee Fan in Boston – where in Boston?
come on jeter
Yankee Fans!!!
I found an awesome website for any yankee fan, they sell life size wall decals, they are the best! I have a A-Rob and a yankee logo up in my game room they make the perfect addition
http://www.fathead.com
I’m still chuckling about Damon’s “throw.” Hee-hee.
albany, very good observation, i was just noticing that myself, he used to work really fast, keeping the ‘d’ on thier feet and just generally giving the impression that he was in charge. now he’s working soooooooo slooooooow!
“Brett Gardner needs to get on a hot streak and get ready.”
True – he has to put some pressure on the organization to make a decision against long odds just like Joba and Phil did last year.
The easy thing for the brass to do is just keep Damon and his $13M in the lineup until he performs better. If Gardner doesn’t play well enough to get noticed that is the way it is going to be.
He he he. I was just about to tell everyone that Kazmir was pitching a no hitter, and voila!
I hope this hasn’t been a forum full of negativity. I will say I was very big on not wanting Kennedy back up yet, but I will say that he did a good job getting out of that inning with just one run. I heard most of it in the car.
I heard John Sterling saying he was surprised that Madden didn’t have the people on base running and I laughed to myself sardonically thinking, obviously he’s not afraid of having to score runs against the Yanks.
SJ44 –
How about a quick run down on our options re: Damon.
Play GM for 2 minutes…
you cant dump on damon about his arm now, that was well documented even before the sox signed him, hell, i remember when i lived in missouri and the royals announcers would say that he had no arm. that was 10+ yrs ago!
Yankees caught a break…Melky got picked off at first and the 1B ump called him safe.
come on jason get him in
Jeter tried his best to GIDP there.
Home field advantage call for the Yanks!
drive this run in giambi, please god
This is the one. Giambi RBI
Ham Fighter,
Last year, he seemed to attack the zone as much as you can with an 89-mph fastball. This year, he’s so deliberate and looks like he’s trying to drop pitches across a fraction of the plate. Almost like he’s afraid of contact. It is driving me nuts. And I can do without the homage to Mussina by leaning over before every pitch. It is just wasting more of my time. Get the ball back, agree on a pitch and throw it.
G is going to go yard…
…one of these innings.
Take the walk, JG
Melky will be stranded at second.
Who wants to hire a sniper to take our Giambi?
How much does a sniper run these days? I’m talking a professional here.
Man in scoring position with less than 2 outs. And the Yankees manage to pop a ball straight up in the infield (Giambi on this occasion). I wish you could gamble on this stuff. I’d be making money hand over fist right now.
What a job by giambi, BOOOOOOOOOOOO….
what???? was that 3-0 count or 3-1????
The only way Jason is driving in a run is if he hits it out. And unless Byrd or Timlin is pitching, that isn’t happening.
Oops Jason missed.
If hitting the ball hard foul was the object of this game, Shelley would be Babe Ruth.
Well it is good to see that order is restored and the Yankees.500 still can’t hit. Freakin nuts.
Kennedy, though is looking much better. Liked the results of the last inning… 1 run is good.
For God’s sake. This is real annoying.
staying late at my internship is bad, making me “watch” the yanks lose to the rays is even worse, but the icing on the cake is how much i hate espn gamecast, i’m inspired to buy mlb tv
Between the Mets and the Yankees, I wonder if you could piece together an offense that could score 4 runs a game in my office softball leage. I’m sure everything will be OK and turn around, but this is getting ridiculous. Yankees announcers are now treating any ball that Giambi hits into the shift as a good thing. “If Iwamura weren’t there, Jason would have had another hit!”. A-Rod and Jorge can’t get back soon enough.
“I can do without the homage to Mussina by leaning over before every pitch.”
I know Moose took Hughes and Kennedy under his belt. But thats going over board. Making him pitch in the stretch like him.
g love, no if hitting the ball foul was the object of the game, GARY SHEFFIELD would be babe ruth.
can the yanks score? or am i just asking for to much
I know it’s early and I have been trying to stay quiet, but I am about done with Damon and Giambi…they are obviously at points in their careers where they can not carry a team any longer. There is just way to much pressure on them right now. Oh well, we have to weather this storm.
Cmon IPK take care of those “stupid” Rays…
Put Shelley Duncan up there as another bum all you people love just like Ohlendorf
Kennedy and Hughes should have at least 2 wins combined. If this team had any offense. They did pitch decently in a few games and it ended up being loses because no one is hitting.
“Who wants to hire a sniper to take our Giambi?”
Ill chip in.
It’s worse than you think. Kennedy came to the Bronx that way. It’s too late. I know there are comparisons to the way he and Moose pitch in terms of being control pitchers, but I also agree is pretty overboard to have to do the deep bend before each pitch.
Consider this post a vote for “Igawa’s Buck Teeth” as best blog handle to date.
Can someone let me in on why Mat and Bobby arent in the line up when A-rod and posada are hurt. The line up is a joke to start with. No it looks like the swb line up
chuck: If you hate ESPN Gamecast so much, why don’t you use MLB Gameday? I think it’s pretty good:
http://www.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/
S.o.S.27(bandwagoner since 86) May 15th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
“I can do without the homage to Mussina by leaning over before every pitch.â€
I know Moose took Hughes and Kennedy under his belt. But thats going over board. Making him pitch in the stretch like him.
Kennedy did that way before the Moose took him “under his wing”…
comeon ipk, get out eva longoria’s not as attractive twin brother
HEY!
mko,
thank you, my spritis are lifted…if only we could score a run
I said that we’d get to kazmir in this game EVENTUALLY. Keep you shirt on!
I wonder if Mussina makes IPK do the crossword puzzle in pen too!
Bryan, I actually like Ohlendorf. At least he throws hard. These soft-tossers are maddening to watch.
IPK just struck out Longoria on an 85-mph fastball right down Broadway. Considering that Kennedy has no real out pitch, what the heck was Longoria looking for there?
the good news is kazmir at 65 pitches after 4… get him out in 6 would help……..
what can you do; duncan hit it hard, jeter and damon also hit it hard..
tampa got a run off a bloop single to start the rally, that is baseball…
just have tough long AB’s against Kazmir…
How is that going to happen trisha? That would mean the yankees would have to score and well thats not happening.
What is Duncan and Molina’s avg’s? They are horrible
Ghost,
Only thing to hope for is a 10 game hot streak from Gardner.
The only way they even consider moving off Damon is to have a guy in house to replace him. The only guy close is Gardner.
He needs a hot streak.
My belief is, like Giambi, Damon is pretty much a shot player.
He will have his hot streaks but, by and large, his days of being an impact player (like Giambi) are over.
Brett Gardner can hit .240 in the majors and it would be a “harder” .240 than Damon because he can run and is better defensively.
However, he’s not going to get the shot to do that unless he gets hot again at AAA.
If you recall, Melky got his second shot because he was tearing up AAA. That’s what Gardner has to do to get his shot.
I believe it will happen this season. Maybe not now but, he will get a shot this season.
Like Giambi, there is no way this team can stay with Damon all season. There just isn’t enough left to his game to make the type of daily contribution the Yankees need.
Kennedy has pitched pretty well. When you have to be perfect (because of no offense and putting out a poor defensive team today) its tough.
Pretty tough to ask a rookie pitcher to pitch a shutout against Scott Kazmir just to give your team a chance to win.
In fact, its damn unfair.
ugh.
unreal
I think I have to go read that Pittsburgh Post Gazette story again. . .
well he was pitching good
to Igawas’s buck teeth.. abreu is terrible against tough lefties(ie he bails) and I assume the same for Matsui..
I am sure being the genius you are you disagree so I suggest you spend about $1.3 bill to buy the Yanks..
Riggins is killing them… the 8th or 9th hitter …
same old Kennedy..
Check please.
I can’t believe I stopped writing today early to watch this dreck.
I still say we’ll get to Kazmir.
However, perhaps I have to retract my vote of confidence about Ian coming back to the majors…
Maybe Longoria was shocked to see a strike.
4-0 now. Only a matter of time before IPK hung another meatball. Send him back to Scranton and let him dominate there. Then, trade him before exposing his lack of major league-ready stuff anymore.
Well, spoke to soon. He hung a change and that’s the ballgame.
The #5 starter continues to be a black hole for the Yankees.
Steven White, get ready. You are next up in the search for a 5th starter.
What the f….???
Backup catcher Riggans stood there and admired the HR. M&tMD should bash him.
Good game by Kennedy, no more.
Ian Kennedy, our saviour…4-0 now that definately is the game…good luck against Santana which we should have gotten for Kennedy the bum
Shawn Riggans now 4 for 6 lifetime vs Kennedy with 1 HR and 5 RBI.
i really thought we were gonna make it out of that inning unscathed after the longoria K
Yankee Trivia Question:
What one-time Yankee prospect hit one of the longest homeruns in NYY Stadium history, clubbing one into the left-center field bleachers in the mind 1990s, against the Yanks?
IPK should be more like Moose. Don’t give up so many homers. Do crossword puzzles.
I know, I know, U$C isn’t Stanfurd, but still. Be more like the Moose. It’s ok.
is anyone else sick of Kennedy yet? Cant we just bring some1 up who will throw strikes and give us a chance. I mean 4 runs right now is like 100
Who the he****** is Riggans? GEES
So they wanted Kennedy to pitch better and throw strikes. Looks like it is working. Hopefully this will be a great foundation for Kennedy…
But, what happens when they want the offense to produce? All those “it’s a long season” vets who are over the hill will continue to stink up the place.
Now that it is 4-0, ballgame over. Was a nice 1 game winning streak.
Just an embarassment.
…….
Wow, Ian Kennedy sucks.
Steve White anyone?
There is at least one inning every game where a Yankees starter has two outs and no one on and then a crooked number goes up on the board.
Singleton thinks the Rays are picking up Kennedy’s pitches. They’re getting hits on balls outside the strike zone.
Where is my team? Why can’t they play like the Rays?
awesome
dont put this all on kennedy. offense has 1 hit so far.
“What one-time Yankee prospect hit one of the longest homeruns in NYY Stadium history, clubbing one into the left-center field bleachers in the mind 1990s, against the Yanks?”
Hensley “Bam bam” Meulens?
I will force this team to win!!!
WOW…4 run gap now looks like 4 runs in a soccer game…is the churrent problem hitting or pitching?
the darrell rasner yankees jersey is looking pretty enticing right now
I just tuned in. First batter homers? Now a shutout?
And Rays take 3 out of 4. I don’t blame Hank for being furious. I’m too embarrassed to even wear my Yankee hat these days.
can someone explain me why the yankees pitchers are having so much trouble with the TB lineup? most of the hitters should be in AAA.
BTW kennedy is pitching well, he is throwing strikes and made 2 bad pitches ( haven’t we heard of this excuse…> ha)
Why would you zero in on Duncan and Molina? NOBODY’S been putting great wood on the ball. You catcher typically is not an offensive threat, Jorge and Pudge excluded. How many players who don’t get in the game very much hit like the Babe?
Did you expect Duncan to show up and carry the team?
Im not trying to kick the kid when he is down but i just dont see anything stuff wise that would make me think he is a ML pitcher. And as for Hughes untill he learns a 3rd and 4th pitch he wont ever be anything great
I will kidnap Santana tomorrow and give them Kennedy, Damon, Hughes, Ensberg, Molina, and Giambi…
‘SJ, Play GM for 2 minutes…’
be patient, cash knows what he’s doing…. there is a plan…thats not the way the game is played…(game has started and yanks are losing)we will NEVER score again…big changes need to be made… thats not the way the game is played…this game is over…blah, blah, blah…
Someone should get the ball from Melky’s hit and put it in a presentation case and give it to Kevin Long… as a goodbye gift…
BTW, Dan McCutchen was not called up to AAA. George King’s report in the Post was incorrect.
When we lose today, will we be in last place?
Steve Balboni – nope…try again.
“What one-time Yankee prospect hit one of the longest homeruns in NYY Stadium history, clubbing one into the left-center field bleachers in the mind 1990s, against the Yanks?â€
Hensley “Bam bam†Meulens?
To be honest, I’d rather be losing 4-0 with a kid on the mound who can put a little mustard on the ball. Watching IPK pitch gives me no hope. With guys who pitch like he does, smart hitters just wait until he hangs something (which he just did). He doesn’t throw hard enough or aggressively enough to be successful right now. I can’t wait until the rotation is Sabbathia, Wang, Chamberlain, Hughes and Brackman with guys like Sanchez and Melancon coming out of the bullpen. Guys who can throw bullets and control them (kinda like Kyle Farnsworth of the last few weeks).
