Mets keep Randolph – for now
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on May 26, 2008 
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Willie Randolph had his big meeting with the Wilpons today and is still the manager of the Mets. But he has no guarantees beyond the day, apparently.
To me, you needed one of two outcomes today. Either he’s fired or the Mets say he’s the manager for the rest of the season. Now every time they lose two games in a row, there will be questions about his job security.
That’s a lot of pressure to put on a manager and his players.
that press conference was a joke
I agree with Brandon. What a waste of time that press conference was.
It ran on an ESPN channel but not SNY, yes?
Now THAT is a joke.
So Garcia and Melancon both pitch tomorrow?
So..the meeting was just because of his comments. Not because of what was happening with the team? Alrighty..
They didn’t even show it on SNY? Bad job outta them.
The Mets game tonight should be interesting..they better win..if not..I dunno what those fans are gonna do..but it won’t be pretty.
They are really letting Willie twist in the wind. Its almost as if the Wilpons want Willie to get booed during this homestand, have the team fail, then blow him out.
Sort of like “punishing” him for the choke last year and the Anti-SNY remarks this year.
And folks worry about the Steinbrenner brothers! lol
That father-son tandem in Queens is a joke. No reason to treat a class guy in such a shabby manner.
If you don’t want him, fire him. Tacit backing is not the answer right now. You either can him or come out strong in your backing of him.
To think, this was the franchise Mike Lupica labeling as “owning New York baseball” last June.
As Bob Uucker would say, “Juuuuust a bit outside” on that statement Mikey.
This is a Yankee blog right? After my Yanks managed 6 hits and 2 runs in 13 innings against Washy and Olsen… I could care less about Willie.
Why did Duncan bat in the 6th (not Giambi)… Why is Latroy on this team… not Britton? Britton is 10 years younger… AND… in his rookie year… WHile in BALT… on the same pitching staff as Hawkins…
Hawkins: 60.1 IP, 73 hits, 30 earned runs (4 HR), 15 BB, 27 K… 4.48 era, .300 batting avg against.
Britton: 53.2 IP, 46 hits, 20 earned runs (4 HR), 17 BB, 41 K… 3.35 era, .228 batting avg against.
SO… why is LAtroy here? Why wont the Yanks find out what they have in Britton? Otherwise, he’s just taking up a roster space, which means Yanks must expose a real prospect to the rule-5 draft!
“So Garcia and Melancon both pitch tomorrow?”
yup
SJ I couldn’t have said it better and where is Mike Lupica right now, I haven’t heard a peep from him atleast not like when he criticizes the Yanks
You do realize those were the first runs Hawkins gave up in his last 10 innings? It happens.
He’s not going to throw zeroes up all year.
Chris Britton isn’t the answer to anything. If he pitched a lot, he would get exposed as what he is. An average JAG (Just another guy).
The bullpen has pitched very well this year. Today was a bad day for them.
To be fair…LaTroy was pitching pretty well.
I think the last time people were screaming for his head was April 24th.
It was a bad day. Let’s not call for his head.
AGAIN… Both Britton and Hawkins pitched for BALT in 2006. Britton was the better pitcher… Britton is also 10 years younger… Britton ha sonly really pitched one season in the majors…
SURE… Hawkins is lights out when Yanks have a 5 run lead… BUT, every time I see him pitch in a close game… A lot of runs are crossing the plate.
We need to find out about Britton… Can he pitch? Who knows… BUT, if we wont give him a shot… it’s a waste to have him on the 40 man roster. AND, I’m sorry… If it comes to giving a 25 yeard-old kid a chance to earn his role or allow a 35 year-old Hawkins pitch… That’s a no-brainer to me.
“This is a Yankee blog right? After my Yanks managed 6 hits and 2 runs in 13 innings against Washy and Olsen… I could care less about Willie.”
I’m sorry you were disappointed by ‘your’ Yanks.
‘My’ Yankees lost. :shrug: It happens.
SJ44 May 26th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
You do realize those were the first runs Hawkins gave up in his last 10 innings? It happens.
Those 10 innings were mop up duty if you haven’t noticed Brainiac. He finally gets a call in a close game and wow, runs a plenty.
Great job LaTroy. Another great cashman signing.
Brandon, in order to find Lupica, you would have to MRI Omar’s behind since he is planted firmly up it throughout the baseball season.
I’m amazed how Omar has become such a “Teflon Don” in this mess.
Didn’t he put this dsyfunctional roster together? How come he skates any criticism?
Willie may not be Tony LaRussa when it comes to cutting edge strategy but, he’s not some dolt.
He’s got a team of guys, many of whom lack passion for the game. He’s got some guys (Reyes) who seem to want him out of there and play like it everyday.
He has ONE vocal clubhouse leader (Wagner) and he only talks on his weekly show with Michael Kay. Not exactly what you are looking for in the clubhouse.
Where’s David Wright in all this? How ’bout getting in some of these guys faces and telling them that their level of play has to pick up?
The easiest thing in the world to do would be to fire Willie.
You give the fan base their piece of red meat and the talk shows are lit up with calls for the day.
After you do it, who takes over? Will this team play with any more passion? Will they win? Especially since they are the most talented team in the division.
Unlike the Yankees, who are a team in transition, the Mets mortgaged their future for this year. Their farm system is shot, they are old, and they play with ZERO sense of urgency.
You can blame Willie for some of it but, certainly not all of it.
After they do fire him (which will happen at some point this season, IMO), the bullseye falls squarely on Omar.
That’s when we will see just how much more teflon is left on him.
Was Gary Carter at the press conference?
Yanks are in the bottom 5… in all of MLB… batting against LHP. That seems to happen a lot this season!
Randolph had his time, I think the mets need a new Skipper.
New year, New stadium, New manager
^^
This is why the Mets will always be the second-class team in this city. Willie Randolph is a class guy and, like SJ said, this is all Omar Minaya swinging for the fences and winding up looking like Shelley Duncan. What a joke.
SJ, i can live with younger guys being inconsistent, crapping the bed, and blowing a game. I can’t do the same with a supposed veteran presence like Hawkins.
