MLB presents Bon Jovi at Central Park
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- July
- 1
In case you missed it. MLB is holding a free Bon Jovi show at Central Park on July 12 at 8 p.m.
Beginning Wednesday, July 2, tickets will be distributed at baseball parks and events throughout New York City. The bulk of tickets distributed at the ballparks will be found at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, with others made available at Shea Stadium in Queens, KeySpan Park in Brooklyn, and at the home of the Staten Island Yankees at 9 a.m. In addition, tickets also will be available in Manhattan at DHL All-Star FanFest at the Jacob K. Javits Center on Friday, July 11.
Beginning immediately, fans can also register online at www.mlb.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, to enter a random drawing to win free concert tickets. The registration period will conclude on Monday, July 7 at 12 p.m. (EDT) and winners will be notified via e-mail by Wednesday, July 9. All online drawing winners will receive instructions on how to redeem their tickets, which Ticketmaster has agreed to waive its traditional fees for. Upon redemption, all tickets will be delivered as print at home tickets and can be printed out immediately.
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on Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 at 5:25 am by Peter Abraham.
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Niceee
Sorry I missed the gig at Foley’s. Bar room baseball discussions can be had for the price of a beer in any old watering hole, but last night’s event looked like it was a real cut above.
Unfortunately, that picture will probably be enough to get most married guys banned from attending such events in the future, if you get my drift
Can Bon Jovi swing a bat? Maybe he could have got a hit last night. What is it? Do some pitchers just have Kryptonite in their back pockets?
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view/2008_07_01_Pat_jailed_for_assaulting_fiancee_with_a_handgun/srvc=pats&position=1
Interesting that the Patriots have all these class acts
Just like Belichick
Did anyone hear where at the stadium they’ll be giving these out? The box office? Inside the stadium?
Seems like that’s ONE guy Bryan. That dude from the Giants been released from jail in Virginia yet???
Only Brett Gardner can make an 0-3 night look good.
He went 3-2 on the first two batters. He grounded out to first time, the umpire blew call 4 the second time.
He grounded into what would have been a double play (turned perfectly and quick) for anyone else on this team and was amazingly safe. He then EASILY stole second. He looks like a Gazelle out there.
Here’s hoping we see more of Gardner!
Another frustrating loss last night.
It’s getting a little funny how you can almost tell how these games will end after the 5th inning.
Can’t bring him up to sit. I think he grabs some time from Melky for a few days. Thought Ball 4 in the second at bat was too close to ignore with 2 strikes, but those were generally good at bats without question.
Melky just looks so lost.
He looks overmatched and almost always looks off-balance.
It’s getting a little funny how you can almost tell how these games will end after the 5th inning.
5th? How about the 2nd. When Arod and Giambi both walked to lead off the inning and Posada, Cano and Melky Mendoza went on makes outs. Posada and Cano were the only guys to have an AB with RISP and less than 2 outs on the night. Guess Texas’ bullpen has improved. Last 10 Yankees hitters went down in order. Tough night.
Fredo Corleone-
Sometimes these games just happen I suppose. Hard to explain them.
I wonder how much more time Melky will be spending in the starting lineup.
“Melky just looks so lost.
He looks overmatched and almost always looks off-balance.”
Not to mention he looks a bit pissed off, especially after Gardner almost ran into him yesterday. But even so, if you can’t perform then you lose playing time. That’s how it works. If Gardner works out, Melky = trading chip.
Who would you say is faster – Reyes or Gardner? I know it’s one sample, but I don’t think Reyes would have been safe on that SURE double play last night.
Melky doesn’t bring you much Russell. There’s probably 20 teams, perhaps more, where he couldn’t start.
““Melky just looks so lost.
He looks overmatched and almost always looks off-balance.â€
Not to mention he looks a bit pissed off, especially after Gardner almost ran into him yesterday. But even so, if you can’t perform then you lose playing time. That’s how it works. If Gardner works out, Melky = trading chip.”
Um, no. Melky’s not much of a trading chip at the moment.
Cashman can’t go out to the market and say ‘hey, we uh, have Kennedy, who, uh, sucked this year, and, uh, Melky Cabrera, who showed flashes of solidity before, uh, sucking. How about it? Can we get CC?’.
I think Melky needs time in AAA to get his swing back. He looked excellent in April, then just lost it. If he were a 10 year vet, you just say it’s a slump, but with a young guy, you need to remedy the problem ASAP.
“Who would you say is faster – Reyes or Gardner? I know it’s one sample, but I don’t think Reyes would have been safe on that SURE double play last night.”
Reyes.
Russell, i think you mistyped this:
“Melky = (valueless) trading chip.”
there, thats better.
and thats not hating on Melky, but he doesnt hold anywhere near the value as a positional prospect that he did even a year ago. he holds value to the Yankees in terms of being a solid 4th OF option for little to no money.
could he be a useful trade commodity? sure. but are teams going to accept a trade package around him? nope.