I knew all along they should have traded this guy when his stock was high last year
have fun back in the minors
“Wow, Ian Kennedy sucks.”
noooo!1 dont hatez me. i dont wanna pitch in the majow weagues anymowe. just send me back down to scwanton and i wont give up mowe than two hits evew. and they nevew be home wuns eithew just bloops and infield hits. i pwomise!!1 does bwian cashman wead this bwog??
I refuse to trash Kennedy. I was absolutely dead set against him being brought back up after one game, despite his great pitching and slight bravado after one game down below.
It is what it is. I’ll leave it to the rest of you who were nutso about bringing him back to make any comments you’d like to.
The over/under line is set at 100 for the number of times Giambi will hit a groundball into the shift the rest of the season.
The over/ under line is set at 2 for the amount of starts Kennedy will get before being sent to AAA again.
You can hang this on Kennedy.
Obviously no one expects a shutout out of Kennedy, but he is facing the Rays ace, who you have to expect will give up at the most two runs. Kennedy is now 0 for 6 in trying to achieve a quality start.
OK, I am getting ready for my double date tonight with my dad, I will be back later
A-Hole + Troll = SJ44
Nice job by Ensberg.
those horns are REALLY annoying if yall can hear them…
We got a runner at 2b!
I would have traded him, but Cash and my dad said no
Singleton just asked if maybe the Rays were picking up Kennedy’s pitches. Are you kidding, Kenny? I could be in the stands shouting “Here comes another 85 mph “fast”ball that’ll be just off the plate!!!!!!!!!”. Doesn’t mean I’ve noticed that IPK is tipping his pitches. Cripes. And Leiter just said Kennedy is pitching well. That is hogwash. That is something Rangers announcers should say when their squad is down 4-0 after 4.
“I know Moose took Hughes and Kennedy under his belt. But thats going over board. Making him pitch in the stretch like him.”
Kennedy has been pitching from the stretch like that long before he ever pitched in the bigs.
GIDP?
Aflac Trivia Answer (thanks to Steve Balboni for playing)
“What one-time Yankee prospect hit one of the longest homeruns in NYY Stadium history, clubbing one into the left-center field bleachers in the mind 1990s, against the Yanks?â€
Jay Buhner (Mariners)
twollz! LOOOL! i got twollz undew my bed. i gotta put wotten meat undew thewe evewy night so they dont eat me.
Odds of a DP by Molina?
Hank S, might be time to start dating outside your family, unless you live in West Virginia.
Kazmir is behind in the count on every hitter and the yankees batters always find a way to get out… this sucks,
I can’t take it anymore I don’t think A-rod will be the hero when he comes back as we all know that he MELTS when the pressure is on!
Neil – very high
“Angie” Molina GIDP?
Okay, we get a blast and it’s 4-3…
We get a single and we can score a run…
We get a K, we get a K.
JUST NO DP PLEASE!!!
My money is on a DP by Molina…who’s with me?
Better hurry up, it’s not gonna be a lot of pitches in the AB.
Molina looks exhausted.
When Chipper is batting at a higher average than your 4th and 5th hitters combined, you’re in trouble.
2 men on and 1 out. This NEVER ends well for the Yankees.
“I will kidnap Santana tomorrow and give them Kennedy, Damon, Hughes, Ensberg, Molina, and Giambi…”
You forgot Igawa.
Here comes the DP from our slim catcher
Pete,
Yes, Kennedy is more competitive than Igawa. Then again, so is just about everyone who plays any form of baseball.
The problem is, he isn’t ready to pitch in the major leagues. He’s a kid who needs more than just 40 AAA innings. The inexperience, especially the second time around an order, is glaring.
I get the fact the Yankees are desperate for a 5th starter right now. But, Kennedy is not the guy.
All they are doing is hurting his development. Especially when you put a defensive team out there (in LF and RF) that is an embarrassment.
He needs to pitch every 5th day in AAA if they are interested in developing him. If they just want to throw him to the wolves, which is all they are doing now, he won’t make it.
Its time to give Steven White his shot. He’s older, more experienced and keeps the ball down in the zone.
I’d rather see Kennedy spend the rest of the year in AAA working on his game than getting whacked around at the major league level.
I don’t see the value in doing that for him or the team right now.
Is it legal for Molina to stick his leg out and let the ball hit it?
That way, we get bases loaded, where maybe we can squeeze Ensberg home and he can level Riggans.
I’m not going to trash Kennedy but I will say I wouldn’t be surprised down the road if he’s traded. They’re are other guys (A.Horne) with higher upside then him.
I feel bad for him though.
This is so ridiculous. Give Kennedy a break. The kid is afraid to make a mistake because the offense isn’t scoring runs.
If you want this team to get younger and build a stable of young talent over the next 5 – 7 years, you can’t give up on a kid that has had a bad month or a bad start.
Get real. This youth movement can’t happen overnight.
Neil,
Actually, you’re wrong about Kennedy and a lack of a quality start. He did have a quality start (and should have picked up a win) against these same Rays earlier in the season (6 IP, 3 ER).
Well, at least they got a guy to third in this inning. And wow, BJ Upton has a strong arm. Made that throw look effortless.
Detroit lost again. But at least it wasn’t a one-hit shutout like this one.
Well, good job Molina, got the runner to 3rd
come on Damon!
Triple by Damon…
I think I’ll just stop calling them.
Guiseppe Franco,
Why do people keep going to your salon for the Proceed applications at $450 if they can just buy it on television for $20? I must have an answer to the question.
what is gonzo doing at 1st? he didnt throw to the cut-off man, gonzo’s gotta be moving up on that!
I almost got excited and peed my pants that inning,,, a run 90 feet away
Man!!! this team sucks.
Guiseppe- You’re right, my mistake. I read it quickly as 5 IP, 3 ER on his game log. Thanks for the correction.
The only chance of Damon hitting a triple is if somehow he is also in the outfield, fielding the ball he just hit.
Odds of Damon breaking his bat on a grounder to short…
Watch sucky Damon strike out… God this offense is just awful.
Did Damon homer?
Nice to see the trolls out today. Also nice to see they are so gutsy they need to change their blog names to rip me.
Always enjoyable to see gutless twerps play games in the blog.
Too bad they feel they need to change their blog names to do it.
Another powerful AB by Damon. Now 1-16 in his latest slide.
“I knew all along they should have traded this guy when his stock was high last year”
It’s incredible how impatient Yankee fans are. I guess everyone who comes to majors has to be a Cy Young candidate when they play for the Yankees.
Damon needs to get in touch with his bat supplier and change the wood to ash or maple from his current choice, balsa.
IPK eats it.
OK, night all, I am exhausted. This Rays team should play like the Yanks
Is there something…anything we can do for something that remotely resembles an offense?
Please?
It’s like slow torture, sometimes.
I mean, I know Kazmir’s good, but right now, half of the bats just look dead. Heck, we’re getting one hit. That says a lot.
hank s –
No, he didn’t, but you still owe him $80,246 for today’s game.
if ian can go 6 and keep it at 4 runs, that would be a decent outing for him. he cant worry about matching kazmir, he just needs to try to settle down and keep it where it is.
I told you, we will never score a run again.
Albany – you’re killing me. Losing definately ups the giggle factor.
IPK is not the answer, this should be obvious. One super outing in the minors after getting torched in the show,,,then right back to getting torched in the show ? Come on now, wake up and be a little realistic. Igawa is NOT the answer….SO my vote is that we bring up ANYONE off of Pete’s List :
J.B. Cox (AAA)
Mark Melancon (AA)
Dan McCutchen (AAA)
Alan Horne (AAA)
David Robertson (AAA)
Steven White (AAA)
Chase Wright (AA)
Dan Giese (AAA)
.
Whatever moves need to be made, it is OBVIOUS that IGAWA and IPK don’t have it this year. We don’t need 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 more starts to know this….it is as plain as day….I am with Pete, in that Giese deserves a shot. This will be temporary until Joba hits the rotation and the mighty: WANG / ANDY / JOBA / MOOSE / RASNER ( or OTHER superstar AA or AAA pitcher ) ….this mighty rotation takes hold. ( OK, start throwing rotten fruit at me now ! ) …
I think we should start accepting the fact that the Yanks will be swept by the Mets and the Orioles.
Watching Damon in boxscores should be incentive enough for Brett Gardner to realize that he needs to make his surge in the next few weeks.
It’s up to Cashman to find a suitor for Damon by the 7/31 trading deadline.
I feel like I’m watching the Bad News Bears where after the team gets shut out, Ogilve breaks down the positives of the game and tells the team they hit a few foul balls hard as the most positive thing that happened.
This team needs Kelly Leak aka Barry Bonds.
Seriously, you saw what happened to the Bad News Bears when they signed the baddest kid in elementary school.
We also Tatum O’Neil to pitch. She’s not acting much, I bet she’s availabe.
this is the worst yankee offense in the past 20 yrs, santana is going to pitch a perfect game with 20k’s against these scrubs
Is it me, or does Akinori Iwamura looks like one of the Flying Iwamura Brothers of Okinawa?
To be fair, Damon has been robbed twice today and could have two hits.
Longoria robbed him of a hit in the 1st and Upton ran a ball down in CF.
this season so far is the most embarrassing team showing/effort i’ve seen in a long time. Worse than last year even tho the records better. I’m depressed. Especially the last 2 weeks. Extra especially for the last 4 games. I mean their probably gonna score 4 runs in 4 games… 4 RUNS SHOULD BE A LOW FOR THIS TEAM IN 1 GAME!!!! UGHHH…
Gee, I wonder if IPK woke up this morning and thought ” Boy, am I going to make the Yankees look stupid for trusting me today !” ???
Someone needs to tell the Stat King Girardi that pitchers that have ERAs that approach and surpass 9.00 – 10.00 range are NO GOOD ! NEXT !!!
Okay –
Just got in. Not good. But I’m noticing some posts saying poor defense behind Kennedy. What happened – misplayed balls or just not being where they should be or not getting to where they needed to be?
How sad it is that this team really, REALLY, cannot hit right now.
Still some time left in the game. I won’t give up (yet).
just look at the averages in that box score, my gawdddd, it puts you to sleep
Interesting to see that the Yankees had Shelly Duncan on the warning track in right centerfield when Iwamura was up. That helped turn the single into a double.
5-0 now. This is absurd.
What will happen first?
Ian Kennedy wins a game
Jose Molina hits a home run
Derek Jeter steals a base
Bobby Abreu hits the wall for a catch
Johnny Damon gets an outfield assist
Jason Giambi hits a ground ball to an open left side
Rebecca,
Half the bats are dead because half the lineup are non-hitters.
Ensberg, Gonzalez, Duncan, Giambi and Molina are non-hitters. Add to that Damon’s latest slide and Cano being lost for most of the season, that’s doesn’t leave a lot of offense remaining in the lineup.
As far as Kennedy is concerned, he’s in the unfortunate position to have to learn on the job and do it with a shell of a team. Its really unfair to him.
He’s not a bust. He’s just not ready to be a contributing member of the rotation right now.
Its why I hope they don’t make the mistake of forcing him onto the rotation. Its not good for his development, IMO.
gone are the days of bronx bombers. 5 runs? maybe well score 5 by next week. on the plus side, ipk looks better than igawa
Doreen I’m not giving up either but I do admit that I feel like puking when one of our starters gives up 5 runs (especially when it’s a starter I REALLY wasn’t ready to seen again quite so soon…)
nice poll neil. i gotta go with a jeter steal
I think its safe to say there won’t be any October baseball in New York City this year.
It’s ok, there’s a clear formula to win this game:
1) no more runs for the Rays
2) 1.5 runs per inning for the Yanks to tie it up
3) 1 or more runs in extra innings or in regulation if they want to exceed the 1.5 runs per inning in the 6th-9th innings.
I’m no Moose-like genius, but I think this formula can work.
I wonder if Brett Gardner’s troubles are rooted in the fact that he is trying to hit for more power this year. I’d rather he be more Willie “Mays” Hayes than Willie Mays. Hit singles and turn them into doubles and triples.
Is it possible that Johnny Damon got this far and no one told him that he is actually right-handed? Because he and I have the exact same left-handed throwing motion.
“We also Tatum O’Neil to pitch.”
Are you trying to say that we need Damon to pitch? Maybe thats his calling. Great idea!!
“Its why I hope they don’t make the mistake of forcing him onto the rotation. Its not good for his development, IMO.”
It’s not good for the YANKEES development. Or ours either. He’s third on my list of concerns, trust me.
Neil- It will never happen.
neil you really posted some great, yet frankly disgusting questions
im gonna say jeter stealing, which shouldn’t be hard to do at all, but hasn’t happened yet.
my question is which is LEAST likely to happen first, aka last.