“SURE… Hawkins is lights out when Yanks have a 5 run lead… BUT, every time I see him pitch in a close game… A lot of runs are crossing the plate.”
What games are you talking about?
So far this year the only games in which he crapped the bed were TB on April 4th(6 runs-we lost 13-4 ) and Balt on April 18th (3runs-we lost 8-2). Today wasn’t his finest moment either.
So what are these close games that he comes in..in which “a lot of runs” are crossing the plate?
“Great job LaTroy. Another great cashman signing.”
That’s my point… Forget the fact that CASH$ refused to return Okijima’s phone call (OKI is MAtsui’s pal and he offered his services to the Yanks)… Forget he paid 46 million for Igawa…
What would possess CASH$ to sign Latroy Hawkins?
Everyone in baseball was surprised. Even the GM of Rockies laughed and said “Good Luck” trying to pitch in NY.
BUT… most of all… Just compare the numbers his last attempt to pitch in the AL East.
In his entire major league career… Britton has allowed 26 runs… Latroy allowed 30 runs in the Al East in 2006.
SO… Britton proved he was the better pitcher, in his rookie cmapaign, when both he and Hawkins pitched for BALT in 2006. BUT, Britton was already on the team and is 10 years younger…
SO…. the question begs… Why spend 3.5 million a year to sign Hawkins? Yanks do not need a vet… CASH$ says we are going w/ youth, that he’s trying to reduce payroll…
LOOK… BRIAN BRUNEY was the last BP arm to be chosen… They almost passed him over… OF COURSE, Hawkins was on this team… Look at how good Bruney was until he got hurt.
I’m not saying Britton is the answer… But given everything… What would make CASH pay for Hawkins and skip over Britton and Bruney?
Only mopup duty? Did you happen to look at the game logs? 3 of his 7 outings came in one run games. That’s almost half his outings.
Hardly “mopup” duty.
Is he a great pitcher? No. He was hardly the reason why they lost today. Not hitting has as much to do with today as anything.
Brainiac? No. But, perhaps compared to you I am.
Here’s a tip.
If you want to engage in namecalling, that’s fine by me.
I just happen to prefer it face it face.
Anybody can call somebody names on the internet.
If you want to show some “guts”, let’s meet face to face.
Then we can see if you are a real tough guy or just play one on the internet.
Wow and people said the Steinbreners let Joe T twist in the wind. There weren’t games going on, when they were deciding on Joe’s fate.
I’ll be watching todays game to see the reaction Willie and the Mets get.
BTW is anyone watching this show “Beer Money” on SNY? It is pretty crude. Also nice they are promoting drinking.
Another thing to remember.
I just checked my calender…it says 2008..not 2006
I know it is easy for me to say, but I wish Willie would have some pride, and tell the Mets to shove the job.
He has no support from anyone in the organization from the bottom on down.
Oops top on down.
“BTW is anyone watching this show “Beer Money†on SNY? It is pretty crude. Also nice they are promoting drinking.”
Is that the new game show they have on there? I guess I just missed it.
They have a couple of new shows on that channel..a lot of screaming involved..lol
You knew there would be some bozo’s here defending Hawkins and Veras.
LaTroy and Veras will bounce back (well, Veras already did when he came back with a clean 8th). If Farnsy can put up scoreless streaks this year, LaTroy can put more!
Besides, even if the bullpen didn’t blow up, Markakis essentially already beat us singlehandedly by then.
Yeah they ask morons on the street sports questions. Total of 3 questions; $10, $30 than you can win $100.
From the Daily News Mets blog:
“A source told the Daily News that Fred Wilpon, who left Shea after the meeting without speaking with reporters, was prepared to fire Randolph Monday if the fourth-year manager was defiant.”
What a strange organization.
“If you want to show some “gutsâ€, let’s meet face to face.
Then we can see if you are a real tough guy or just play one on the internet.”
Anytime you want. I’ll take that punk offer. I don’t go for the name calling “SJ44″. pick a time and place. I’d be glad to meet up with ya. I’m pretty sure you will run away like most anonymous posters.
Veras is a AAA pitcher. Hawkins isn’t much better. What do we expect? The bullpen has gone from strength to weakness but thats the price we pay for a stud starter.
Do you get into a fight with someone daily SJ? A people person aren’t you?
Willie is a goner. They should have just fired him today.
So the bullpen is a major weakness now?
Alrighty….
There you go S.A. injecting logic into the debate.
Its much easier to say “Hawkins Sucks, fire Cashman”, because he pitched poorly today.
He didn’t pitch well today. He pitched well prior to today.
The biggest problem this team has is its offense. They still struggle against lefties because Duncan and Ensberg aren’t hitting, Posada is still out and Arod just got back.
Rasner pitched very well. Hawkins did not but, if Veras gets that third out, the game is still in play.
It didn’t happen. Both guys had pitched well lately. Just not today.
Its a team built on offense. When they don’t hit, they don’t win.
They have played the Mariners 6 times this year. If you take those games out, they have played 45 games this year.
They are 19-26 in those games.
In those 45 games, they have scored 172 runs. That’s 3.82 runs per game.
Last year, they averaged 5.97 runs a game.
That’s the issue. Two runs a game less than last year. That’s a HUGE dropoff.
Everything else is just the strawman for the day.
“What games are you talking about?
So far this year the only games in which he crapped the bed were TB on April 4th(6 runs-we lost 13-4 ) and Balt on April 18th (3runs-we lost 8-2). Today wasn’t his finest moment either.
So what are these close games that he comes in..in which “a lot of runs†are crossing the plate?”
YOU OBVIOUSLY do not watch the games…
Let’s look at that TB game on 4/4 shall we… Top of the 8th… Yanks losing 6-4… LAtroy comes in… gives up 6 earned runs… TB scores 7 in the inning… Yanks lose 13-4.
That’s what I call runs crossing the plate… That was his 2nd appearance for NY… What about his first game?