I was very impressed with Gardner’s first two ABs. Showed excellent plate discipline.
“Melky doesn’t bring you much Russell. There’s probably 20 teams, perhaps more, where he couldn’t start.”
Can’t argue with that, he has been pretty terrible. But none the less – if you can give up Melky instead of Horne, you do it (even though Horne is hurt =/)
As long as Melky struggles, he isn’t a trading chip.
Trades, at least smart ones, don’t take place when you are trying to deal a guy who is struggling. That’s called selling low and it isn’t advisable.
Its not just Melky that’s struggling, the entire team can’t hit this year. Giambi is hitting under .200 w/RISP. Posada has driven in one run in his last 10 games. Jeter’s numbers are down across the board. Cano has been a disaster for most of the season. Add Melky to the mix, and you have over half your lineup underperforming bigtime.
That’s why the offense has been non-existent for most of the season.
Everybody freaks out over the 8th inning and the pitching staff but its been the offense that has held this team down this season. Only Toronto and Seattle, two last place teams, have hit worse with RISP.
Their walks are way down and you can make an argument that only Arod and Damon have hit at or above their normal levels so far this year.
Its past the halfway point of the season and they are as Jeter describes as, “Consistently inconsistent”.
Best description I have heard for this Yankee team.
Hopefully, Gardner and more of the younger players get their chance to play. They have to find out who among these minor league players are legit and who are just hype guys.
They can’t go into another off-season assuming guys from the minors are better than they actually are.
This is the year to play these guys because this is not a playoff team. Give them every chance to play, live with the mistakes, and find out which guys are keepers.
Now I have never claimed to be a genius when it comes to baseball BUT to show how lame the Mets really seem to be Jerry Manuel told the papers that Fernando Tatis will be a late inning replacement for Carlos Delgado at 1st. Correct me if I am wrong didnt they just pick up Andy Phillips how is it that Tatis who I never remember being a good 1st basebam, I always remember him at 3rd is better defensively than Phillips. Can someone please explain this logic to me?
I really hope Melky can get it together at the plate..like soon. He just looks..bad.
Gardner-wow, he is fast.
I wonder if we will be able to score more than 1 run today..
“could he be a useful trade commodity? sure. but are teams going to accept a trade package around him? nope.”
Well – for a team in need of a center/right fielder, I could see a package centered around Melky for a relief pitcher, or even a prospect or two. Maybe Cashman can find a diamond in the rough in someone’s minor league system. Though Melky hasn’t been playing well, he is a major league player, and I could see Cashman finding some AAA value in a trade.
“I always remember him at 3rd is better defensively than Phillips. Can someone please explain this logic to me?”
The same logic as a Met’s manager saying “We are second class to the Yankees.”
“Gardner and more of the younger players get their chance to play.”
really, what other young players do they have that would be ready to play this summer? thats a very short list…
“This is the year to play these guys because this is not a playoff team.”
you know, my personal team affirmations yesterday aside, realistically, this team cant consistently not score runs off of mediocre (at best) pitching and expect to make the playoffs. Scott Feldman? seriously, guys? wake up.
Hey people,
I might have 2 extra tickets for today, but I’m not sure yet. Anyone who’s interested just drop me a line at professorsparkles(at)gmail.com.
No promises, but I’ll see what I can do.
gayle
Mets DFA’ed Andy yesterday.
I’ll bet Bon Jovi can electrify a crowd alot better than the Yanks these days.
Who are the other younger players?
Cox, Melancon, Aceves, McCutchen, Horne, if he can ever stay healthy, Hughes, (see Horne), I’d even give Austin Jackson a look in September if he continues to put up good numbers in AA.
At some point, you have to evaluate these guys at the major league level.
Doesn’t mean they have to be regulars in the lineup. It does mean that the Yankees have this annoying habit of deciding some of these guys are more ready than they actually are for regular roles with the team.
See the Hughes, Duncan, Ohlendorf and Kennedy moves this season at Exhibit A.
At some point, you have to change the way you do business.
With all the money coming off the books after the season, its best they have their internal house in order.
By that I mean, find out which of these younger players are keepers, trade bait, or are just career AAAA guys.
This is the best year to do it so they can go into an off-season with more answers than questions regarding the roster.
Pat must have missed that move. Well now I am really confused i they need a defensive replacement at 1st Andy seems like a good bet and did they dfa’s him so they could bring up Armas Jr today??. They brought him up for the Ynkee series then and only played him once.