I’de say abreu hitting the wall cuz it really is a huge problem with him. he sprints to the ball then slows down 1 or 2 seconds before it drops. HE WONT COMMIT.
yankees don’t need a 5th starter again until 5/24 and then 6/3. I would not be surprised to see Kennedy sent down again after the game and someone else called up for a one game audition on the 24th. Kennedy would get a few starts at AAA and could be back in 3 weeks if he is the best option.
I think open auditions in the 5th spot should be the way to go until someone claims the job or Hughes gets back. With 4 good starters we have that luxury. Don’t take it personal IPK.
“I think its safe to say there won’t be any October baseball in New York City this year.”
Well at least you know you won’t have to waste your summer away watching a non-playoff baseball team.
It’s amazing that the Yankees have lost only 2 more games than the Red Sox who have had their full complement of players for the entire year and people here are really saying that the season is over.
Someone called for a 7-5 score, Yankees.
Well I’m happy to go with that. So the Rays can’t score another run and we have to hope that this game is extended about 7 innings!
Anyone taking bets on the number of runs scored this weekend during the subway series? I am betting -4 for the Yanks, -3 for the Mets.
Quite sad. There won’t be even one Yankee on the All-Star team this year. What a depressing ending it has been for a great Stadium.
mmm. one wun one inning. keep my era awound 9 so they cant keep me up hewe. scwanton wilkes bawwo hewe I come!! aw maybe bwian will twade me for gweg maddox. he coulda twaded me and phiw fow santana, so he can pwobaby do that. the nationaw weague is wike the minow weagues anyway so I can thwow two hit shutouts evewy day and stiww be a big weague pitchew!! yay!
Neil I’m going to guess Jeter steals a base. The bottom 3 will definitely not happen.
1B: Giambi or Pena? Pena
2B: Cano or Iwamura? Cano
SS: Jeter or Bartlett: Jeter
3B: Rodriguez or Longoria? Rodriguez
C: Posada or Navarro? Posada
LF: Crawford or Damon: Crawford
CF: Upton or Cabrera: Upton
RF: Abreu or Hinske/Gomes? Abreu
DH: Matsui or Floyd? Matsui
That’s a pretty good lineup, Pete. I disagree with you on the Cabrera/Upton one though. Gotta go with the Melkman.
Jeter is still nursing a quad injury. Don’t expect to see him steal soon…
Jeter can end the poll here with a SB
Folks i know we’re all pissed and some of us are just having fun. But last year we started off the year at 11-19. Its going to get better come next week.
WOW!!! captin clutch… BOOOOOOOOOOO BOOOOOOOOO……. I HATE THIS TEAM!!!
I think its a little early to predict the rest of the baseball season in May. Haven’t we learned anything from last season?
They were worse last year AND worse off at this time last year.
Arod comes back next week and that’s a step in the right direction.
They are WELL within striking distance this year. That’s what’s so funny about this season so far.
No matter how badly they play, they still stay close.
After Arod comes back, you have wait on Posada and hope Brett Gardner gets hot enough to put pressure on the Yankees to call him up and put him in LF.
If Hank wants his team to “play more like the Rays”, then it may be time to call up the only kid who on their AAA or major league roster who plays like a Rays player.
“It’s amazing that the Yankees have lost only 2 more games than the Red Sox who have had their full complement of players for the entire year and people here are really saying that the season is over.”
I don’t think that the season is over. But this team has shown me nothing to inspire confidence in them winning more than 80 games.
Giambi might hit on the Interstate, but at least he still has a good eye
So maybe we’ll get all our runs off Glover…
can’t understand girardi sitting matsui….he must not like him very much
UPDATE, 5:28 p.m.: Here’s an interesting question, which roster would you want, Yankees or Rays?
1B: Giambi or Pena? Pena
2B: Cano or Iwamura? Cano
SS: Jeter or Bartlett: Jeter
3B: Rodriguez or Longoria? Rodriguez
C: Posada or Navarro? Posada
LF: Crawford or Damon: Crawford
CF: Upton or Cabrera: Upton
RF: Abreu or Hinske/Gomes? Abreu
DH: Matsui or Floyd? Matsui
Pete takes 6 of 9 Yankees. How can you not take Iwamura over Cano?
“1B: Giambi or Pena? Pena
2B: Cano or Iwamura? Cano
SS: Jeter or Bartlett: Jeter
3B: Rodriguez or Longoria? Rodriguez
C: Posada or Navarro? Posada
LF: Crawford or Damon: Crawford
CF: Upton or Cabrera: Upton
RF: Abreu or Hinske/Gomes? Abreu
DH: Matsui or Floyd? Matsui”
So in other words when the Yankees have their full complement of players they actually have a better lineup than the Rays? Who woulda thunk it?!?!?
Ian, I guess you made “them” look stupid again.
i still cant believe ensberg is their #6 hitter today. shock and awe.
“Pete takes 6 of 9 Yankees. How can you not take Iwamura over Cano?”
Because Cano’s history > Iwamura’s history?
“It’s amazing that the Yankees have lost only 2 more games than the Red Sox who have had their full complement of players for the entire year and people here are really saying that the season is over.”
A team this old is going to have injuries all year and will never be at 100%.
he return of Posada and Arod wont’ add 4 runs a game.
And they have had their starting pitching all year long at it has been terrible, apart from Wang.
40% of this rotation is about to be a combination of Kennedy, Rasner, Igawa, Wright and whatever else they can get off the scrap heap.
This is a .500 team. Just like the Mets.
lolz. i just told andy that i dont think jason is on stewoids any mowe. i just gotta funny feewing he stopped takin them. andy wooked at me kinda stwange tho when i said that.
1B: Giambi or Pena? Pena
2B: Cano or Iwamura? Cano
SS: Jeter or Bartlett: Jeter
3B: Rodriguez or Longoria? Rodriguez
C: Posada or Navarro? Posada
LF: Crawford or Damon: Crawford
CF: Upton or Cabrera: Upton
RF: Abreu or Hinske/Gomes? Abreu
DH: Matsui or Floyd? Matsui
Crawford is my favorite non-Yankee. I would love to see him on the Yankees sooner rather than later when he is done (like the guy in left field tonight).
Trisha, if Jeter is still injured, he’s not doing anyone any favor by playing hurt. He needs to sit out, get better and let Gonzo play SS. It’s not like Jeter has scored 2 runs per game that we would miss.
Let’s be real. The small sample size of Kennedy in late ’07 was nothing short of a mirage – plain and simple.
He was virtually handed a rotation spot out of spring training and imagined that he was held in high esteem.
There’s no question that he found nothing about himself in the short stint at AAA.
Sending him back down now either makes him try harder, sulk, or show that he didn’t come as advertised to begin with.
Up to now he doesn’t show that he’s a battler and would be well advised to watch how Darrell Rasner worked his way up like a true professional.
“I don’t think that the season is over. But this team has shown me nothing to inspire confidence in them winning more than 80 games.”
Rodriguez and Posada have played roughly half of the season. How good would the Mets look right now if Wright and Reyes missed half of the season so far? How bout you take Ortiz and Manny off of the Red Sox?
Any team is going to look horrible offensively when you take out 2 of their top 3 offensive players.
2 more runners left on base. Too bad you don’t get points for that!
“Ian, I guess you made “them†look stupid again.”
naaa, pavano n igawa aweady did that. lollz
gotta go give up some mowe wuns
sos i know where ur coming from but we said that last week and the week before that. I am 99% confident they will come back and make the playoffs as a wild-card, but for right now, its so frustrating being so excited for the yankee game to come on, then watch a team with no energy play. but your right it will change, just no one knows when
“Because Cano’s history > Iwamura’s history?”
This season is the other way around. Cano is in a major funk and Iwamuru just saw a long hitting streak broken yesterday. And Iwamuru is hitting when it counts including a game-winning HR to beat Boston.
**Shaking head**. If I’m Joe Girardi, I ask ownership (not Cashman, ownership because its an ownership decision), for one thing. “Please get Jason Giambi off my team”.
The money they owe Giambi forces Girardi to have to play him. That’s the business reality of baseball. But, playing him KILLS his lineup. It really does.
This team has to find a way to rid itself of Giambi and Damon. Two guys, past their primes, who do nothing to help this team win on a daily basis.
35 million dollars tied up in two players who are from a past era of baseball. They don’t fit on this team anymore or where baseball is going today.
Hank can have all the fits he wants. If he’s interested in improving the team, he’s gonna have to eat some money to do so.
Dee I agree. But you know Jeter. Unless they take him off the field on a stretcher, he’ll insist he’s fine.
Glenn – Good news is that Karstens has been throwing and said he thought he’d be ready for the majors by next week! (I swear I didn’t dream that.)
COME BACK JEFF!!! PLEEEEEEEASE!!!
“A team this old is going to have injuries all year and will never be at 100%.
he return of Posada and Arod wont’ add 4 runs a game.
And they have had their starting pitching all year long at it has been terrible, apart from Wang.
40% of this rotation is about to be a combination of Kennedy, Rasner, Igawa, Wright and whatever else they can get off the scrap heap.
This is a .500 team. Just like the Mets.”
As I said, since you know this you don’t have to worry about watching any more games for the rest of the Summer.
The Amber Alert can be lifted…..LaTroy Hawkins has been found!
lol i love watching this team in action… they are just so unpredictable. i mean i wouldve never guessed they would get runners on and not produce runs…
they keep me on my toes!
A-hole + Troll + joker = SJ44
“This season is the other way around. Cano is in a major funk and Iwamuru just saw a long hitting streak broken yesterday. And Iwamuru is hitting when it counts including a game-winning HR to beat Boston.”
This “season” is only 40 games long so far. That’s an awfully small sample size if you ask me.
Maybe Jason can give PEDs one last chance. He could hit bombs again or get suspended 50 games, either way looks to be a win-win situation.
hey, guys, the sox just got swept by the o’s, the tigers just got swept by the royals. no matter what happens here, we are right in the thick of it with only 4 starting pitchers, out 2 best hitters out and the rest slumping like crazy. THIS is the worst part of this season. arod’s coming back tuesday, the schedule gets much easier. Someone is going to step up and grab that #5 spot with both hands and not let go (just like razner is doing) and this team WILL hit. relax, better we look like this now than in mid september!
i say they come back in this game, kazmir is gone.
“1B: Giambi or Pena? Pena
2B: Cano or Iwamura? Cano
SS: Jeter or Bartlett: Jeter
3B: Rodriguez or Longoria? Rodriguez
C: Posada or Navarro? Posada
LF: Crawford or Damon: Crawford
CF: Upton or Cabrera: Upton
RF: Abreu or Hinske/Gomes? Abreu
DH: Matsui or Floyd? Matsui”
Right now objectively I would take Iwamura over Cano, and Gomes over Abreu. But as a fan I’m still rooting for Cano and Bobby to turn it up and I believe they will.
How come no one talks about our hitting coach? maybe he should be the 1st one out of here, he became buddies with all the players and forgot to help them with thier swing….ohhh
Ha.. neil.
lollz twue stowy. i wan out to the mound but joe cawwed me back and said latwoy is pitching instead!! i fewt weawy stupid. but the good news?? i got puwwed fow latwoy hawkins!! heheheh back to the minows i go n anothew shutout!!
your line up choice Pete…
Yep, agreed but that’s not the choice right now.
3b Ensberg/Longoria — Longoria.
…or ANYone else actually… in fact, EVA Longoria. She’s still better than Ensberg.
“As I said, since you know this you don’t have to worry about watching any more games for the rest of the Summer.”
Its still baseball. I will watched it regardless of the outcome. I want to be pleasantly surprised but I don’t think that their current state is a mirage.
Dear Hank,
Please walk into Cashman’s office and shout “You stupid, stupid man” over and over again for believing IPK was MLB ready, that Igawa was actually baseball player and that Giambi was the best option for 1b this off season, etc.
Respectfully,
G. Love
steve balboni good point above but you forgot that lowell missed almost a month for the sox.
SJ44 I don’t see Giambi waving his NTC. Cashman has asked him in the pass to do it and he said no. He seems fixated on staying a Yankee until his contract is over.
Like you’re hinting at they are just going to have to DFA Giambi.
At least Damon has said he would wave his NTC.
Disagree with Steve Balboni regards the rotation. Mussina has looked really sharp lately, I hope he has turned the corner regarding his pitching style. Rasner has picked some of the slack and hopefully Andy can get it together. Wang has been outstanding all season. Kennedy simply isn’t ready to pitch at this level.
Pitching isn’t the problem IMO, lack of offense is.
Shephard,
The reason i say next week is Alex is coming back. I know they have been playing bad and lack energy. But if you remember what this team looked like last year in that 11-19 slump. It wasnt pretty. I think Arod was carrying the team at the time. We are only 3 and half games from first. No one is pulling away this year. We have the depth in pitching to make a run. Unlike most teams.