That came against TOR… Yanks down 4-0… 7th inning… Latroy gives up a run… Yanks would score 2 runs in the bottom of the inning. OK… not horrible…
How about in BALT on 4/18… He comes in to replace Hughes, score at 3-1 (Balt) and he allows 3 runs (2 hits, 1 BB)…
HIs next appearance almost turned a 4-run Yankee lead into a terrible loss… He came in to pitch the 8th… got 1 out but gave up 2 runs… Had to be taken out…
next night in CHI… Yanks down by 2… Latroy gives up another run.
We saw what happened today. He couldn’t hold the deficit…
As you can see… His last stretch you speak of… Yankees lost 6 of the 8 games he pitched in… The other two were Yanks blow outs…
The Mets look downright terrible. They should have just canned him. If he lost a game last weekend to us they would have. That saved his jobby job.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/articl.....8;c_id=mlb
Hawkins is the mop up pitcher. Today was his chance to pitch in close games and what does he do?? Yea, we all had to witness that disaster. You won’t see him or Veras pitch in a meaningful game now for a long, long time.
I’m get of being called names on this board everyday.
No problem meeting up. I live in FLA but can be mobile at any time.
Let’s take it off the board and find a time and place.
“Let’s look at that TB game on 4/4 shall we… Top of the 8th… Yanks losing 6-4… LAtroy comes in… gives up 6 earned runs… TB scores 7 in the inning… Yanks lose 13-4.
That’s what I call runs crossing the plate… That was his 2nd appearance for NY… What about his first game?
That came against TOR… Yanks down 4-0… 7th inning… Latroy gives up a run… Yanks would score 2 runs in the bottom of the inning. OK… not horrible…
How about in BALT on 4/18… He comes in to replace Hughes, score at 3-1 (Balt) and he allows 3 runs (2 hits, 1 BB)…
HIs next appearance almost turned a 4-run Yankee lead into a terrible loss… He came in to pitch the 8th… got 1 out but gave up 2 runs… Had to be taken out…
next night in CHI… Yanks down by 2… Latroy gives up another run.
We saw what happened today. He couldn’t hold the deficit…
As you can see… His last stretch you speak of… Yankees lost 6 of the 8 games he pitched in… The other two were Yanks blow outs…”
Oh yes..he’s a runs machine for the opposing team. Let’s send him away right now. Off with his head!
Thanks SJ44 for backing down from the challenge. I knew you had no heart but it’s good to see it for real. Typical all talk no bite anonymous poster. A little tip for ya. You should keep your mouth shut if you can’t handle the heat.
correction; I’m getting tired of being called names on this blog everyday.
We are just talking baseball. But, if folks want to make it more than that, I’m all in.
At some point, the namecalling is going to stop. If it means face to face, so be it.
Noticed SWB has been using Steven White out of the pen. Not sure why, but it hasn’t gone well. Not a good day for SWB hurlers. 6 homers allowed by Karstens, White, and Traber.
Speaking of lefties, it does feel like a rather high ratio of lefties have been thrown at us lately
Just how many lefty starters are there in the league?
One Mets star got snippy with John Hayman, coming up on sny. i wonder who it is.
DFA Hawkins. He is garbage.
That time of the month for SJ apparently. Relax.
Blargh
I noticed that as well. I think within the last 7 games we must have seen 6 lefties.
Tomorrow is another lefty. Yay?
It is sinful that this team doesn’t have a lefty in the bullpen.
Why can’t they go out and get one of the lefty’s from Pitt and have them throw in Dougie M in the deal? Hes showed he can play 3b and we all know hes an amazing glove at 1b. We can say see ya to Ensberg.
Fredo,
They met with White and decided to move him to the bullpen.
He was in agreement because he felt it would get him to the majors faster than if he stayed in the rotation.
i havnt been following the mets all that much this year.. but one thing ive been hearing is how reyes has been making alot mental mistakes.
just curious.. what happened to all the met fans who liked reyes and wright over jeter and arod.
for all the physical advantages reyes may have, nobody plays the game like jeter and wright will never have a season like arod did last year..
It’s the nature of the beast it comes with the territory.
Tomorrow is another lefty. Yay?
And Burress OWNS us.
“Veras is a AAA pitcher. Hawkins isn’t much better. What do we expect? The bullpen has gone from strength to weakness but thats the price we pay for a stud starter.”
WELL… we basically won on SAT b/c of the Joba switch… Otherwise… it would have been Veras/Hawkins/Ohlendorf to pitch the 6th/7th… YIKES!
Joba got us SIX huge outs.. Yanks added soem runs… They won. SO, Having JOba in his new role helped YANKS win.
AND… even if Joba was still the bridge to MO… He wouldn’t have pitched in the 7th… We still lose.
ALSO… I’m not saying Hawkins is killing this team or that Britton is the answer. All I’m pointing out is that CASH$ looks foolish for his logic… Why on Earth would he think Hawkins would be worth 3.5 million a year?
How good was Bruney? He almost started season in AAA b/c Cash signed Hawkins. AND, as I pointed out… Britton was the better pitcher (if you look at 2006). SO, I find it puzzling as to why CASH would sign Latroy to begin with.
EVERYONE knew it was a strange signing… Britton could have easily coughed up 6 runs today, and did it for 700K.
Cash says he wants to go with youth and reduce payroll but then he signs Igawa and Hawkins?
Face it… If I look at what Britton did for BALT in 2006 and what HAWKINS did, and I consider that Britton is 10 years younger and 3-million cheaper… I don’t sign Latroy… I give Britton a chance.
AGAIN… Signing LAtroy almost cost Bruney his chance…
Oh…it was Delgado who got pissy
We really do need a lefty in the pen. Out of 45 guys there we can’t have one???
A travesty of putting a roster together.
Anyone catch what question ticked Delgado off?
“Tomorrow is another lefty. Yay?
And Burress OWNS us.”
——–
matthew frags:
Totally right. Anyone that wants Hawkins/Veras pitching important innings is blind.
Jennifer-I didn’t hear what Heyman asked Carlos
Oh Was asked Does Willie come back does he deserve to come back.
That is what ticked him off.
Why isn’t Britton here? You can trade Hawkins right now for maple bats.
“Oh…it was Delgado who got pissy”
Not shocking, but then again Heyman is an ass on his good days.