And then poor Andy once again needs to find his way home from a NYC airport if I were him and a team picked me up I ould never step foot near NYC seems like every time he does he gets DFA’s
The offense is so inconsistent. we seem to put up 9 runs or none at all. we could really use matsui. He has always been a solid rbi hitter. Our lineup has major holes with molina in, melky, cano sucking. quite frankly giambi has cooled off greatly, jeter is still looking a bit off, and posada, while playing okay, doesnt seem consistent. (probably cause he plays every other day.)That leaves damon (sometimes), arod (god), and abreu who has been a consistent smart hitter. We can only hope for:
Damon
Jeter
Abreu
Arod
Giambi
Matsui
Posada
Cano
Gardner/melky
Any chance that the Yankees are giving the other teams in the MLB (i.e. potential trading partners) a look at Gardner and Robertson in order to provide a showcase for them?
It seems like about the right time of the year for that.
What I wouldn’t give to see Bon Jovi live!! Too bad I live in Chicago…
Anyone hear the latest rumor of A-Rod and Madonna?? US Weekly and People Magazine are reporting it.
Gotta love the tabloids…
“This is the year to play these guys because this is not a playoff team. Give them every chance to play, live with the mistakes, and find out which guys are keepers.”
If you assume the offense is going to drastically underperform their career numbers for the rest of the year? OK. I don’t buy that assumption, though.
“See the Hughes, Duncan, Ohlendorf and Kennedy moves this season at Exhibit A.”
I blatantly disagree with this. Hughes and Kennedy showed MORE than enough last season and this Spring training to earn their jobs.
they could very well be a playoff team. A world series contender…I dunno. The offense really needs to step it up. Honestly i think if cano could get going the whole team could. Our lineup just needs to re establish its depth. There is no reason to count this season out, the talent is there. However I can’t help but be excited for next year
Why would you trade Gardner and/or Robertson? They are the kind of players you add to a team and not use as trade bait.
They aren’t doing business that way anymore, nor should they.
I wouldn’t think of trading either guy. Both of those players could fill roles that are needed on the team right now and in the future.
This team isn’t one or two players away from being a playoff team.
What they should do is put Gardner in CF and leave him there for a month. If they want to put him in LF to spell Damon for a game or two, fine. But, he should play everyday for a month to see if he can be someone counted on for next season.
Robertson can be a valued 6th and 7th inning bridge guy to the pitching staff since most of the rotation can’t go deep into games. He could have a pretty important role on this team in the future.
I would trade veteran players before I would move either Gardner or Robertson.
I wonder how much of the “consistent inconsistency” is due to non-use of “greenies”. That would put a premium on younger rosters. Doesn’t explain all of it – look at Johnny Damon, he’s no spring chicken – but it might explain some of it.
Arod and Madonna would not be surprised if they had been seen together what you may or may not know is that they are both represented by the same manager so if they were seen together it would make sense to me
agreed robertson is not going anywhere. And Gardner is a great asset. we could consider trading him someday, but not until ajax establishes himself
“I blatantly disagree with this. Hughes and Kennedy showed MORE than enough last season and this Spring training to earn their jobs.”
Hughes did. Kennedy did not. A few garbage time starts against bad teams in September doesn’t = earning a job. IPK got that last rotation spot in large part due to lack of decent alternatives.
“Why would you trade Gardner and/or Robertson? They are the kind of players you add to a team and not use as trade bait.”
EXACTLY. If anything, you use Gardner to spark something in Melky… then trade Melky lol
Well I just hope they do play Gardner consistently. It would be a waste, I think, to have him sitting on the bench for games at a time.
Even to have him pinch-run once a game is a waste I think. He needs to play.
“This team isn’t one or two players away from being a playoff team.”
Who is?
I hate when you go on these ultra-negative tirades, d00d. We get it, they have flaws, like every other f-ing major league team.
These guys didn’t forget how to hit overnight (see: Mussina, forgetting how to pitch, 2007).
They are 24 of their last 39. That’s a pretty solid winning percentage. I have no doubt they can keep that up (or better). Cano looks
muchbetter at the plate (not making off-balance hacks at every first pitch). ARod can always go on one of his torrid hot streaks. Abreu’s Blackburn line drive slump appears over.These make me think this team can turn it around. As high as I am on Melky, I wouldn’t mind slotting Gardner in his slot if he’s not overmatched. Posada doesn’t have his stroke yet, which is upsetting, and Damon and Matsui’s injuries are irritating. Giambi’s in a little slump right now, but yesterday’s triple was
hardhit.girardi would never bring gardner up to sit on the bench.
‘girardi would never bring gardner up to sit on the bench.’
Girardi didn’t bring him up. But now that he’s here, I agree that he’ll play.
“They are 24 of their last 39. That’s a pretty solid winning percentage.”
Keep in mind, that is a 61-62% win percentage which INCLUDES the 7 game sweep’s against the lowly Astros and pathetic Padres.
“Girardi didn’t bring him up. But now that he’s here, I agree that he’ll play.”
I second that – even Girardi saw that the pitch in his second at bat was a little high.
SJ44 –
I understand what you are saying about the value of Gardner and Robertson to the team. It makes sense.
But what if there is an organizational view that Austin Jackson is significantly better than Gardner (or projects to be down the line) and that Gardner doesn’t have a future beyond a 4th outfielder?