If Damon were a lefthanded pitcher, his fastball might top out at 36 mph on the radar gun.
I’m trying to be even-keeled about this, but I am hoping that I don’t have to hear anybody of the postgame say that Kennedy had a decent outing. Yes he did throw strikes more than he has perhaps. But he still stunk. And I hope he learns to shut up about how he’s going to make everyone look foolish with his pitching. The only one who looked foolish with his pitching was him.
Mostly I hope that he is sent back quickly and Karstens is brought up.
I don’t blame Girardi for giving it a try. They obviously felt thyat he was the only option at this point – DESPITE YOU OTHER MANAGERS THINKING THAT OTHER PITCHERS DOWN THERE SHOULD HAVE COME UP!
But the experiment is over in my book. Karstens is just about ready. He’s pitched in the majors. He’s over 21. Get him up here.
No I am not trashing Ian. Just speaking fact without calling him a ton of bad names. Sometime he may be ready for primetime. It’s not now.
Thank God for LaTroy Hawkins.
Perhaps we should start Hawkins…
about 10 days ago damon was hitting 300 and had an obp of 400, he has some pop, plays a decent left, yes that throw today was abysmal but i think lumping him in with giambi is a stretch – hes in a rut but looking at his career #’s you would think a hot streak is certainly not out of the question
The season definitely ain’t over…last year proves that much. That said this offense isn’t inspriring confidence and if it doesn’t improve, the Yanks have no chance.
It’s gotta be frustrating for a pitcher to go out there and know that there is a high chance of not getting any run support…good luck motivating yourself for that.
Not a good call to bring IPK back so soon but at least a good call not to start him tomorrow in the Bronx. Can you imagine?! The guy will slit his wriest after getting booed so bad you’ll be able to hear all the way from Brooklyn.
Mike Mussina did it last night. And won. Good pitchers pitch like there can’t be any runs allowed.
I’m not sure I would say Kennedy stunk…he wasn’t exceptional and didn’t hold the Rays at zero (which is what you apparently need to do to win these days), but we are talking about 5 runs in 5 innings…not anything like the 9 runs in 2 from before.
Well, at least Ian is better than Igawa.
Ugh. Try that AA pitcher out. Or Riese.
LaTroy Hawkins just struck out the side for the first time since September 11, 2004.
5 runs in 5 innings stinks.
Especially when anyone yammered about his last start in SWB. BFD.
trisha, karstens just threw a simulated game for the 1st time since his hamstring injury, he is probably at least 2 weeks away from being ready for scranton. the yankees can push back the #5 spot till friday i think, but karstens is not going to be ready. so if it’s not igawa and its not kennedy, i guess giese is up next.
Here’s were we come back people! Enough of this lack of run production!
Let’s Go Yanks!
yeah, 5 runs in 5 innings blows…no way else to slice it.
“If Damon were a lefthanded pitcher, his fastball might top out at 36 mph on the radar gun.”
Heck. Teams have problems hitting knucklers. I think they will have even more trouble hitting 36 mph balls that are bounced to the plate. Give him a shot. He might surprise us.
Well this game is very disappointing
so how’s scoring 0 runs in 6 innings? until someone the yankees put up at least 1 run I’m not killing the pitcher. They can keep stranding everyone on base and expect the pitching to always save the day. It’s just not reality.
ham_fighter – geeze I could have sworn Karstens said he would be ready next week! Maybe I did dream it. Maybe he said two weeks.
How about 6 runs in the next 3 innings ???
First and second with one out. Wait, I’ve seen this episode before.
Jax,
That’s what I’m sayin’. Its getting more and more evident they are going to have to seriously consider DFA’ing Giambi.
He has 6 hits this year against Mike Timlin and Paul Byrd. If you take those hits off his numbers, he’s hitting close to .130.
Think about it. The starting first baseman for the NY Yankees is a .130 hitter. Add to it his defense, which is awful, and I just can’t see how he can last on this roster for a full season.
Honestly, I understand more than anybody the finances of the game. However, how much longer can they start a guy who is basically nothing more than a .150 hitter at this stage of his career? I can’t see that happening for the full season.
Giambi’s presence also kills any possible roster flexibility you could come up with to make the team more threatening.
Guys like Damon and Giambi are players of a bygone era. You can read into that whatever you want, but, its plain as day those two guys not adjusting well to the “new baseball” rules.
The Yankees are close enough in the race, and will be all season, for them to tweak on the fly. Nobody is running away with anything in the AL this year. Everybody has problems.
They have a surplus of young pitching that is the envy of many teams. It may be time to begin seeing what packaging a couple of those guys can bring with regard to finding a real first baseman. They need one NOW.
LF? We need Gardner to get hot again. If he’s just average, they won’t pull Damon out of the lineup.
If he gets on the hot streak he was on to start the season, he gives the Yankees something to think about.
Wow Molina actually got a hit.
Where’s Matsui? Resting again?
ok, here we go time to get a few back right here. c’mon damon, shut some ppl up right here.
Since the Yanks failed to score 1.5 runs in the 6th, 3 runs in this inning will get them back on track.
“This team has to find a way to rid itself of Giambi and Damon. Two guys, past their primes, who do nothing to help this team win on a daily basis.”
JD is 3rd in OPS and Jason (still slumping) is 5th. You think these 2 are killing the team?
A 3-run hr would be perfect right about now!
Jose Veras is in the major leagues now? When did I miss that? The roster changes so often that it is getting difficult to keep up.
Damon flies out. 2 outs. Good times.
It’s a lot easier to come back when your pitcher hasn’t given up 5 freakin runs…
I feel my name change will lead to runs
FWIW, I’m wearing my Got Melky? shirt.
DA MELK!
see!!
but, we’ll take a single!!!!
A hit with RISP…everyone go buy a Powerball ticket
BASE HIT! WITH A RUNNER IN SCORING POSITION! PAUL IS DEAD! DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN! I SHOT JR!
Thanks Melky. Getting shut out would have been annoying.
“Quite sad. There won’t be even one Yankee on the All-Star team this year. What a depressing ending it has been for a great Stadium.”
Now the chicken littles have gone too far. Did you forget about ARod? Even if he has a horrific season, Alex is making it to the ASG.
1. I’m believing we can still win this game, strange as it sounds.
2. I don’t want to see IPK’s face again for a real long time. If he’s kept in the rotation, I will catch up on errands on those days.
LOL
Jose Veras has been recalled on May 2…
just woke up to see a two out rally. What’s that?
sj, your 6:10 post is almost a mirror image of what i was saying last week, get rid of giambi and/or matsui, bring up gardner, try for more roster flexibility, get someone who can play 1b and start figuring out which young pitchers to trade.
you dumped all over me about it.
nice to see you come around to my side.
at one point it was 1-0, then 2-0, 4-0 and then 5-0…no one was putting up runs then…
Mariano Rivera and the Wanger will most certainly be on the All-Star team this year. Other than that, the voters are our only hope (A-Rod, Jeter, Posada).
I still think that Ian Kennedy will be a good pitcher for the Yankees, but not yet. I was disappointed when he was sent down, and paradoxically disappointed when he was re-called for this game. I agree with Jeff NJ who said he would not be surprised if he was sent back to SWB after this game, since the Yankees don’t need a #5 for a while, to get some steady work. I’d love to say it was worth the gamble, but it wasn’t. Not for Ian and not for the Yankees. I agree with SJ44 that IPK needs the innings in AAA, even though he made it up the ranks quickly, dominating at each level, because he never really had the time to really perfect himself at the most challenging level before the majors. And given the status of this team this season, he can’t do it here. It will be bad for him and worse for the Yankees (I’m willing to concede vice versa on that).
The Giambi/Damon condundrum is a huge one. They are both hurting the team with their inconsistent performances. They have a hot couple of days to a week (or at least Damon did) and then, nothing. Giambi hamstrings offense and defense. We’ll never know what Duncan can do because he doesn’t really get a chance. You can’t play one day, then not play for a couple of days, then pinch hit, then sit, then maybe play. It’s no way to build – either confidence or performance. Damon can still reach balls in the outfield, but he’s no longer the lead-off hitter the Yankees need. However, I’m not sure that Gardner is going to be the answer, and I’m pretty sure if he gets a shot, he’s not going to have anywhere near the impact a lot of people here are hoping for. It’s sheer desperation on the part of the fans to think that Gardner will get on base up in the major leagues at enough of a clip to be a force. Is his batting eye really good enough? I’m asking – I don’t know. Because his hitting ability is questionable, right?
A lot of questions with this team. A lot. And they are lucky that his season is a really, really, REALLY strange one. Really lucky and really strange. Really.
BTW, I’m at work and following via MLB Gameday. I like it (especially when you can see where the pitches land – that’s awesome) but its kind of annoying when there’s a long pause if someone gets a hit or homerun.
Yes, because those stats are misleading and meaningless.
Damon costs this team defensively every week. He cost them runs today with his putrid play in LF. Also left 5 more guys on base today. So much for his run producing ability.
Offensively? A leadoff guy with barely a .320 OBP, who can’t run, is of no value to the Yankees.
He’s also in another 1-17 funk.
Using team OPS as a basis for value to those guys this year is pretty misleading.
Especially since Jose Molina has played in more games than Posada this year and Arod has been out for weeks.
Giambi? Really, you can’t be serious to think he is still an offensive force. Take out his hits against Timlin and Byrd and tell me how great his OPS is this season.
He’s also a disaster defensively.
The sooner both are off this team is the sooner they can get back to be a more flexible and successful team. Both offensively and defensively.
“sj, your 6:10 post is almost a mirror image of what i was saying last week, get rid of giambi and/or matsui, bring up gardner, try for more roster flexibility, get someone who can play 1b and start figuring out which young pitchers to trade.
you dumped all over me about it.
nice to see you come around to my side.”
get rid of Matsui!?!?!?!! are you watching the games?? he’s the only guy on the team that can hit!
That’s why he’s the Captain!!!!!
Let’s Go Yanks!!!!!
“at one point it was 1-0, then 2-0, 4-0 and then 5-0…no one was putting up runs then…”
Decent pitchers don’t continually put their team in a hole. But then nobody with half a brain has contended that Kennedy is a decent pitcher.
DERRICK JETER…..DERICK JETER…..DERRICK JETER…..!
Jason is pissed that Jeter made him come up with men on
Last place
Holey Moley !!!!
“Quite sad. There won’t be even one Yankee on the All-Star team this year. What a depressing ending it has been for a great Stadium.â€
Jeter will make it, even though I don’t think he deserves it but he will make it no doubt. Alex will make it, Matsui may have a chance. We won’t get to vote for pitchers but Mo and Wanger are shoo in.
well, lets all hope giambi took the juice last night
it is time for a 3 run Jack….JACK !!!
Matsui should be the full-time DH. Since Girardi loves new lineups, he should try this one.
Gardner LF (note, if Gardner is not available, select lucky fan to bat in this spot and play left)
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Miranda 1B
Cabrera CF
Much hypes have been given to our so called “home grown” pitchers, well, so far there is only one doing well in the Bigs (Wang). Cashman, will be known forever in the Yankeeland for not wanting to trade Hughes and Kennedy for Santana.
There is a certain truth about being not forgetting the good time when we are in a bad stretch, but the best words for what Cashman has done is… he tried.
He tried to throw all the darts available, using the mighty Yankkes resources, singing pitchers and hitters with big contract and/or the has beens. No, I’m not talking about the deals like Kei-man or American Idol, nor 17 millions to a pitcher for less than 10 games win, or getting sweats with your staff ace for $600,000.
I’m talking about what could have been done financially and on the field. See, if you are throwing enough dots, there is gonna be a few hits. But it’s not a good winning percentage.
I remember in the year dynasty, Yankees could start slow in April, but by the end of May or early June, we are on top and watching Red Sox sweating for a wild card. Seems like roles have been in reversed in these days.
While players and coaches salvage the upstair mis-management, our beloved Yankees is taking heat for a slow start (same as last year, for the same reason, start ptiching).
I mean, I glad we won yesterday, but I couldn’t help but wonder whether baby Boss Steiners are cheering for their harsh comments bashing the players and coaches and Cashman.
With our hitting this year, pitching is in a big spot for scrutiny and scapegoat. See, this is where I get confuse again. Why do you assume we always will score a lot of runs? because of past perfomances? I couldn’t help but fear we are way way way off our dynasty in terms of how Yankees manage their manager, how they treat their coaches and players, and having a what if plan in the store. In those days, you could put an average player in the world series and he will shine under the spot light. Even a little kid in the corwd could help you to steal a game in the playoff.