Poor Willie. He is so fired.
Someone please take John Heyman to Bloomies to buy a new suit. It is UGLY!!
In 2006… BOTH pitchers were on Baltimore’s staff…
Latroy turns 36 in December.
Britton turns 26 in December.
Hawkins: 60.1 IP, 73 hits, 30 earned runs (4 HR), 15 BB, 27 K… 4.48 era, .300 batting avg against.
Britton: 53.2 IP, 46 hits, 20 earned runs (4 HR), 17 BB, 41 K… 3.35 era, .228 batting avg against.
As you can see… Britton clearly had the better year. Not to mention it was his rookie campaign, his first taste of major league baseball.
Hawkins allowed 25 more base runners in only 6.2 extra innings compared to Britton.
SO… we’ve seen both pitchers, on the same staff, pitch in the AL East two years ago…Britton already proved to be the more productive pitcher… He’s also TEN years younger and is THREE million dollars cheaper…
YET… despite his claims of getting younger and cutting payroll… CASH$ decides to sign Latroy and keep Britton in the minors?
In his entire career so far (71 IP)… Britton has still only allowed 26 earned runs… FOUR fewer than Latroy in 2006.
The Yanks don’t need a vet in the locker room… a vet to “Eat” innings. Cash should swallow his pride and build for the future… Let Britton pitch… We need to find out if he can assume a role in the BP… IF NOT, we need to move on. IT DOES THIS TEAM NO GOOD running Latroy out there.
Heyman has Delgado like Pete has Farnsworth.
“SO, I find it puzzling as to why CASH would sign Latroy to begin with.”
Cause no other reliever was taking only a 1 year deal?
If we got another free agent, he’d be about the same effectiveness AND you’d complain about the length of the contract too
The guys wanting Hawkins here ie SJ44 don’t know how to read stats or totally ignore them when it doesn’t go there way. Goes a little above their heads.
back to the topic…
I remember when Willie got the Mets job, I told a friend “I am happy he’s getting a shot, but he is going to regret it”.
Looks like I was right. He should’ve stayed in the Bronx.
Cause no other reliever was taking only a 1 year deal?
If we got another free agent, he’d be about the same effectiveness AND you’d complain about the length of the contract too
Isn’t that the point??? We didn’t need a veteran reliever that is that average when we got young guys ready to go.
I remember when Willie got the Mets job, I told a friend “I am happy he’s getting a shot, but he is going to regret itâ€.
Looks like I was right. He should’ve stayed in the Bronx.
Because he was getting sooooo many offers from all the interviews he went on right????
Who turns down a job in the majors??
jennifer,
You dig Straw’s suit???
Luckily we avoid Cabrera this three gamer. If Burress owns us than Cacrera dominates us.
How is it “going above anybody’s heads?
Half his outings during his good streak came in one run games. You said he only pitched in mopup duty in attaining his scoreless streak.
The stats say otherwise.
He stunk today.
Nobody is saying he is great or they want to see him pitch 8th innings.
We just said he was good lately until today. Its that simple.
Hawkins and Veras got their shots today.
They failed miserably. Back to mop up duty and Ohlendorf, Ramirez and whoever else get the next shot.
The glare from Strawberry’s head was a bit much
“If we got another free agent, he’d be about the same effectiveness AND you’d complain about the length of the contract too”
simple answer see
now we can review alot of Hawkin’s innings
take for example the game in Cleveland he relieved Kennedy and kept the game winnable
The game vs Detroit Shelley Maas gets a hit we’re praisind Hawkins
people will seemingly look for the negative it’s simple today wasn’t our day, we’re on the road playing Baltimore and it just wasn’t our day you can’t just run a train through the AL East it’s not the same.
Hawkins is a mop up pitcher. Not hard to have a scoreless streak in games that don’t matter. Don’t let that get above the head, SJ44. Wouldn’t want you crying about it.
Steve,
I’m just saying that going there wasn’t a great career move. Another, better offer would’ve come along at some point.
I wonder what would of happened if Joba pitched today?
Yancy
I didn’t take note of Straws suit.
Hawkins is fine for what he is. But he shouldn’t be pitching important innings. He should be taking the ball in the middle innings to not burn out the pen.
Regarding Britton: the guy’s been going back and forth between the major league club and the minors this year; the mystery here is why Girardi just about never uses him. Sure, he looks like just another average reliever, but it’s weird that he wasn’t even being used as a fodder arm.
“Isn’t that the point??? We didn’t need a veteran reliever that is that average when we got young guys ready to go.”
Two of those guys are Britton and Ohlendorf and it seems to me they are mismanaging the bleep out of those guys. Jury’s still out on Edwar and the technicolor change-up. I’d like to see Ohlendorf get a serious look at the 8th inning gig for the next couple months til/if Melancon is good to go.
I never wanted Hawkins in the first place but hes not the reason we lost.
they wouldn’t have brought him in, in the 7th.
Straws suit is fine.
It is disgraceful how they have treated Ohlendorf this yr out of the pen. HES NOT A LONG MAN!!! They trying to stretch him out to start or something???
the guy who stunk today was Veras, he left 2 fastballs up and in the middle, the Hawkins run was scored on a bloop fisted ball over Jete’s head WTF is the problem, he got squeezed at the plate got one in on Mora’s hand, Mora’s a .414 hitter w/ RISP sh.. happens.
Ohlendorf has been awful this year no matter what inning he comes in.
At least it wasn’t Farnsworth giving it up.
Minaya should be the one fired too. Let’s see how that Santana contract looks in 3 years.
Willie has this team 3 games under 500 the past 158 games. That is terrible for a team with that much talent. He has to go.
It looks like they don’t know what to do with Ohlendorf at times. I think part of it though is Joe has some faith in him and goes to him when he feels he needs him, no matter the situation.
“Ohlendorf has been awful this year no matter what inning he comes in.”
definitely not a Yankee fan, there is no way people can say that if you reguarly watched the games and seen what he had to do this season
Minaya def needs to get more grief from people..
Instead..Willie is the new Marcia Brady..
Willie..Willie..Willie
“Ohlendorf has been awful this year no matter what inning he comes in.”