Similarly – with the sheer number of arms in the system, sooner or later the front office has to try to rationalize which arms project well and which don’t.
Whether or not there is a conscious decision to showcase these two – I think that Cashman is trying to provide himself with as many options as possible so that when it comes down to decision-time he has the widest range of viable trades that he can decide to make, or pass on.
“But what if there is an organizational view that Austin Jackson is significantly better than Gardner (or projects to be down the line) and that Gardner doesn’t have a future beyond a 4th outfielder?”
Could be right – usually you look for power hitters in the outfield and Gardner certainly isn’t that. However, if you can have two corner outfielders with power (ala Abreu, Damon, Matsui, Austin Jackson) then you could live with the SPEED DEMON in center. God knows we aren’t getting his speed at first, catcher, or second base.
8th best AVG. 7th best OBP. 10th best SLG. 12th best Runs Scored. Middle of the pack in ERA.
The Best we can hope for is that the redsox take the next 2 games away from the devil rays.
We win the next two games.
4.5 Games out of the division.
Play the redsox sweep their ugly a**s 1.5 Back from the Sox’s
Sweep the two game series with the Devil Rays
I was so pissed off yesterday… I kept screaming the following sentences, How CAN THIS OFFENSE SCORE ONLY ONE FREAKING RUN ?
““They are 24 of their last 39. That’s a pretty solid winning percentage.â€
Keep in mind, that is a 61-62% win percentage which INCLUDES the 7 game sweep’s against the lowly Astros and pathetic Padres.”
The ‘lowly’ Astros that took 2/3 from the Red Sox.
The game is played on the field and not on a stat sheet. So far this year, regardless of the circumstances, the Yankees have been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball. Last night was just another example why.
You can’t just show up and play 2 months of the baseball season. At some point, you are what you are.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when discussing this team is bringing up last year. The belief that they will just rattle off another 51-25 streak because they did it last year is humorous to me. Last year was a fluke and even with that run, it didn’t get them out of the ALDS.
They had to play like that just to make the playoffs. Once they got in, they had nothing left in the tank and went out with a murmur.
This year, no Wang, no offense, no Hughes (who was 3-0 in September), and a better Tampa team in front of them, are all reasons why expecting another 51-25 run isn’t necessarily a wise belief.
Shelley Duncan was and is a career minor league player. A hot spring training doesn’t change that fact. Ian Kennedy didn’t pitch all that well in the spring. However, they had nobody else to push him so he “won” the 5th starter spot. Turns out, he not only wasn’t able to handle it, he was awful, which makes trading him impossible at this time.
Hughes? Pitched great in the spring. He’s a total enigma. Should be better than he showed. He’s the one guy they need to get a real read on this season, which is why I said in the previous post he needs to pitch at some point this season. They can’t go into the off-season not knowing whether or not he can help them next season.
Once the season starts, hype and past numbers mean nothing to me. Show me what you can do on the field this year. That’s what matters to me.
So far, this team has shown to be a nice 3rd or 4th place team in the AL East and nothing more. They don’t do anything above average and some things below average.
They are what they are….an average team.
That’s ok with me as long as I see steps to make the team above average in the future. One way to do that is to begin to see what you have in the minors so you don’t make the same mistake you made this past off-season (overrating your own players) again.
“The ‘lowly’ Astros that took 2/3 from the Red Sox.”
I know, I love it.
there is a good post about the yankees in
http://sportsnynj.blogspot.com/
“The ‘lowly’ Astros that took 2/3 from the Red Sox.”
Who right now are playing pretty bad baseball, especially offensively.
Yanks are 4-6 in their last 10 against bad teams.
:shakes head:
Agree to disagree, SJ. I think you’re overly negative, once again. I think the record in a month will prove me right.
“Keep in mind, that is a 61-62% win percentage which INCLUDES the 7 game sweep’s against the lowly Astros and pathetic Padres.”
i’m of the mindset that a win is a win is a win, no matter who its against.
that being said, you just cant not score runs off of the rangers pitching staff, which is ludicrously bad.
Gardner is here to play.
“He’s a guy that can make things happen at the top of the order. We’re going to play him,” Girardi said. “Being able to rotate the DH a little bit, we can do a lot of different things. He’s going to get some playing time.”
Gardner, who was passed over last week when the Yanks recalled outfielder Justin Christian, has only nine homers in nearly 1,500 minor-league at-bats since the Yanks drafted him in the third round in 2005 out of the College of Charleston. Still, the lefty-swinging outfielder was hitting .287 with a .412 on-base percentage and 34 stolen bases this season.
“I want him to be aggressive,” Girardi said. “You want guys that are able to change the defense, change the pitcher’s mind-set where they have to worry about him. You don’t want him to be station-to-station. We have catchers to do that.”