Last two days, Kazmir and Braun signed to anchor their team for pitching and hitting for the Rays and Brewers. You do your homeworks and faith given to your players. Don’t sweat for Cano’s slow star in early May, who has a 4 for 4 last nite, but sweat for what homeworks not have been done. You just cann’t win too many games when you keep on signing deals the likes of Pavano and Igawa, or cross your fingers hoping your veterans will continue to sparkle without injury.
I guess what i have said have been said.
I guess it’s easier to focus on the battles you think you can win (like Wang’s arbitration), than singing anchors the likes of Joba, Wang to achor the team like the Rays and Brewers.
I guess it’s easier to look busy than actually being busy.
I guess I said too much.
This is a great rally and all but with Giambi coming up you can’t help but think the only way this rally continues is if Giambi draws a walk.
Moeller pinch hitting for Giambi ???
worst offense ever!! enough said
Nice Jeter! These boys want to go home with a win.
JMO,
I got dumped on yesterday on the get rid of Damon and bring up Gardner. I was accused of being a bandwagoner. Oh well.
So, Giambi has lined out, popped out and struck out…can he hit for the cycle and ground out?
Although a home run to tie this game would be nice…
“It will be bad for him and worse for the Yankees (I’m willing to concede vice versa on that).”
Doreen, I’m just aggravated so I am not in a real compassionate mood toward Kennedy. But he didn’t bring himself back up. So I will cut him some slack. The thing I wonder, though, is whether Kennedy realizes that it’s bad for him. Sometimes it appears that these kids are willing to trot it out every 5 days and believe that it’s all going to come together. Do you think it’s possible that maybe they have a little too much confidence?
iv been all over giambi about not grounding away from the shift with RISP, but i dont want him to here. he is likely our best chance to win this game. this is a BIG chance for Giambi to show some kind of value for our $20M.
c’mon Jason, we need you right here, come through!
LETS GO YANKEES!
I have my rally cap, socks and shirt on
Come on!
Giambi hit it hard. Damnit…
I guess it is just a different perspective – kennedy is not Pettite or Mussina (though you didn’t hear all this when Pettite gave up 5 runs the other day). I would expect the need for additional offensive support on the days when a rookie is pitching, but that’s just me. I certainly don’t want to argue about it – I just don’t think he was all that bad.
At least he made good contact
Well, we got 2…gotta come back!!!!!
Good inning there overall.
Tough for Giambi, but we have the momentum.
can you imagin that ? Giambi killed the rally….WHO could have thunk THAT ?
guess he didnt take them
Well, that’s two runs. All we need is three more. It’s not impossible.
Thank the Lord for our well oiled bullpen. Honestly.
sall-right….we just keep putting up 2s on the board and this game is OURS !!!
and that’s why you don’t hit Giambi 4th…
What a let down Giambi. I’ve thought that way too much this season.
Ugh
well now we are down by 3 runs. Hold em to this and try and chip away. Eh. I need a drink
Would’ve liked to see Matsui up last inning with RISP…
Its not Paul Byrd or Mike Timlin. Which means Giambi has no chance to deliver a meaningful hit.
Doreen,
I don’t know if Gardner is ready either. I do know he offers two things the Yankees lack right now. Speed and speed.
Speed to get to balls that Damon nor Matsui can get to and speed to run when he gets on base.
If Hank is looking for “energy”, he’s the only guy even close to being ready down below who can provide it.
As this offense continues to sputter, they are going to have to get creative in finding ways to generate runs.
It can’t just be mash, mash, mash. Even when Arod comes back.
I’m not saying they have to do it tomorrow. But, I do hope its in the pipeline of thought because they may have to go to it sooner than they expected when this season began.
Uhm, funny how everyone ripped me for saying this team stinks. I guess I didn’t know what I was talking about.
SJ44: Glad to see your still defending this team. My prediction:
We won’t make the playoffs this year, not even close.
All-star break: 12.5 games back
END OF SEASON: 16 games back
and that is being generous the way this team is playing. I can’t wait until we get Carl Pavano back, then we’ll be champions again! *cough *choke
Rishi – nobody in their right mind sends a pitcher down for one game. Girardi was out of choices in terms of the choices they felt they had. Reality is tough sometimes, I know. But you have to be able to swallow hard and call it what it is.
Kennedy sucked. Period. I don’t have any difficulty in calling the Igawa experiment a real mistake. Honesty can be character building.
I’ve been calling for Gardner since Day 1. Heh and I remember you disagreeing me. I am glad to see you guys really know what your talking about.
The series games prove the season is done and the yankees hitters is finished.
“Uhm, funny how everyone ripped me for saying this team stinks. I guess I didn’t know what I was talking about.”
I don’t think the team stinks but I think you do for showing up to try to rub things in but staying far away when the Yankees are winning.
But that’s just me. Maybe other people think of you as a hero.
Does anyone know off hand how many games Matsui has missed this year due to rest?
2 runs?!?!?!?
Wow. Save some for the weekend boys!
This team blows.
With all the pitching flaws we’ve had. I have to say,our bullpen has been much better this year than last May.
Veras pitched well…now let’s get some runs!!!!
GO YANKS!!!!
joe T. re. matsui:
i was proposing possible trades to make the yanks more flexible and suggested moving matsui in such a move based on the idea that he had the most value. i love matsui, but if the yanks are going to trade to improve this year, they need to be ready to move talent (from a position of surplus) for talent. i dont see anything particularly usefull coming back in return for damon.
Those farting horns are part of the Rays aura and myth.
This team is neither going to be 12.5 games out of first at the AS Break or finish 16 games out.
Not even close.
trisha,
go back to your pottery and ceramic classes. Enough non-educated Yankee fans ruin it for the rest of us. You maam are the most nieve fan I have ever chatted with.
wow – he sucks, fine…can we say the offense sucks. Because I think they are much further from being useful than the starting pitching as a whole (including Kennedy).
I am a fairly pragmatic person and try to stay out of the mudslinging that goes on around here, but if you are going to say Kennedy sucks, you really need to call out the offense too. How many have the Rays left on base this series and how many have the Yankees. GMAB, you can’t get no hit through 4 or 5 (whatever it was today).
Whatever, I was “watching” most of the game on gameday on my cellphone so I guess I’m just not as heated. I was paying attention to the score, runners on base and pitch count. A couple bad pitches turned into HRs and he got killed. How about the 8 Yankees left on base today versus the 2 for Tampa Bay?
SOS – definitely agree about our bullpen. They are so good now that I think we have just come to expect them to throw scoreless innings. Not a bad thing I guess.
and uhm, when have we been winning! ??
Trisha -
I was just going to post that whatever is happening, Ian is really a pawn in this. What is he going to do? Say he’s not ready? Absolutely not. I would love to have a transcript of what goes on in those meetings where decisions on borderline-ready players like Kennedy are held. I got to actually watch very little of when Kennedy was on the mound, and he just looked sad. Maybe it’s his face, I don’t know. But he kind of looked like, oops, I did it again (or didn’t do it again).
There will be a time, either for the Yankees or some other team, when Kennedy has the experience of a Mussina, where he can recall all his successes, and where he has a real knowledge of the league, the hitters and his abilities, and he will do well. It’s difficult to ask Mussina, Pettitte and Wang right now to go out there and pitch knowing this team is not necessarily going to score you more than 2 runs. I don’t care how much talent a kid has, it’s gotta psych you out to think you’ve got to totally shut another team down. Totally.
But, I do on and on and on. And the bottom line is, it doesn’t look good for our boys in pinstripes today.
Just one more thing – the people who are saying Damon and Giambi have some sort of good numbers. Watch the games. They’re not doing what they need to do enough of the time, and in Giambi’s case, almost none of the time. I am a glass-half-full kind of gal most of the time, but I’m not liking what I see. And especially Giambi, who b’es and moans that he needs to play defense in order to hit well — um, so, what’s the excuse this year? He’s in the lineup every day, most days he’s in the field. I don’t see that being a difference maker at all. It would seem that those who cited the fact that when he was a DH he was injured, so you can’t make any real judgment about his hitting abilities as DH vs. 1B.
Again, I go on and on. Sorry.
Ok Chicken Littles, this season is far from over, oh and if you haven’t noticed, the Yankees make in season adjustments every year to make the playoffs. This year will be no different. I expect the Yankees to make the playoffs for the 14th straight year. After that all bets are off.
“Does anyone know off hand how many games Matsui has missed this year due to rest?”
He’s a newlywed, he needs his rest.
Even if his wife is a doodle.
I think I have the answer…
We stock the 1st and 3rd base coaches up with candy. The team’s so sugar deprived that they’ll kill to get to it. Maybe someone can chuck a pint of Ben And Jerry’s on home plate when the ball’s in play too.
oh… and fire Kevin Long won’t hurt too.
Matsui didn’t play on:
March 31 (not ready, injured before)
April 12
April 26
April 27
May 11
May 15
Not that bad…and Hideki is in the game right now!
strike 3
How about we say a lot of things suck right now. Kennedy wasn’t great and this offense has been offensive this entire series.
I’m more pissed about the crappy production from the bats actually..
My rally cap is on. Don’t know what good it will do.
RISHI – KENNEDY NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT BACK UP. YOU DO NOT BRING SOMEONE UP WHO HAS STUNK FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON AFTER SENDING HIM DOWN FOR ONE GAME UNLESS YOU ARE DESPERATE FOR PITCHERS.
We were desperate for pitchers. It didn’t work out. C’est la vie.
Despite what the offense did, or maybe so much moreso because the offense is struggling, we needed a pticher who knows how to pitch. It didn’t work. Most of us, I believe, thought it was far too soon to bring him back.
It was.
That’s all.
Did we just lose the DH?
Jason has just run into some “bad luck” (19 for 105) this season, right?
Since August 27, 2007 he has played in 58 games and has 6 multi-hit games and 36 hitless games in those 58.
Scott Boras did a nice job of hoodwinking the Yankees with Damon. A lemon of a leadoff hitter.
we suck
I’m sorry, but there is absolutly no need to scream at me. I am allowed to disagree with you…half those stranded runner score and it’s 6-5. You are allowed to believe he sucked and shouldn’t have been brought up. If we all agreed on everything what would the point be?
Wow – this is the reason I don’t bother to comment on stuff.
Rishi May 15th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Did we just lose the DH?
No, why? Giambi is probably still in there.
The Bronx Banter’s favorite player, Mr. Mientiekwicz went 3 for 3 today with a double and 3 runs scored…playing 3B no less.
Who plays 1st if Matsui PHed for Shelley?
Yep…. Brett Gardner and his career MiLB OPS of .763 will replace JD (with an .820 OPS) and make the difference in this team. Mind you, I like Brett and hope they dump Ensberg and bring him up…. but it ain’t gonna be a radical difference.
LOL, Damon on 1B now…
Damon to first…
Yanks in last, Rays in first.
i havnt been watching this game.. but its no surprise to see giambi go 0-4.
please oh please oh please.. bench him.. i dont care who you put, just get him out of there. he is killing our offense
(yes, i know its a little silly to blame all the offense problems on one guy.. but im going to!!!! if your hitting 4,5,6 and batting .150, your killing the team)
rishi, check the lineup above, its pretty simple. shelley’s in RF, ensberg’s at 1B and giambi’s the dh. that’s why pete posts it every day!
“We won’t make the playoffs this year, not even close.
All-star break: 12.5 games back
END OF SEASON: 16 games back”
I don’t believe that for a second. We won’t be more than 6 games back by the AS, I think we’ll be more like 3 games back. Alex would have been back for 5 weeks by then and Jorge for 2 weeks. And we now have a solid #4 pitcher which we didn’t have the first 5 weeks but still managed to hang in there at .500. Yes this is miserable to watch right now but we’ll start to turn around in 10 days I predict (a week after Alex comes back).
Doreen – you went on in an intelligent fashion. It’s never a problem when someone goes on and has something to say!
Yeah it isn’t looking good for our boys right now. And yes Ian was a pawn in all of this. He definitely isn’t ready right now and it really is not good for anyone, you’re right, to have him pitching.
We’ll have to wait to see what Girardi does.
WTF is Girardi doing – Damon at first????
Good move putting Damon at first. If he can play it, he’s a better option than anyone else we have, plus it frees up LF for Gardner.
Who’s more skinnier Upton or Edwar?
Rishi, I meant to use caps at the beginning. I meant only to bold your name.
I am on the phone with my sister in Houston and posting at the same time. Didn’t mean to scream but just to get your attention with the first part.
Sorry.
“# Fleas (already sorry) May 15th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
trisha,
go back to your pottery and ceramic classes. Enough non-educated Yankee fans ruin it for the rest of us. You maam are the most nieve fan I have ever chatted with.
”
Fleas, if you’re going to use words you don’t understand, please at least spell them right.