He’s struggled some, but in other instances he’s bordered on dominant. Yanks really need to define a role for him before he can be expected to achieve optimum results.
“Cause no other reliever was taking only a 1 year deal?
If we got another free agent, he’d be about the same effectiveness AND you’d complain about the length of the contract too”
Look at the success of Brian Bruney earlier this year… Look at Edwar Ramirez right now (and his 0.00 era).
We don’t need an average vet pitcher just for the sake of having one. MAYBE… MAYBE… if that RP was a viable LHP… then I could accept it.
BUT… Edwar and Bruney just prove how foolish CASH$ is…
Want another example? Matsui’s pal, Hideki Okijima called NY and offered his services… Would have cost 1.5 million… AND HE’s a lefty, something NY doesn’t have… CASH$ wouldn’t even return his call…
That mistake is only compounded when he opts to give Latroy Hawkins 3.5 million… WHY? B/C… he wants a “proven” vet… SO, despite saying we’re going with youth… He wont give Edwar, Bruney, Brittona chance.
I don’t mind watching Ross Ohlendorf take his lumps… B/C I hope that investment pays off down the road… After watching these vets come and go… I don’t want to wacth 35 yr-olds fail and then go o their way!
THAT’S THE POINT!
We have the kids in the farm… It’s supposed to be their time. I certainly don’t want to stunt their growth b/c I want to give Latroy Hawkis the ball. We have that vet- Kyle Farnsworth. Why CASH felt he needed another one… CRAZY!
Especially given the success of Bruney and Edwar!
Almost half of his earned runs came in 2 games where he pitched more than 2 innings. Take those away and he has been quite impressive this season.
anyone else notice posters that we’ve never seen in our life post in this blog prior to today all the sudden after a loss they are here, rather strange isn’t it ?
Brandon
100% correct. I guess school is being let out.
be back later
yeah Brandon there’s an abnormal number of imbeciles here today.
Jenn good luck w/ these newbies I got to step out.
The thing about the young arms is you never know when/if they will be ready for the big leagues. Hawkins was a cheap stopgap until those guys are ready.
Er, leave out Bruney when you list people who aren’t/weren’t getting chances. The guy was used just about every other day until he got knocked out for the year.
Pokey 100% correct. If he pitches like garbage this year, than they will cut ties and bring up a kid.
“Almost half of his earned runs came in 2 games where he pitched more than 2 innings. Take those away and he has been quite impressive this season.”
No doubt about this… A big game in SEPT… ESPECIALLY in OCT… Just like when the Viz walked Hafner last ALDS, or Gordon in Game-5 2004 ALCS… Hawkins will blow it.
SO… why bother with him?
Hawkins cannot handle the pressure. We know it, it’s been proven. SO, why take work away from Edwar, Bruney, Britton?
The Mets better win this week or there will be one former Yank head rolling.
matthew- I was taling about Ohlendorf, not Hawkins
Brandon (supporting “Alex being Alex”) (J.Santana HR allowed count: 11 ) May 26th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
“Ohlendorf has been awful this year no matter what inning he comes in.â€
definitely not a Yankee fan, there is no way people can say that if you reguarly watched the games and seen what he had to do this season
Check how many inherited runners have scored on Ohlendorf and then come back here and ask if I watch any games. he’s been miscast and its hurting him.
I’d rather see Cox, Britton, Patterson up here than Hawkins.
Why all the love for Britton? In the few innings he HAS pitched, it’s been nothing special. If he was something great he’d be pitching a lot more. Trust me friends, those baseball people know a lot more about the talent they have than we, the sofa scouts do.
Well you better be patient, b/c Cox isn’t going to be with the big club until at least the ASB.
I remember when some proclaimed Reyes was better than Jeter…
Not anymore…
How he has fallen…
“matthew- I was taling about Ohlendorf, not Hawkins”
I agree… No matter what Ohlendorf does… That’s building for the future. I don;t like what CASH$ did w/ our payroll… It makes me sick. SO, I’m not on board giving an average RP 3.5 million a year just to have an insurance arm. I would prefer to give a 25 yr-old prospect, who already proved he could handle it… I would prefer to go with youth… cheap youth!
Cash should have found a lefty… NOt Hawkins…
Mo
Joba
Bruney
Edwar
Britton
Lefty (?)
Ohlendorf
Kyle
That’s the bullpen he should’ve had faith in this winter. All this talk about youth and payroll is utter nonsense when you look at Cash$ record.
Kei Igawa anyone?
Watch for a bad home stand, in that case, he will be fired at the end of it. If they have a good one, that’ll buy him some time until another bad streak.
Wow I did not realize that Luis Gonzalez was still playing!!
Good to see Jose Reyes is still playing like garbage. And people compared him to Jeter! HAHA that is laughable.
“Why all the love for Britton? In the few innings he HAS pitched, it’s been nothing special. If he was something great he’d be pitching a lot more. Trust me friends, those baseball people know a lot more about the talent they have than we, the sofa scouts do.”
I’m just using him as an example… b/c he is the perfect example… Both Britton and Hawkins pitched for the Orioles in 2006… Britton posted better numbers… He’s ten years younger, he was already in the organization… SO, given what happened in 2006 (Britton’s rookie year)… What would possess CASH$ to sign Latroy.
If Britton was “great” or “worthy” in the organization’s eye… and he was better than Latroy pitching in the AL EAST… what would possess the Yanks to bring Latroy back from the NL to be a crucial clog in our RP corps?
INSANE.
REMEMBER… They almost left Bruney in AAA for Hawkins. Edwar has been held back, for Hawkins… I’m not saying Britton is the answer…
BUT… we all knew what a 35 yr-old Hawkins would be… A decent, average, up-&-down pitcher… Give you 60 IP, 5.00 era.
Why not give Britton those innings… See what you got… This way you cut ties with him if he fails… He is wasting a spot on the 40-man roster… Which means some young prospect will be exposed in the rule-5 draft!
jennifer, I don’t know what’s going to happen in Reyes’ career but Jeter is going to be a Hall of Famer especially once he gets 3,000 hits.