The entire outfield (including DH Matsui) is going to turn over by the end of next year. My understanding is that while A-jax and Gardner are CF’s – I don’t see any great options for corner outfielders.
Is Tabata going to pan out? Who knows? The Yanks should continue to have a tremendously productive infield even if we don’t get Tex (but we’d love to have you!) so maybe we can cope with 3 of the 4 outfielders being high OBP, speedy guys who wear out pitchers and then wear out catchers on the basepaths.
I look forward to seeing a lot more of Gardner before I get a sense of what I would do, but I suspect the front office has seen enough to have a real sense of what they will do.
I gotta think that Pirates rainout/Double header took a lot out of them, physically. But some of them (ARod) are handling it well.
Hey Pete –
Do you know where on MLB.COM you can sign up for the lottery for Bon Jovi? I can’t seem to find it.
Thanks!
““Keep in mind, that is a 61-62% win percentage which INCLUDES the 7 game sweep’s against the lowly Astros and pathetic Padres.â€
i’m of the mindset that a win is a win is a win, no matter who its against.
that being said, you just cant not score runs off of the rangers pitching staff, which is ludicrously bad.”
Agreed.
Also, those ‘pathetic’ Padres put up 5 and 7 spots last night in the 5th and 9th innings. Wow.
SJ you are the most reactionary fan on here. You always blast people for being negative and jumping to conclusions but you are just as bad sometimes. One day you are positive and saying how the Yankees are flawed but so is the rest of the division so they have a chance at the playoffs. The next day after one loss all of a sudden they have no chance.
V,
Look beyond just the raw numbers. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games against Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, the Mets and Texas. Four teams that aren’t very good and teams the Yankees have to beat to up their winning %. An opportunity lost to really get themselves going this season.
They split 4 games in a home series with the Royals earlier in the year. Another lost opportunity.
In all of the above games, they didn’t hit. Not for one or two games but, for most of them. That’s not good enough to get it done.
Just quoting overall stats don’t mean a lot unless you look beyond the numbers.
Their offense has to be in the Top 3 in almost every catagory to overcome the flaws with the team. That’s how they made the playoffs last year and that’s what they believed they had offensively coming into this season.
Being in the middle of the pack isn’t good enough to overcome their weaknesses. Especially in the AL East.
TK,
If the organization thinks AJax is the guy, they still need somebody to play CF for the next year or two. If its Gardner, so be it.
Also, they could concievably move AJax to RF if Gardner (or Melky for that matter) becomes a real solid player.
Either way, I don’t think trading Gardner or Robertson is the way to go. Not to salvage this season and not for the future. I’d rather give both guys the rest of this year to play with the big club and see if they can be guys to be counted on for next year.
you know Gardner is going to play. but you wonder if he plays well if that will allow the Yankees maybe to dangle Johnny Damon at the deadline for a couple of prospects… his value in NY has never been higher than it is right now, and he’s a veteran OF on the cheap for this year and next.
of course, thats if Gardner performs up to reasonable expectations.
“The Yanks should continue to have a tremendously productive infield even if we don’t get Tex”
The Captain and Cano haven’t exactly satisified the “tremendously productive” label you’ve applied to the infield.
And, uh, guys? It might be time to stop drooling over Fuentes:
0.1 IP, 5 hits, 5 ER, 24 pitches. Ouch.
The Tigers looked dreadful during the beginning of the season, yet they are looking more like the team that many thought they would be now.
Their batters are now waking up. Their pitching is settling down.
Given that, and that the other teams all have flaws, the Yankees still have a chance to catch up. Looking at the team as they played this last week, you would say there is no chance. If the bats come alive again, it will change the whole outlook.
If the Tigers could do it, the Yankees should be able to. Even if they come up short, they could still make things interesting.
TurnTwo I think Matsui would be dangled before Damon right now. Especially w/ his stock.
And, uh, guys? It might be time to stop drooling over Fuentes
Not me, Ive always said he was overrated
Not being overly negative. Just being a realist. I’ve been pretty consistent in the fact that I don’t think this team is as good as some of you think it is.
We can all have differing views here.
Patrick, you once told me this offense would score more runs than last years did. Still feel that way?
If you think they are going to turn it around, get hot, and be a great team for the second half, I have zero problem with that viewpoint. I just disagree with it.
I think at this point of a season, unless you have personnel changes, you are what you are. I don’t see a magical switch being turned on with this group.
If that could happen, one would think it would have happened already.
I find it funny how after every loss there are several posts about how bad Melky is.
If Melky Cabrera is the reason why the Yankees aren’t scoring runs then the Yankees might as well give up on the season now.
It’s ridiculous how several of the first few posts here are about Melky Cabrera. Melky Cabrera!
The Yankees had 4 hits last night as a team. How many 0’fers were there on the night.
Yep, I guess it’s all Melky’s fault.
“And, uh, guys? It might be time to stop drooling over Fuentes:
0.1 IP, 5 hits, 5 ER, 24 pitches. Ouch.”
yes, of course one bad outing makes a good bullpen option awful instantaneously.