Naïve.
Yes, it would be someone in their RIGHT mind that kept IPK up for another start just because ” you can’t send a guy down after one start “….BALONEY…..Igawa totally stinks…down ya go….IPK,,has SHOWED US OVER ENUFF TOTAL STARTS THIS YEAR….he totally stinks….down ya go….keep the revolving door moving until another RASNER shows up…then when JOBA hits the rotation…the better pitcher of RASNER or ANY OTHER MINOR LEAGUER NOT NAMED KENNEDY OR IGAWA gets the “ever so crucial” #5 starter spot…..now let me get started on this VAUNTED OFFENSE…..better yet….ADIOS….I am OUT !
Jax May 15th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Who’s more skinnier Upton or Edwar?
Edwar has 20lbs less at the same height…
I love how everyone hates on IPK. The kid is 23! Greg Maddux was 6-14, Glavine was 7-17, in their rookie season. And you think they had at least some run support. There will be alot of growing pains. It will take some time. Get OVER it and give the kids a chance.
So…
Santana vs. Rasner tomorrow….fun
“The Yankees are a dull team at this point, which is worse than simply being a bad team.”
This statement is so obviously incorrect. The Oakland A’s are a dull team. They are doing just fine. I would much rather the Yankees be a dull team than a bad team.
If Joba had Ramirez’s change-up, whew unhittable.
Sad to see IPK actually raise his ERA today
It might be good to keep him in AAA for a longer stint and try some others from Pete’s list.
I’d also like to see Igawa in A ball so (hopefully) he can kick some butt …
This team is punchless, lifeless, and toothless among other things.
Something of a shocking nature has to be done to wake everybody up and a small move like cutting ties with Ensberg when A-Rod returns just won’t do it.
Getting rid of Giambi and/or Damon would be an attention getter and make a statement.
Alright…last licks coming for the Yankees.
After this I am going to sleep and imagine it never happened.
Okay, those were Maddux’s and Glavine’s win/loss record. That stat is useless. What were their eras? Their strikout to walk ratio. That would be more telling than their stupid win/loss record. IPK era is TERRIBLE.
3 run 9th!!!!
Dear Front Office,
The Yankees are slow. I am very very fast. Call me. You wont regret it.
Yours truly,
Brett
If we somehow score 3 runs here…I will be shocked
Two things about this team has been lights out so far this year: the bullpen and the offense.
“2 runs?!?!?!?
Wow. Save some for the weekend boys!”
I was at the first sox game when we scored 15 runs. Can’t believe that was not even a month ago. I feel like one of those old guys who would say “I remember back in the days when…”
Percival is on my fantasy team…so either a Yankee win or a 1-2-3 inning please
Coenbro – yep.
People continually forget that he was not ready for prime time but was rushed up to fill in a rotation spot. It was a risk, it didn’t work out, let him go and get the work in that he would have gotten in had someone else been ready to take his spot.
peter with his drama post.. Arod and pressure!!!!!When you are arrogant enough to want and to make $250 mill. deal with it….
man the young arms in the pen are attractive. they probably do have some value.
how about say bye bye to the observer(Ensberg) and when Betemit comes back add him and somehow get Damon some time at 1B…
Is there anyway to get rid of the big giambino…
he cant call that pitch at the knees after he calls one at the letters. that’s b.s.!
All we need is two on and a blast…
Or some combination that gives us three runs fast.
Who thinks we’ll get shutout by Satana and swept by the Mets?
It’s ok, Jose got Percival to throw 3 pitches, now he’ll be tired.
And it just doesn’t look like it’s gonna happen.
trisha- you are an amazing woman! i never dreamed that a female could have such an incredible understanding regarding the game of baseball.if only i could find a woman like you.
C’mon…
2 out rally!
Who’s got their rally cap on?
Back to hating on Giambi…
Since the start of 2007 the Yankees are 56-60 (.483) when Giambi plays and 56-30 (.651) when he doesn’t.
Coincidence? I don’t think so.
I think they should send Ian down for a month to a few months and see how he does and then bring him back up. I dont think they should trade him this early. Come on! Just because hes not doing the job now doesnt mean he’ll stay like this forever. We still dont even know how Phil Hughes will do. He may be worse. But, give IPK a break today. I saw some progression. But, the offense is downright horrible. but again its too early to trade the kids. You all expect them to do good right away. Kennedy had a good start a month or two back when he faced the rays that should of earned him a win. Back off…whose case everyone should be on is captain jeter
sharkfin here! load the bases for giambi!
Good thing the Mets are coming in next, the Yankees could use the adreline kick of the subway series. The Yankees will win two of three.
AL East cellar dwellers
And on May 15, 2008, the day my dad turned 70 years old, the might Yankees of New York found their way right into last place of their division. !!! This is a sad state of affairs….a sad state !
“I love how everyone hates on IPK. The kid is 23! Greg Maddux was 6-14, Glavine was 7-17, in their rookie season. ”
yeah, but Kennedy and Hughes could potentially combine for 0-60
what was our record against tampa last year?
nypd113th = gfy ! ( figure it out, jerk ! )
Silver lining: no Yankee game to conflict with Lost tonight.
Plus we got a preview, ‘cos the Yanks were Lost today!
Ouch.
completely forgot about the game! damn!!
judging from the box score, all i can say is “better than Igawa.”
if Rasner holds up at #4, we can deal with IPK learning to throw strikes in the majors until Joba’s ready. i’m not exactly banking on a World Series victory this year.
GREAT EFFORT GUYS!!!!
Wish I could get paid millions of dollars to mail it in everyday.
Enjoy your charter flight home to your cushy lives. Us stupid fans will be the ones getting upset. No need for you guys to worry.
There is no shame in losing 2 of 3 at the Trop. The Rays are for real.
“Or some combination that gives us three runs fast.”
Are you on 1B today? CF? Or are you the backstop?
Gives ‘us’ three runs fast?
You play for the NYY now?
Shawn Riggans in the post game on FSN Florida (MLB extra innings chose against YES), just gave a very upbeat interview and finished it off by telling the fans:
“Keep on coming out to the ballpark guys and I promise you we will give it our best effort to win every game.”
“And on May 15, 2008, the day my dad turned 70 years old, the might Yankees of New York found their way right into last place of their division. !!! This is a sad state of affairs….a sad state !
”
Last place. Nothing new. Been there, done that, same time last year. Is this what this team has become?
Considering this team is strictly speaking a better team (once Arod and Jorge returns) than the team we had last year around this time, can I expect another offensive breakout once we hit all-star break and eventually win the division? (Since no team has not run away with the division yet)
“if Rasner holds up at #4, we can deal with IPK learning to throw strikes in the majors until Joba’s ready.”
And why would we do that if we can get Karstens back and give him a chance?
Uh, no. At least I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hope uh, no…
Hey, at least we can be happy that we have that GREAT manager of baseball who knows how to shake up a lineup that leads to a lot of production.
Congrats to Jeter on getting that milestone hit.
Make what statement? That the team is in full panic mode and giving up on 2008 when it’s only May 15th?
Giambi and Damon are going nowhere. It ain’t happening. Period.
When a team signs long term deals as they did with these guys, the GM has to sleep in that bed for awhile until those contracts have expired.
This isn’t fantasy baseball. Teams aren’t going to just drop players making that kind of money.
I thin most of us are in favor of the youth movement. But you have to be patient and let things play out.
Kids need time to develop and taking lumps is part of the process. They can’t make this team young and energetic overnight.
Sometimes, a team has to take a step back before it takes a step forward.
There are times like today when I read the gibberish back and forth on this board and I’m frankly embarrassed to be a Yankee fan.
nypd113th
May 15th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
AL East cellar dwellers.
Here come the trolls!
At least being in last place allows Yankees fans one luxury.
When the team wins the AL East this year, we fans can exclaim: “From worst to first!”
It was 3 of 4, but I agree, the Rays are for real. Good thing Balt and Tor are not.
Two things –
I got to listen to the pre-game on the radio with Suzyn Waldman. She was giving the starting lineup and giving the batting averages. Ouch. No one over .300. Many just above or just below .200. That’s not normal. It says two things to me: 1, right now that’s not a winning lineup no matter what; and 2, it’s not going to stay that way.
It doesn’t even mean anything to me symbolically that the Yankees are in last place on May 14th, 2008. First of all, the division is verytight (originally a type, but I decided to leave it – creative license!
) and tomorrow that could change. Second of all, it’s May 14th, 2008. There are a few more months of baseball left to play, some of which may even include players like ARod and Posada.
I do feel a big move coming on somewhere though. A reprieve may be granted if they take 2 of 3 from the Mets, but otherwise, hmm, I wonder what the move will be…..
“You play for the NYY now?”
Obviously you haven’t been around much because otherwise you’d know that I DO play for the NYY! Just not now. I really can’t tell you much more because it’s a secret.
I think the people who should be feeling the pressure are Kevin Long and Brian Cashman. Kevin Long better start looking a lot busier.
** Oh my goodness, a TYPO, not a ‘type’ and isn’t it pathetic that there’s a second typo typing the word “typo.”
(Have to laugh – life goes on – another game tomorrow)
the Rays are for real. Good thing Balt and Tor are not.
..and the Yanks are????
What team are you watching.
Barf.
That’s how I describe this series
Well, another typo. Or a brain cramp. It’s May 15th, not 14th, but the sentiment remains the same. Sigh.
Trisha–
Just don’t take the bait… Seriously, after games like this, the trolls come on in droves. By taking their bait, and engaging one of them in petty back-and-forth arguement, you just give them more of a reason to keep coming back and spewing garbage.
The best defense against a coy troll? Just ignore him.
Who cares if you refer to the Yankees as we, us, etc.? Don’t let some fool rattle you… Your better than that!
“The best defense against a coy troll? Just ignore him”
– But I thought you were the one whom responded to me with that genius “worst to first” battlecry?
Its not a response to you… Its a battle cry ! But you go on thinking the world revolves around you!
What are you anyway, a Saux fan? Or someone with way too much time on your hands? You must be the uber-troll…
Waiting for a game to end so the minute it does, you can go on a blog and talk smack… Nice life. You MUST be a cop.
Okay… So I just violated my own rule. But I don’t give a (BLEEP). The NYY stink, and I’m foul about it right now.
Tampa Bay is a good young team, but they are not this good.
The team has overachieved thus far and reality will set in sooner or later. They might finish with a .500 record but that will be as good as it gets.
It’s easy to rip the Yanks when they aren’t playing well and compare them to a team that’s playing great baseball.
The Yanks aren’t finished by any means. They will turn things around.
“Its not a response to you… Its a battle cry ! But you go on thinking the world revolves around you!
What are you anyway, a Saux fan? Or someone with way too much time on your hands? You must be the uber-troll…
Waiting for a game to end so the minute it does, you can go on a blog and talk smack… Nice life. You MUST be a cop.”
– Remeber when you said ignore the “trolls”?
When Mike Mussina was 23, he was 18-5 with a 2.54 ERA. And a 94 mph fastball. That is not a comparison that will ever favor IPK.
Rasner tomorrow! Let’s go Yankees!
At least the Yankee bullpen has been ridiculously good this season. If these relievers keep it up, the Yanks could be very active at the deadline with Robertson, Cox, Melancon, and Patterson all looking like viable options in the near future as well. I’d imagine that there would be a lot of teams interested in Kyle Farsworth, if he keeps it up, for a half a season.
Doreen, I think your typos and brain cramp might be symptoms of post-traumatic stress from your team’s loss.
Upton over Cabrera?
Madness!!
Looking on the positive side, how about that bullpen ? Solid work all the way round throughout this series. That’s something that wasn’t in place this time last year.
I don’t blame IPK for his showing due to the fact that, similar to Igawa, he simply isn’t ready to pitch at this level yet. Even so, as a fifth starter, the team should at least be able to give him some room to work with. With the offense (term used sarcastically) performing at this level, IPK has to be perfect with no margin for error. That’s asking an awful lot from someone with his limited experience. Not trying to make excuses for him, but that’s how I see it.
“Who cares if you refer to the Yankees as we, us, etc.? Don’t let some fool rattle you… Your better than that!”
Actually I thought it was a pretty good answer on my part. I wasn’t rattled!
I’d absolutely take Upton over Melky.
Any day of the week.
Whatever, cop wanna-be…
Not even a real cop, but someone who fantasizes about being a cop and lies on a blog about it.
Again, awesome life.
Wish I had nothing to do but troll. I’m glad my taxes pay for your unemployment, government cheese, and internet service so you can waste all day online bickering with people.
Sweet!
Hell I’m loving our bullpen. I don’t want to trade them!