I just got done looking at Jeter’s stats and he has scored over 100 runs 11 times in his career.
I wish Chris Britton could hit lefties and play first base.
Karstens was supposed to be that lefty, until he imploded in ST and got hurt. Then Traber blew his shot.
The Marlins are in 1st. That Det trade is really working out for them. They got rid of Willis at the right time and ridding that clubhouse of Cabrera was much needed. He would have eaten Uggla.
“Pokey May 26th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Karstens was supposed to be that lefty, until he imploded in ST and got hurt. Then Traber blew his shot”
Karstens is a righty.
Don’t worry, frags. Hawkins won’t be here much longer.
This is his bad karma for taking #21.
I’m glad there are other people who notice the mismanagement of Ohlendorf. I still think Girardi is a doing a much better job than Torre with the pen, but the main reason Ohlendorf was moved to relief was that his stuff got better…thus making him a long man goes against that logic.
And Willie must have puckered up his lips and applied them to some Wilpon butt to survive…for now.
Headline on SI Sports off of CNN, “Yanks lose to O’s, return to the cellar”…Olson? Olson? LOL, Yanks 3 hits off this guy, they should be contracted. But wait, this is the EASY part of the schedule folks.
my bad… I don’t know where that came from…
Hope everyone had a nice holiday. I was at the Stadium for Saturday’s game. It was quite entertaining,especially when the home plate umpire lost track of the count and mistakenly called Beltre out on strikes to “end” the game. Sinatra started singing, the Yanks came out of the dugout to congratulate each other and there was Betre standing at home plate…one of the few people in the building who knew the correct count LOL
Just getting caught up on the posting and am very sorry to see these creeps giving SJ44 such a hard time. I don’t agree with him at times, but his arguments are always reasoned and thought out. He knows his baseball and so his stance always has merit. There are a lot of folks that are antagonistic, SJ44 isn’t one of them. There’s no reason to call him names.
Agree Drive 4-5
I very much enjoy reading SJ44′s insight and analysis. He has not posted in the last few days; glad to see his return.
Drive 4-5,
Agreed on SJ44. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with him, there is almost always something to be learned from his posts.
Keep it civil people.
The Mets may regret not firing him today.
I have been reading this blog for over 1-1/2 years now, and I’ve learned to skip certain posters, and to look for certain posters. I come here for intelligent discussion, to learn more about baseball in general and the Yankees in particular. And occassionally about non-baseball, life-in-general topics.
SJ44 is one whom I look for (among several others), for the reasons stated above.
Drive4-5 – I was at the game Saturday, also. I couldn’t figure out what was going on in the 9th, thinking someone must have called time, because no way the umpire missed the ball-strike call (LOL).
Happy Memorial Day, everybody. You, too, Pete.
I’ll disagree. SJ44 is a constant case of starting trouble. The board has enough troublemakers. I don’t think you can call people “creeps” because they don’t like what he has to say. He does come across as a little holier than thou.
Everytime the Yankees lose, there are people here who act as if it was a personal act against them. Sheesh, people, it’s just a game (for you, not for the players, who seem to have a better handle on this, and it’s their livelihood).
It’s one thing to express how disappointed you feel because the team you followed lost. It’s another thing altogether to heap abuse on other posters. Plus, it’s amazing how the big picture seems to disappear with every loss. Do some people here really think the Yankees are going to win every game they play? In a really good season, a team is going to lose 1 out of every 3 they play, more or less.
The Yankees bullpen has been very good this year. Very good. But they aren’t going to be perfect and they are going to have a bad outing now and again. And the Yankees have a very difficult time with left handed pitching. Hopefully that gets sorted out sooner than later, but at least when Jorge returns, it should improve a bit. Anyway, it’s really difficult to read through here after a loss. But I do it because of some of the people who come here trying to have a conversation. Most of the time you can just scroll past the negativity, but sometimes it’s blaring and difficult to ignore.
Last time I looked the Mets were ahead – they’re losing 6-3 now. It’s gotta be so uncomfortable for Willie to be under this game-by-game scrutiny.
No one has a fan club of trolls like SJ though. He’s got that going for him.
NY Mex, they follow him, don’t they? lol
“Cash should have found a lefty… NOt Hawkins…
Mo
Joba
Bruney
Edwar
Britton
Lefty (?)
Ohlendorf
Kyle
That’s the bullpen he should’ve had faith in this winter. All this talk about youth and payroll is utter nonsense when you look at Cash$ record.
That’s the bullpen he should’ve had faith in this winter. All this talk about youth and payroll is utter nonsense when you look at Cash$ record.”
You say you wanted Cashman to go with youth on this team correct? There was no need to sign a veteran reliever, correct?
Do you recall Billy Traber being with the team and what hand he throws with?
How great will that press conf in SNY be this week when they announce Willie is fired?
Traber is the best lefty they could find? The past what? 5 years since Stanton left?
Question: when was the last time tampa bay lost?
May 21 to Oakland
feels like they never lose these days…
“Traber is the best lefty they could find? The past what? 5 years since Stanton left?”
How many good left handed pitchers do you remember being free agents this past year?
“He does come across as a little holier than thou.”
Hey Kevin, get a life if you think that’s a good reason to attack SJ. The guy definately knows what he’s talking about and it sounds like you have quite the complex my friend.
SJ44, welcome back to the blog. Keep fighting the good fight, it must be annoying being singled out by idiot trolls on one side and head in the sand cheerleaders thinking they can stop your sometimes negative, though always thought out analysis. Rest assured that the majority of readers on this blog very much like having you here.
I didn’t see the press conference but did read this write up. Unless I am really missing something, there is nothing in there that says Willie’s job is in jeopardy or that he is day to day.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/articl.....8;c_id=mlb
Let’s go Pistons!
“Willie Randolph is our manager. There is no limbo,” Minaya said. “He’s the manager and I hope he is our manager for many years to come.”
This is why I said I think it is good practice to believe nothing you read in the press unless there is direct atribution. Even with this, columnists seem hell bent to make themselves look like they had it right rather than admit they were way off base.
I find that so distasteful.
Yes,
GO PISTONS!!!!