“Patrick, you once told me this offense would score more runs than last years did. Still feel that way?”
Nope but they will come a lot closer then you think.
“If you think they are going to turn it around, get hot, and be a great team for the second half, I have zero problem with that viewpoint. I just disagree with it.”
My problem is that yesterday you were talking about how they have a chance at making the playoffs. Now its just one loss later and they have no chance.
“TurnTwo I think Matsui would be dangled before Damon right now. Especially w/ his stock.”
Both guys have NTC’s. Damon, in particular, will be exceedingly picky about where he goes (read: he craves attention and won’t go somewhere where he can’t get it). Further, both guys are $20M for the next year and a half. That ain’t cheap. People who take that on, aren’t parting with real prospects.
Gayle,
Surely the ARod/Madonna rumors must be true. After all it’s on the front page of the NY Post website as “Breaking News”. And we know what a fine paper the NY Post is!!!
“Keep in mind, that is a 61-62% win percentage which INCLUDES the 7 game sweep’s against the lowly Astros and pathetic Padres.”
The Astros took 2 of three from the Sox so…....
I’m not a big Bon Jovi fan myself.
Arod and Madonna have the same manager so I don’t see it as a big deal if they are seen together. In her dreams there’s anything going on, LOL.
I don’t think Melky is the sole, or biggest problem, with the team.
I’m a big Melky fan but I have to admit, I’ve been disappointed in his play the past month.
That said, he’s not Cano, Jeter, Giambi, etc. All guys who have much larger roles with the team.
If you are going to get on a young player, what about Cano? This organization gave him 30 million bucks and he has become the worst offensive player at his position in the game this year. That ain’t good.
Melky? He has two players (Gardner or AJax) who may very well unseat him in CF at some point.
What do the Yankees do about Robinson Cano? A much bigger problem, IMO.
You wonder if behind the scenes the Yankees regret giving him that contract.
The Astros took 2 of three from the Sox so…….
So what??? Sox are playing like garbage right now and the Yankees haven’t cqapitalized on it.
Title of thread: Bon Jovi
Subject of comments: brettgardnergrubblegrubblesabathiadaverobertsongrubblegrubble
did i miss something?
anyways, Bon F’n Jovi. a band that somehow, 20 years later, can make “You Give Love A Bad Name” sound incredibly wimpy on stage. that takes a special lack of imagination.
Arod and Madonna …oh boy cue the craziness
What do the Yankees do about Robbie? Wait for him to get hot. Thats all they can do. Luckily he is showing some life in the past few weeks. The problem with Robbie is he is underperforming but its very likely he will be better in the future. The problem with Melky is he just isn’t that good at the plate.
Cano will have second base locked down for many years. Melky won’t be the starting CF a year from now.
“Both guys have NTC’s. Damon, in particular, will be exceedingly picky about where he goes (read: he craves attention and won’t go somewhere where he can’t get it). Further, both guys are $20M for the next year and a half. That ain’t cheap. People who take that on, aren’t parting with real prospects.”
there is no chance Matsui gets traded right now… who is going to trade for a gimpy LF who cant play the field anymore? he can still hit consistently, but not for the power he once did.
Damon has already said he’d waive his if the yankees asked him to, and is still a solid top of the order option for a team like the cubs, who dont have a natural leadoff hitter.
and $20 million isnt cheap, but when you take a look at the legnth of the deal (short-term) and the money compared to what production is going to be available in the FA market this offseason, a playoff team could use him down the stretch.
of course, Kenny Lofton would be almost the same player, and you could sign him right now for pennies if you really wanted to.
One bad outing disqualifies Fuentes? Of course.
Did you see the other day a Met actually fouled off a ball against Mariano?
Dude is slipping!
Patrick,
By sheer numbers, they will have a “shot” at the playoffs this year.
One could argue that if you are within 5-6 games of the WC in August, you have a “shot”. I think whether or not they have a realistic shot at the playoffs is very much up for debate right now.
The more you watch this team, at least for me, I don’t see it. They just don’t jump on teams like they used to and that is a big problem.
We can agree to disagree about how close they will come to the 968 runs they scored last year. I don’t think they hit 850 this year. Not unless they find a hitter or two at the deadline.
“Further, both guys are $20M for the next year and a half. That ain’t cheap. People who take that on, aren’t parting with real prospects.”
How much are Vernon Wells, Torii Hunter, Juan Pierre etc. making for the next some odd years? 7 mil for this year and 13 mil for next year are extremely cheap considering the numbers Matsui and Damon put up.
Matsui especially is a consistent .850 OPS guy. Those guys don’t grow on trees.
I’m not an advocate of trading Matsui, but saying that he isn’t cheap isn’t accurate at all.
Last year A-Rod went on a hot streak and the team went on a winning streak when his name appeared in the gossip rags.