It’s real easy to say Lets get rid of people (Giambia & Damin) when it’s not your money This is not fantasy baseball. The Yankees have to ride out the dead wood. It will take time. We as fans just have to deal with it.
the Rays are for real, surgeons what does that mean??
You think they are finishing in 1st???No friggin chance…..
Will they finish ahead of the Orioles? Yes they will.. Again the Yanks in a game like this need to grind Ab’s and get the starter out, they did after 6 innings but needed to squeeze a run out. If they had 1 more guy on the bench they may have been able to pinch hit for molina in the 9th, but all these managers are in love with 13 man staffs which is to many.
the yankee pen is not being overworked. Girardi is managing that well and they need to add another bench guy. the bottom line is they need arod to come back and they need Cano to pick it up. Giambi is who knows and same with Damon.. they can deal with those 2 wrecks if arod is playing and Cano is a better Cano..
I love the pen…Maybe Gardner is an option give them better D and much more speed…I like Gonzalez over Ensberg(he adds nothing).. then they have some options.
Call me delusional all you fools the Yanks will make the playoffs and I like this team better then last yrs. team; I think this team will have better starting pitching, a much better pen, and over time the O will not be as good but still more then adequate….
I think they need to try to get more speed and D in the lineup because they will not mash as much as last yr. if that means gardner in LF and damon spending some time at 1B or trying to move Damon, or moving Abreu(if Possible) and putting Melky in Rf. and Gardner in CF, I do not care the bottom line is they need to get more athletic they need to change the equation…….
they can change the equation with out going crazy by getting Bonds(will never happen), or trading 1/2 the team, they can still change things up…
If it is true Joba will be moving into the rotation and Cox , Melancon, and others will have to pick up the slack maybe they trade a few young arms for some position talent….
the rays, marlins are not winning there divisions…
Great article in The Sporting News about Cano and Cabrera. Well written.
Of course though, all the ink the NYY will get after today is that they are ________________ (insert here: too old, too fat, too lazy, too uninspired, etc.)
Hey I believe the Yanks are going to make the playoffs.
They just aren’t playing real well right now.
Happens.
Arod is gonna have to play like an uber mensch to change the results of these games – not merely return in MVP form. This has to fall on the players who are in the lineup on a regular basis. They simply have to get more consistent play from Damon, Cano, Giambi and the lot. There are no silver bullets here…they have issues up and down the lineup and there will be no major roster changes before July. They won’t DFA or trade Damon and/or Giambi… hell, they won’t even DFA Pavano or Igawa. They are gonna have to solve this with the people they have. For starters, Giambi needs to be platooned at 1B immediately with Duncan/Ensburg. Matsui should not be sitting so many games… he actually has a decent season going and should be in the lineup every day. Damon should be batting 9th and Melky should be given the chance to leadoff so you have some consistency at that spot. They need to seriously consider bringing up Gardner and letting one of Duncan/Ensburg go and let him spell Damon and Abreu occasionally while giving us real speed off the bench. Doing more of the same or expecting Arod to turn this team around is insane.
Dee -
It was either that or the glass of wine I had with dinner!
What I’m liking so far about this season is the bullpen. And the fact that there might be bullpen reserves. Everyone knows that his current malaise is not going to last forever. I fervently believe that this team will be competitive going forward. I hope that means a playoff berth, but as long as they become competitive, and challenge for a playoff berth to the end, I will be satisfied. Not nearly as happy as I will be if they reach the playoffs, but given that this team is clearly in flux with a lot of challenges and decisions to be made, competitiveness would be a good thing – something to make you look forward to each game.
Right now, I feel like every day could be the start of a new beginning.
“What are you anyway, a Saux fan? Or someone with way too much time on your hands? You must be the uber-trollÂ…”
- Nope. Just trying to pick up minors online. I heard baseball blogs are the best place.
Send Kennedy down, bring up a reliever. We don’t need a 5th starter until NEXT Saturday ( 5/24 )…Bring up GIESE to WIN THAT GAME….good night, ALL !
nypd113th,
I understand you look at the standings as a Sox fan, I, on the other hand, am a Yankee fan. I say the Yankees are in 5th place in the Eastern Division, Boston is 3 places out of the cellar. We are both right. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Yankee performance is not surprising, no real pickups and the guys playing are a year older.
As far as pitching I thought the youth core wouldn’t live up to the lofty expectations many had. The pitching that was a problem all last year is even a bigger problem this year.
Does Girardi look like he got punched in the face in the post-game to anyone?
BTW, he sounded pretty supportive of IPK considering.
I heard a great place to pick up minors is meat spin.com You should check it out, right up your alley…
Girardi was definitely refering to Giambi and Abreu when he said that you can’t continue to be patient and take 100 pitches when the pitchers are coming after you with only fastballs right down the middle and you aren’t swinging. Abreu was mad at the umpire today when he only should of been mad at himself. They take way too many 1st pitch fastballs right down the middle and the pitchers know that….it is pathetic.
and THAT comment, ya disgusting idiot, will earn YOU the permanent BOOT….BaBye, teenager !
Nypd113–
What about Manny’s catch last night? I thought it was classic!
It pains me to say this, but I like Manny more and more as the years go on. Used to hate him.
But I say the opposite about Ortiz. Really used to like him, his style, flair for the drama.
But now, really the last two seasons, he has become such a whiner on third strike looking (or check-swinging) strikes.
Ortiz, from all accounts, is starting to make a name for himself among the umpire corps.
I come back from my meeting hoping to see the Yankees offense break out of their slump… disappointed again. 2 more runs… 6 in 42 innings. urg. what is going on with them?!?!??
and THAT comment, ya disgusting idiot, will earn YOU the permanent BOOT….BaBye, teenager !
What comment?
The bullpen has been great. That’s a positive.
I’m not really that down on Kennedy. Yes, he could have been better. But unless he was pretty much perfect in his performance..giving up 1-2 runs would have = a loss with the way the offense is playing.
Tomorrow is a new day. Let’s beat the Mets.
I know some people are tired of all the Johnny Damon post game interviews, BUT, at least the man stands there, answers questions and takes responsibility, win or lose. I know he’s not doing well on the field, but I don’t still don’t feel that his acquisition was a negative.
What did Girardi say about IPK? I missed that.
Pete–
Would love to see a post or two speculating about trades. I know July 31 is a few months off, but put on your “GM hat” and give us some ideas or examples of WHAT YOU WOULD DO to spark this team (?)…
If anything, just for good debate. Just curious!
If you give IPK two mistake pitches, take those away, that’s 3 runs the Rays don’t score and it’s a tie 2-2.
I am sick of the same Johnny Damon post-game interview everyday. I already know exactly what he’s gonna say.
It’s frustrating to watch right now for sure but I know they’ll turn it around. To Doreen and several others who brought up the bullpen as a positive – absolutely! We have the best BP in baseball right now. And now with Rasner in the rotation looking solid, I’m not worried. Sure the offense is not hitting, but I don’t believe for a second that Giambi or Johnny will still be in the lineup if they are still not hitting by July.
I am going to Sunday night’s game with my father and brother. I was worried we would be getting home really late but now I’m thinking I should take Monday and Tuesday off because it could take that long for the Mets or Yankees to score a run and end the game. UGH.
Yes.. But Doreen, Boras didn’t pitch Damon as a PR guy. The NYY aren’t paying him $52mil over 4 years to give interviews.
Damon had Boras sell him as one of the most prolific on-base guys and best leadoff guys in the league. Thats his job, to get on base, set the table, steal a bag or two and score some runs.
Just saying… thats all. Not trying to jump down anyone’s throat, of course.
IPK said he was “attacking” hitters. Any one of us could throw a nerf baseball harder than he was throwing it. Come on.
32-24 (5/31/08 Eve)
I have to pull for IPK. Just have to. He impresses me. Maybe I’m foolish, and I know the results are not there yet, but this guy is not a mistake.
“If you give IPK two mistake pitches, take those away, that’s 3 runs the Rays don’t score and it’s a tie 2-2.”
Very true.
San Diego seems to have liked Igawa in the past. How about offering them Igawa, Damon and some prospects for Jerry Coleman? He’d be better in the booth than Michael Kay.
Ok Doreen Remember the old saying If and buts were candy and nuts ohhhh what a party we would have
Doreen,
Girardi said “I thought Ian was OK” and said a bunch of things about him getting out of trouble and that he was throwing more strikes than before but obviously the result was not what he wanted. When pressed on whether IPK would get to stay on the team, he said they will evaluate on an on-going basis but to me he sounded a bit more positive than IPK deserved today even though I’m still a fan of Ian’s.
I really hope IPK pulls it together. I was ready to throw the first shovel full of dirt onto Mussina’s coffin and he’s looked much better lately. Maybe Ian can figure things out. Of course, seeing Moose’s stats when he was 23 makes me think I’m over-hoping.
LOL albanyYankee…
Let me pose a question, if I could, I’m curious of what y’all think:
If memory serves correct, Damon and Matsui both signed 4-year/ $52mil deals the same winter.
Who has been worth it?
I know Damon’s first year in pinstripes was awesome, and Matsui had some major injuries.
But honestly, I’d rather pay Matsui that money than Damon, and I can’t explain why.
Even though Damon has played more games over the last 2 1/4 seasons, I like Matsui’s bat more.
Just curious what y’all think– who was more deserving of the contract?
BB77
I know that. But my heart sometimes overrules my head. What can I say? Plus, it would be easy for him to say he didn’t want to talk. Apparently there many more players who just do not do interviews, including the Captain, who is not always available post-game.
Wow – immediate replay of the game. Too bad I know the result, because right now there’s nothing on.
Matsui was more deserving of that contract. He’s hitting .317/5/18 with a .399 OBP. Damon is hitting .264/4/17 with an OBP of .348 and he’s our lead off hitter. They are roughly the same age. Sadly, Matsui is the better defender, but I think they are both better served as designated hitters. Move Matsui to full-time DH, bring up Gardner and Miranda and figure out how to jettison Damon and Giambi. I know they are both popular in the clubhouse, but maybe the guys are too comfortable. This is absurd.
As I read this blog I catch one thing, everyone wants to make a trade at some point. That is fine but now the Yankees are in no position to trade. Anybody they trade for will now come at a premium. We all cheered on the youth well stick with it now and take the lumps that will come with it. Everyone cheered on the farm system well now live with it.
Stop your whining the Yankees have a .180 hitter batting cleanup so live with it because this all about contracts and they are stuck with Giambi and Damon.
One other thing the Yankees want to clean payroll and that is why Santana is not pitching for the Yankees. So live with that too.
It will be a few years until the Yankees are in position to run for a championship. So live with it.
It is time to get some baseball people back running the Yankees instead of Cashman and the Hal the bean counter Steinbrenner.
IPK’s post-game was weird. Is he trying to over-compensate for saying the NY media stresses him him earlier? He said he thought he threw pretty well and said some kind of non-sensical things and started nervously chuckling.
“IPK said he was “attacking†hitters. Any one of us could throw a nerf baseball harder than he was throwing it. Come on.”
Velocity has little to do with “attacking” hitters. It’s all about throwing strikes. IPK did that today. He made a few mistakes and the Rays didn’t miss them. That was the difference in the ball game.
stresses him *out*
Damon:
2006: .285 BA 24 HR 25 SB in 149 games
2007: .270 BA 12 HR 27 SB in 141 games
Matsui:
2006: .302 8 HR 29 RBI in 51 games (broken wrist)
2007: .285 25 HR 103 RBI in 143 games.
I’d rather keep Matsui and try to trade Damon somewhere… anywhere. Free up some roster flexibility and let a young kid who deserves it come up. Gardner perhaps?
Matsui… I’ve always had a man-crush on him! And, more seriously, he’s a Red Sox killer!
I haven’t given up on Kennedy. We have seen good from Kennedy in the past. I truly believe he can be a successful pitcher in the major leagues. I just hope we see that success some time soon though.
If they send him down, they send him down. But let’s see what happens.
wow. You know you suck when you manage to pitch to your 9.00 ERA and people are actually encouraged. Thats sad. At least he was “attacking hitters” though.
Dee -
Thanks – re Girardi on Ian.
Joe M -
I never heard that one! It’s good though and true.
BB77 -
If I had to choose I’d choose Matsui.
Regarding IPK’s 3rd inning where he had bases loaded no outs and only allowed 1 run – that was a good, good recovery by him. He can build on that. The question is, guess, can he build on it more in the majors or in the minors where he may never face that situation because he is too good for AAA? It’s not an easy question, and earlier I was all for sending him back down, but I waver back and forth.
Kennedy doesn’t have the psychic or the make up to pitch in New York. Unfortunately he has very little trade value now so the Yankees are stuck with him like Igawa and the other Cashman wonders.