And of course,
GO MARINERS!!!!!
ah dammit there is already some jackass in Shea straining his voice trying to start a “Fire Randolph” chant
The Mets are more dead than the Yankees were last week.
“How many good left handed pitchers do you remember being free agents this past year?”
And trades don’t happen in baseball???
Marc from Portland Maine May 26th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
“He does come across as a little holier than thou.â€
Hey Kevin, get a life if you think that’s a good reason to attack SJ. The guy definately knows what he’s talking about and it sounds like you have quite the complex my friend.
I’ll get that life, Marc. Right away. Way to attack me personally for giving a valid opinion. That is how you treat people you don’t agree with? Tell them to get a life?? That’s what you get here. Always some bad apples in the bunch. Thanks, Marc.
Randolph is a dead man walking. The definition of lame duck.
Watching Joe Smith… Is he similar to JB Cox?
“That is how you treat people you don’t agree with?”
C’mon Kevin. Did you really write that after you attacked SJ for his opinion? Better get that life real quick.
call up cox already!
What caused the delay in the Met game?
Let’s go for 7 in a row !!!…starting tomorrow !!! and June is going to be REALLY Sweet as well as we get A-Rod with more games under his belt and Posada as a HUGE upgrade over Molina….we are looing good. Today’s loss is but a leetle bump in the road, MEESTER !
“What caused the delay in the Met game?”
backstop billboard stopped rolling sponsors
heheh
heheh 
heheh 
hmmm take 2 The Mighty Johan Santana vs Hanley Ramirez and wild swinging power hitting Dan Uggla
So….not a fun day for NY baseball…
Thanks Brandon.
“heheh
heheh 
heheh 
”
Its just about impossible to trade for LHRP. Few teams have good lefty relievers. Those that do either won’t deal them or hold out for a bounty.
Cashman talked to the Pirates about Marte. They wanted Tabata. When they couldn’t get Tabata, they asked for Austin Jackson.
He talked to the White Sox about Matt Thornton. No dice. He wasn’t on the market.
As Seattle continues to flounder, I’d keep an eye on Ryan Roland Smith. He’s actually not bad and perhaps Seattle will begin to look to moves players as they fade out of the race. He’s a guy I’d take a flyer on if he becomes available later this season.
I wouldn’t trade Austin Jackson or Jose Tabata for Damaso Marte.
They brought in Billy Traber to be the lefty specialist. Lefties were 9-51 last season against Traber. He was lights out against lefties all spring. All good signs heading into the season.
Unfortunately, when the season started, he couldn’t get the job done.
Its kind of hard to second guess that move after the fact. Especially when the guy was so good last year and in the spring against lefties.
Heath Phillips was the backup lefty specialist. He has also struggled in AAA.
Its definitely a weakness with the team. Its just not something that can be easily fixed during the season by finding a lefty from another club.
For most of this season, the Yankee bullpen has been very good. Their problem is not the bullpen. Its the offense.
Take out the 6 games against Seattle this year and they have scored 175 runs in 45 games. That’s an average of 3.82 runs a game.
Last year, they average 5.97 runs per game.
They are down over 2 runs per game so far this year. That’s a significant dropoff.
NOBODY could have guessed, nor anticipated, the offense would be this bad this late into the season.
When your run production is down that much, you are in trouble. Especially for a team built on offense like the Yankees.
Simply put, they have to hit. If they don’t hit, their pitching is not good enough to support an offense that averages less than 4 runs a game.
I think the bigger concern for this team is the lack of righty offense off the bench. Gonzalez (who has been sent down), Betemit from the right side (automatic out), Ensberg and Duncan have not hit at all.
Add to it Posada’s absence and its easy to see why they struggle so much against lefties.
I think they are going to need to find a righty bat or two for the bench as they approach the trade deadline.
That’s easier to find than a lefty specialist. As the season is unfolding, it also seems like a bigger need right now.
SJ how about a team like SF w/ Jonathan Sanchez or San Diego w/ what’s his face Ledezma ?
or the Braves Mike Gonzalex although they are looking for SP in return could we live w/ giving them Marquez or Kontos ?
Gonzalez *
I look forward to SJ’s comments and learn a lot from them. Re Willie Randolph’s situation, this is a crummy way to treat a good manager and a good man. Can’t see anything good coming out of it.
Brandon,
SD may be a better trade partner than the Giants.
I don’t see the Giants giving up a young arm like Sanchez. They will work with him and try to develop him because he’s got talent.
SD? I was in SD last week and Kevin Towers aired out the team after one of their less than inspiring efforts.
I think he would have no problem trading guys if they continue to struggle.
Ledezma? He’s an interesting guy. When he was with Detroit, I thought he was going to be a very good pitcher.
Evidently, he got into it with Leyland and there were also questions about his work ethic. He’s bounced around the last couple of years.
JMO but, when you have played for Bobby Cox and Jim Leyland and have still bounced around, that’s a warning flare to me.
If you can’t play for those guys, you got problems. They are two of the best managers to play for in the game.
I haven’t seen him pitch this year so, I don’t know how he is throwing.
I’m sure that’s a guy that could become available.
Whether he can do the job or not is another thing.
You are on track though with the type of guy that will be available as the season moves forward.
Mike Gonzalez won’t be available.
The plan the Braves have laid out is to have Gonzalez, Smoltz and Rafael Soriano all in the bullpen and create a type of power bullpen.
They feel they can buttress Glavine’s starts with power guys in the ‘pen and those 3 are the guys they are counting on when they get healthy.
I read all the SJ bashing tonight and came away reminded of The Discovery Channel and all the clumsy, loud adolescent male animals that launch pathetic attacks on the established leaders of the herd for primacy, flailing away and being repelled.
(SJ: I guess they think you are the alpha male around here… you know, when Pete’s not around)
Fire Omar first.
Good rule of thumb: someone who thinks he or she is smarter than Brian Cashman probably won’t appreciate SJ44′s posts.