My apologies to C-Rod, but we can only hope it happens again!
“So what??? Sox are playing like garbage right now and the Yankees haven’t cqapitalized on it.”
But the Sox are also considered one of the best teams in the league. So for someone to say that their 60% winning percentage includes the Padres and Houston doesn’t mean anything to me.
You have to get wins from somewhere. Sweeping any team balances out splitting series with teams like the Royals.
SJ, I think Cano gets a little bit of a pass because he keeps looking like he is going to get back to hitting. I don’t think anyone has been overjoyed with how he is batting this year, but its unusual for him to be batting this poorly.
Melky really hasn’t shown much at the plate, on the other hand. He really looks like he can’t hit anything.
I think Melky gets beat on so much because we want to like him, but he keeps letting us down by his batting. I also think he has become the scape goat for Yankee fans. Others on this team have shown some periods of getting the job done, Melky rarely has.
Tune in next year when Arod takes on Jennifer Lopez
Mad Dog was previewing the Rays schedule for the last month and a half of the season yesterday (poor schmuck has 6 hours to fill) and it sounds pretty brutal.
I haven’t checked out our final month in a while but I remember that it didn’t seem that bad.
“Mad Dog was previewing the Rays schedule for the last month and a half of the season yesterday (poor schmuck has 6 hours to fill) and it sounds pretty brutal.”
i know they have at least 6 games with the Tigers left.. i heard him say that.
“I haven’t checked out our final month in a while but I remember that it didn’t seem that bad.”
i think its pretty much baltimore and toronto… but we just went thru the weakest part of our schedule, and came out w/o really taking advantage.
just gotta hold out hope for the head-to-heads with Saux and Rays.
For the record –
Robbie hit .287 in June
.400 last 7 days
.341 last 14 days.
If he puts together a hot second half, we don’t have to worry about people questioning his contract or commitment. i like his chances b/c he is so talented.
What a surprise. Sj44 running like a Frenchman with half a season of baseball to play. Considering he quit in April last year, I guess holding out until July 1st shows real growth.
One of the great things about baseball is the way the constant failure (7 out of 10 atbats and 40% of your games if you’re very lucky) exposes the weak-willed.
Funny though how guys who don’t have the stomach to stand tall through the hard times also don’t have the decency to keep off the bandwagon when the team rights the ship.
I think what it comes down to is an overvaluation of our young talent by brian cashman. I’m not knocking the job he is doing, which is great. But, he was way off with kennedy. I’ll refrain judgement on hughes for another year. But melky and kennedy were 2/3’s of the santana deal and they r doing diddly for us. If Gardner works out and melky continues his obismal offense, the melkman needs to be moved
“If Gardner works out and melky continues his obismal offense, the melkman needs to be moved”
If Gardner plays great and Melky doesn’t, nobody is going to want Melky, they’ll want Gardner. Funny how that works. huh.
does anyone have the stats of how many pitches Gardner averaged per at-bat last night?
i would love to see that number.
“Robbie hit .287 in June”
.302 OBP in June too. His June was pretty much a mirror image of his May (sadly, he was actually a little better in May). Neither month was within light years of being adequate.
Who’s Bon Jovi?
“i think its pretty much baltimore and toronto… but we just went thru the weakest part of our schedule, and came out w/o really taking advantage.”
This excerpt is from replacement level blog on May 19th before the Yankees took on the so called easy portion of their schedule. They considered the easy part of their schedule to run from May 20th the Orioles series until June 29th, the Texas Series. This is what they came up with using Bill James Log 5 method to determine the Yankees probability of winning games during that time span and what their record should be.
Looking at the bigger picture through the All Star Break, the schedule gets harder but the Yankees should go 29-21 or so over their next 50 games, which is equivalent to a 93.5 win pace over a full season. If they can do that or something close to that, they’ll go into the All Star Break at a record of 49-45.
The Yankees are currently outperforming this projection.
Yankees schedule about to get easier
Yankees easy schedule checkpoint
“i’m of the mindset that a win is a win is a win, no matter who its against.”
I said it was against the Astro’s and Padres to remind everyone that it was during an easy part of our schedule which is coming to an end. Get ready to face the good teams. We really need to win games in our division.
“Who’s Bon Jovi?”
1st baseman for the Red Sox.
pat – i think you repeated what he just said
does anyone have the stats of how many pitches Gardner averaged per at-bat last night?
5
“Mad Dog was previewing the Rays schedule for the last month and a half of the season yesterday (poor schmuck has 6 hours to fill) and it sounds pretty brutal.â€
They play A LOT of games against Toronto. I believe Toronto will hand them a new one.
Russell
No. He said the Yanks need to move Melky if Gardner plays well. I’m saying that teams won’t want Melky if Gardner plays well, they would want Gardner. In order to move Melky, Melky needs to play well and if he does, why would we want to move him? Catch 22.