If you watched IPK pitch last year, that was attacking the strike zone. Running fastballs in on the hands, moving the ball around, changing speeds and making the hitters think. Now, he looks like he’s just hoping for a called strike. This year, he is a different pitcher. Everything looks lobbed. I can’t believe anyone thinks otherwise, but I’m not a scout (obviously).
Unless the could dump Giambino on some poor fool team and slap Damon at 1B… That opens up an OF slot for some speed.
I realize Gardner won’t come to the Big Show and hit .300 with 25 HR his first season. Heck, he;ll probably produce the way Damon is now. But at least they will add some more speed, versatility and a desire to play to a team, that as Pete called it perfectly, looks dull!
SEND HIM DOWN !
“Kids need time to develop and taking lumps is part of the process. They can’t make this team young and energetic overnight.
Sometimes, a team has to take a step back before it takes a step forward.
There are times like today when I read the gibberish back and forth on this board and I’m frankly embarrassed to be a Yankee fan.”
Amen.
Kennedy has an era of 9.00 give me a break. Scoot off to scranton and learn to pitch.
IPK WAS a bit nervous in his post-game. But he did it. I don’t know if I could stand there and defend myself in front of a herd of reporters about whom you have no idea whether they’re for ya or agin’ ya. I’ve noticed before he has a nervous laugh/smile, but he was swallowing really hard. Nervous. He lost the game, in spite of knowing he did better than before, and he had to deal with it.
Rick, I don’t think any of the Yankees’ pitchers travel with a psychic.
Bronxbomber, you must be really into giant ear lobes. I can’t look at the television when they do a close up on Matsui. You could land a jet on his left ear lobe. Hopefully his anime wife doesn’t mind it.
Tired of hearing excuses for these kids. hochevar, slowey and many other young pitchers are producing or at least not making complete fools out of themselves like kennedy and hughes do. this experiment is over for the time being get them the seasoning they need. did you ever think rasner would be outperforming these clowns.
Rick -
Kennedy will do very well in AAA. He will show that he should be here. But here is a lot more difficult and unless you do it you’ll never learn it.
Tomorrow is going to be a bloobdbath against Santana…
Kennedy has proven that he can pitch in AAA.
If taking his lumps in the majors isn’t affecting his psyche, he needs to stay in the majors to see if he has the ability to succeed here.
Learning on the job won’t always be pretty but this team needs to find out if he has what it takes.
The only way I would send him down would be if staying affects his confidence in his ability to pitch.
Thanks for correcting me albanyyankee. The sentence should say psychological makeup for the job in new york. Kennedy is a wise ass who can’t pitch in the major leagues and keeps making excuses each time he gets pounded every time he gets the ball.
“Kennedy doesn’t have the psychic(sic) or the make up to pitch in New York.”
Didn’t realize you needed Miss Cleo to pitch in NY.
bigpopp,
Neither the Mets nor the Yankees are lighting up the scoreboard. Matsui and Cano hit well against Johan. Hopefully, Rasner can keep the game close. I doubt it’ll be a bloodbath in either direction.
Kennedy is a soft tosser. Very few of them make it consistantly in the major leagues. He pitched one good game at Scranton that doesn’t prove he belongs in the major leagues.
It is the End of Days.
It is the End of Days.
I missed the game and I think I am glad I did. It seems that Kennedy was brought up too quickly but the Yanks really had no choice – Kennedy or Igawa. Probably would have lost either way.
I think they are catching the Mets at the right time – the Mets just split with the Reds and lost 3 of 4 to the Nationals. They are playing pretty uninspired baseball as well. Something has got to give. Hopefully it will be the Yankees who get it together.
It is so bad that the Yanks are in last place, it’s End of Days x 2. Well…make that 3 since it’s been typed 3 times.
Oh never mind.
This Season Sucks.
By July when the Yankees are far out of this race. Half of you people will be at the beach forgetting that you were ever fans of the yankees. I will still be a fan and you will believe in my “psychic” powers. LOL
Fran -
I think you’re right on about the timing of meeting up with the Mets.
Anyone else here that Nick Johnson is on the DL – again? Wrist this time.
Well, I just finished dinner (which, Doreen, my wife made this time). A couple of things –
1. It doesn’t matter if it’s Ian Kennedy or Sandy Koufax. If the team doesn’t score runs, you don’t win. And the lack of hitting and scoring probably puts the weight of the world on Kennedy, knowing that every pitch potentially could mean the game.
2. Carrying on for them to do things that they can’t do – like playing the running game like Tampa or the Angels (who got swept by Tampa recently) is fruitless, because the Yanks players, for better or worse, aren’t those kind of players. Playing the running game with Jason, Molina, Ensberg,…Please get real. We’re not talking Carl Crawford or Chone Figgins here.
3. They have to do something. The offense can’t keep going like this. I saw Damon playing first at the end of the game. Is this a harbinger of Brett Gardner coming and Jason going bye-bye?
4. Are they starting to press here? I remember Torre talking about players squeezing the bat so hard they were making sawdust. Is that what we’re seeing here? If, so, forget the ice cream, Joe G., and send them out for a night on the town with Giambi, Damon and Jeter.
5. Ignore the trolls here, and don’t get into fights among ourselves over own frustrations.
6. And quit picking on Trish. She’s a fan and roots like we all do. Nobody has a monopoly on “truth” here. And Trish, quit taking the bait. You know better than that. Don’t get yourself worked up over the losers who bait you.
Now, having gotten that off my chest, I’m going for some port and chocolate. Later.
I can’t wait till we clobber the Mets. I have an to deal with an obnoxious co-worker who’s a big Mets fan, and I can’t wait to see him after we sweep them (I hope).
Off to port and chocolate.
Give me some mega million numbers
Good trade yankees can trade kennedy or hughes for paul byrd. That is close to what they are worth now.
I friggin loathe the Mets but I wish the Yanks had a player with the balls to say what Wagner said after their loss to the Nats today. Captain Intangibles could learn a thing or twelve from Wagner
Doreen – I heard about Nick Johnson. He always seems to be on the DL. As much as I would love to see him back on the Yanks, he never stays on the field for too long.
Joe from Long Island -
Want to know how we’ll all put this Tampa series behind us?
Yankee offense comes alive against Santana tomorrow!!!!
Let’s Go Yanks!!!!
bigpopp,
Didn’t catch what Wagner said…can you paraphrase?
What did Wagner say? He never seems to be at a loss for words.
from the post:
Outspoken closer Billy Wagner barked at reporters for interviewing him instead of center fielder Carlos Beltran and first baseman Carlos Delgado, otherwise known as the two primary culprits in the Mets’ nearly season-long hitting funk.
“Can somebody tell me why the [bleep] the closer is being interviewed and I didn’t even play? And why they’re over there not being interviewed?” Wagner bellowed as he pointed to the lockers of Beltran and Delgado. “Oh, I got it — they’re gone. [Bleeping] shocker
Kennedy? Lack of confidence? Listening to him actually made me sick. Unless I missed a word in the sentence, and it is possible since I was walking around while the postgame was on, I believe I heard him say he thought he did his job and gave the Yankees a chance to win. He also said he feels he is very close to where he needs to be.
If he did say that he thought he pitched well and gave them a chance to win, then I would like to see him shipped out tonight. Everyone was all over Igawa for thinking he did a good job. Cripes at least he had lousy defense behind him.
Andy Pettitte gives up 5 runs and he wants to kill himself. And this guy is a veteran who has earned his stripes. Kennedy gives up 5 and says he gave the team a chance to win?
I think the kid is full of himself and in love with the headiness of being on the Yankees. I’m starting not to be able to stand the sight of him and his Alfred E. Newman Mad Magazine self.
If you give up 5 runs and say you gave your team chance to win, in my books you are a fool and a loser.
When Kim Jones asked one of her classically stupid questions about his pitch count and not getting through 5 innings, he misunderstood what she was saying and said yes, he felt he should have been allowed to stay in the game longer but he guessed that was just his competetiveness.
I have always said the only way I ever get down on a player is if I think he is either dogging it or being selfish. Well when you lose every freakin game you pitch for your team and still think you belong on the mound, in my book you are as selfish as they come.
I can’t stomach the kid.
Bye.
Tomorrow night I have an event to attend where I work. I hope I can tape the game because I really want to see Rasner pitch against Santana. Santana has always excelled against the Yanks at the Stadium so that should be interesting. Neither the Mets nor the Yanks are at the top of their game right now so I’m not worried that we are going to be totally embarrassed.
Whoa! Well, he’ll never be confused for a diplomat.
Trisha –
I don’t think he said he gave the team a chance to win. I think I remember him saying you want to give your team a chance to win. He said he felt good about getting out of the third with just one run scoring – he thinks that before being sent down that was an inning that would have exploded. He felt he attacked the strike zone but his two mistakes were costly. I did not get the impression that he was happy overall with the way today went, but he was satisfied that he had a better approach. I can buy into that.
“And quit picking on Trish. She’s a fan and roots like we all do. Nobody has a monopoly on “truth†here. And Trish, quit taking the bait. You know better than that. Don’t get yourself worked up over the losers who bait you.”
Wow I definitely must have missed some posts here! I know it’s easy to do when we post so fast.
1. I didn’t know anybody was picking on me, seriously, though thanks Joe for the support.
2. The last thing I was, was worked up. Heck I thought it was a pretty witty response!
I definitely have to go back over these posts to see if I missed somnething1
Also he did not say he felt he should have been allowed to stay in the game. He said he should be able to stay in A game longer – in other words, he should be able to do a better job. It was about his expectations in general.
“I think I remember him saying you want to give your team a chance to win.”
Doreen, then seriously I feel a heck of a lot better about his postgame interview. I thought he had said he gave them a chance to win, and I was in absolute disbelief. Again, I was walking around the house and had it in the background and that’s why I said I may have not heard it correctly!
Okay Ian. I still think you need to be in AAA for a while longer but I will succumb to the real manager and watch you if you pitch again and certainly root for your to win. But you do look like Alfred E. Newman.
What did Wagner say after the Mets game? I missed it.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05.....110992.htm
Just found that on the Post. Haven’t read it but maybe it gives all the details.
At least we’re not dealing with that.
Trisha -
He looks like a cross between Alfred E Neumann and a leprechaun. And once he starts winning, that will be very cute. He needs to channel his inner leprechaun more – they’re supposed to be lucky, right?
Trisha – if you are setting the DVR for tomorrow night’s game set it for extra time. It is supposed to be nasty here tomorrow and the game may start late or be delayed. Don’t want you to miss any of it (you know the Yankee victory over Santana).
Doreen -
I am laughing out loud over that one!!! That is a very good sign.
As my dad always used to tell us, if it was easy (whatever “it” was at any given moment) everyone would be doing “it.” It’s really easy to love being a fan when your team is looking like the best thing since sliced bread. It’s quite another to stick there through the tough times, one because it’s your team and that’s what you should do, and two because you have that much faith that it will turn itself around.
So all I can say is, GO YANKEES!!! PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON IT!
I will count on you to double-root tomorrow night because I truly will not have a chance to do it. I’ll be sitting at a dinner wishing horrible things for the Sux and great things for the Yanks, but that’s about as far as I will be able to go.
Fran, very cool and thanks for that information! That actually might mean that I get to hang out with you guys for the final winning innings!
SA-WEET!
You know what I hate the most about this erraticism? I watch SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight very seldom these days. I can’t bring myself to turn it on when we lose.
Sounds like Delgado isn’t the only one who is media shy in the Mets clubhouse. I heard on one of the radio shows today that Santana wouldn’t speak with the NY media but gave an interview to ESPN Desportes.
I never used to watch SportsCenter or whatever it is that’s on ESPN in the morning around 9 a.m., but I recently started working out and right smack in front of the treadmills is a large flat screen tv (aren’t those things ubiquitous these days?) with ESPN tuned in. As you might imagine, some days that’s a welcome thing; others, not so much.
The underachievers vs. the overachievers series is over and thankfully those dumb cowbells won’t need to be heard again until early September.
Watching Sporscenter and Baseball Tonight on ESPN is a very sickening experience.
Joe from LI pretty much nailed it on the head!
good post!
I’m really sick of this cocky Kennedy. Can’t get hitters out and think he has done his job.
Please send him back where he belongs.
mmx
Agreed with you. I think IK is not ready for the bigs. He’s had limited experence in the minors after all…….Sick of seeing him really.
I’m off
“Can’t get hitters out and think he has done his job.”
Where did this pitcher cockiness come from?? Ian’s the worst. Although Joba has proven himself, his penchant for shaking off catchers is troublesome. I don’t know if any of you remember this from the NYY/BOS series in Boston this year – Buchholz shook of Varitek and it resulted in the Yanks getting a hit. Sometimes there is just too much confidence with these kids.