I agree that the Giants probably won’t want to give up any of their young pitching. But my sources in the SF front office tell me that Sabean might be willing to listen to offers for one Barry Zito. That’s if we’re really serious about getting a lefty specialist for the bullpen.
murph,
Its too funny. You get all these internet tough guys talking junk until you call them on it. Then, they change course and go back to crying about the Yankees.
It ain’t my fault the team is strugglin’. Sometimes, I don’t some of these folks really get that point.
I am a leader of nothing here. I just like talking baseball on a level that’s above, “They suck, fire everybody”.
Unfortunately, its not a video game and that’s not the way the business of baseball is run.
Pete doesn’t want the blog to turn into simpleton central and I think most of the long time posters here agree with him on that point.
I’m just tryin’ to do my share in that regard.
Barry Zito??
How about Kei Igawa straight up??
SJ44- just ignore the fools
I enjoy your posts.
Uh Oh Pistons..the pesky Celtics are gaining ground…6 point game now….
Does anyone cry here more than SJ44? Who cares? it’s a Yankee posting board. Get over it and get over yourself.
Nice Yankee-related post on this Yankee posting board, Jason NJ. I’m not sure I agree with you on your analysis of Joba’s last outing, but your insights on Alfredo Aceves are appreciated. Keep it up.
Things could be worse after today’s game.
We could root for the team based in Queens.
Who doesn’t hate rapists?
You got it, Nick in SF. Always reliable with some needless name calling and putdown. I’ll never know how you do it. But keep up the good work with your non Yank related posts.
Jason NJ:
I think you’re crying a little loud yourself right about now.
Who cares about basketball? It’s almost freaking June.
No one has the trolls support him more than SJ44 here. It is almost eerier if it wasn’t so phony. The ego on SJ is out of proportion. SJ, why do you care so much? You give forceful opinions that I usually informative and well put forth. You really think that everyone will agree with you especially when you present them in the manner in which you do??
Bartolo Colon is fatter than Joba, I think.
my man no one cares what you think ^^^
Nothing more exciting than anonymous dudes going back and forth over a message board. Wow. Shake it up
I don’t care how fat Joba is/gets. As long as he pitches like the champ he is.
The Mets should have hired Torre in November.
Colon pitching pretty well tonight though, lardbucket though he is. One run, 70-odd pitches through six. Could be a large presence in AL east.
Speaking of large, what’s David Wells up to these days?
I apologize for the name calling if anyone was offended. In my defense, I didn’t realize that anyone would consider “Jason NJ” to be a pejorative.
Here’s some Yankee content: by my math, they’re averaged 6.29 runs in the 7 games since Arod’s return and gone 5-2 in those games. Seattle helped a lot, but that’s still a positive sign.
SJ44 said:
“For most of this season, the Yankee bullpen has been very good. Their problem is not the bullpen.”
I wonder if we’ll be saying the same thing in a couple of months…now that we’re firmly entrenched in the Post-Joba in the pen phase…
It is amazing what SNY has become. I understand from busines perspective why it has gone that route but basially it has become sports talk radio on TV without the listener call ins. Between the loudmouth show, the sportsnite show where they have two “journalists” (no offense but I dont count a weekend sports anchor from TV a journalist debating the plusses and minuses of the various teams.
I wont even get into the stupid beer money show that really is the lowest common demoninator. It is no wonder that Willie has issues with the network. I dont think his comments were directed at the actual Mets game coverage although they go to their sideline reporter more than any broadcast I have ever watched I mean even the Fox national broadcast doesnt go to Rosenthal more thana few times. Can you imagine breaking i every other inning with Kim JOnes reporting from the stands about something whether it be meaningful or not.
They basially have set themselves up just like Comcast in Philly with a tie in with a local newspaper etc etc.
YES is by no means a prefect network either but really SNY has the pits.
The Yanks should make a play for the guy I watch daily here. Brian Fuentes. Lefty. Would be a great addition to that pen. What they give up? I have no idea but I doubt he’d come cheap. Sellers market.
SNY is a total ripoff of ESPN.
Daily News Live is First Take.
Loud Mouths is PTI.
Wheelhouse is Around the Horn.
They got zero originality there.
If the bullpen does what they did today the rest of the yr, you are going to have many unhappy fans here.
Rasner goes 6 with 1 run?
Thats not starting pitchings fault.
Hawkins is garbage.
“The Yanks should make a play for the guy I watch daily here. Brian Fuentes. Lefty. Would be a great addition to that pen. What they give up? I have no idea but I doubt he’d come cheap. Sellers market.”
yeh I don’t see that happening at all
I enjoy SJ’s posts but boy is the guy sensitive. I mean have a laugh once in a while. It’s baseball.
two outs, man on first – bad thing today
Sox put up a 4 spot in the same situation
DFA Hawkins already. We can find mop up guys who deserve a chance in Scranton.
why DFA hawkins?? he’s been pitching really well lately… outside of today and the Luke Scott incident he’s been fine
Cashman will never admit his mistake with Hawkins.
Osi-
That’s b/c it’s not a mistake. It’s a 1 year deal.
I second the comments made by Gayle about SNY. Most vanity networks concentrate on the team, the managers etc. and try to put only positive and supportive shows on the air. SNY doesn’t do that – they just want to make noise and allow their ‘pundits’ to scream and yell about the team and managers. Is this supposed to be helpful to the Mets? I think not. SNY is not helping the Mets, it is hurting the Mets.
YES, on the other hand, is the epitome of fandom.
In effect, it’s Omar Minaya that needs to be truly held responsible. He put this fisaco in Queens together with junkyard heaps like Alou and a host of others together and given to Willie to make the most out of.
After the meltdown of 2007 he absolutely had to get Santana to restore some kind of credibility in Queens but added no other missing pieces.
How many heart to heart talks has he had with a headcase like Reyes ?
Willie would be smart to resign now rather than twist in the wind and expose Minaya for what he really is, a failed general manager.
Stop whining about Hawkins. If he didn’t give up those runs, would we have won? No. The offense didn’t produce so it didn’t matter if Hawkins put a 0 on the board or not.
End of story. Stop blaming (once again) the pitching.
It is a mistake even on a one yr deal. What pitcher has the highest career ERA at the Stadium???
Yea, Hawkins.
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