I can’t see the link to register for the Bon Jovi show tickets. Do you have the exact link? Or is it not up until tomorrow?
“I think what it comes down to is an overvaluation of our young talent by brian cashman. I’m not knocking the job he is doing, which is great. But, he was way off with kennedy. I’ll refrain judgement on hughes for another year. But melky and kennedy were 2/3’s of the santana deal and they r doing diddly for us. If Gardner works out and melky continues his obismal offense, the melkman needs to be moved”
How do you know what Cashman valued Kennedy as? I know I valued Kennedy as a #4,
possibly#3 caliber pitcher. 4.00-4.50 ERA, 5-6 IP, at league minimum.Which, honestly, has value these days.
I think you have to wait more than a year to evaluate Hughes. Volquez didn’t put it all together until 25, and he didn’t have fractured ribs to deal with (what we’ve seen of (healthy) Hughes has been nothing short of excellent.
Why does being realistic about how the Yankees look right now preclude a person from also hoping that they turn their season around?
I want the Yankees to win the division and I’m hoping that they do so, or in the alternative, capture the wild card spot. But there’s no doubt that watching them play some of their games, that the offense is just not there. They have made it a foregone conclusion that when they face a pitcher they don’t know, they will more than likely have trouble scoring runs. It used to be just lefthanders, but now that dubious distinction has even included unknown righties, as well.
It is a crying shame that they wasted a good performance by Mussina last night. Those are must-win games, when your pitching gives up only 2 runs. I will never say a team is not trying or not working hard enough – because I believe they do. But something is not clicking offensively with enough consistency and something is wrong when a team with the talent the Yankees have can’t hit mediocre pitchers. Whether it’s the advance scouting, the approach, or whatever else, I have no idea, but this is an undeniable trend. In fact, it hasn’t been a fluke for the last 3 seasons (that is, having trouble with unknown pitchers).
Realistically speaking, the Yankees have had only one stretch where they put it all together to win 7 in a row. They have gotten starting pitching and their bullpen has been better than expected, at least for me, and I’m satisfied with that. I can understand that games like the blowout against the Mets and tight games like last night are going to happen. But it seems like the feast or famine offense that showed itself last year has returned, and the famine seems to be winning so far. There are just so many games that one would have figured the Yankees should have won this season, where the offense just wasn’t there. That graphic they showed last night, when the Yankees are trailing after 7, are are, what, 2 and 36 or something like that? That’s despicable. The Yankees always seemed to me to be the great come-back team! How long ago that seems.
That all being said, baseball is such a weird game that things often do turn around (generally after the all-star break) and teams that were totally out of it in the first half have come back to get a playoff spot, or at least contend for one. So, in that regard, I don’t see why the Yankees can’t turn it around, just because it can be done, has been done, and it has been done by them. I’m figure I’m optimistically realistic, or realistically optimistic, and I don’t see a problem with that.
Love it how people kill Melky and Cano gets the jeter-esque pass… As if Mekly friggin Cabrera is the reason the offense is so offensive
Oh ok – thought you were saying none of the Yankee fans would want Melky. In response to when you ask “Melky needs to play well and if he does, why would we want to move him? Catch 22.”...
The Yankees want high level players at every position. That is how we roll. You can argue that gone are the days of the Yankees overpaying for washed up superstars, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t looking to replace them with young budding superstars.
I have seen Melky at his greatest (so far) and haven’t been blown away. Guys like Gardner and Melky CAN blow you away. From a purely offensive standpoint, speed is the most important piece to the Yankees. Melky has shown SO FAR that he can neither steal bases or hit homeruns at a league average. If Gardner plays at the same level as Melky (no reason to expect he wont) then you make the decision between Arm in the outfield and running on the basepads. Running on the basepads is much more RARE than finding an arm. So you move Gardner to left… we need his speed.
Who said I’m going anywhere Randyhater?
I don’t think the team isn’t playoff calibur at this time.
Doesn’t mean I don’t watch, go to the games, and want to see them win.
I just don’t think the team is as good as others do.
You can’t grasp that distinction?
Why (uhhhghhh) does Kevin (uugghhhh) Long get such a (uuughhhh) free pass?
Baseball Prospectus, Jenn Sterger, and, now, Bon Jovi… It must be overrated day here at the blog.
We could probably add the Yankees’ offense to that list as well today (wears sad face).
again we are discussin melky and miving him etc… How about discussing there real problems strting pitching and the underperformance of there whole lineup except Damon and maybe Arod..
how do you get abreu, jeter, jorge, giambi, cano, and others to perform better??pay for these underachievers is $16,19,15,20,and $4 mill..Are they getting $70 mill + production from this crew????Add Hideki to this crew and he has underachieved also because 2 stints on the DL and 7 HR’s….....
If you think Gardner for Cabrera are turning things around you are dreaming…
They need 1 starter and to fix the offense… Hughes really screwed them this yr. he has done less then nothing, WOW…....
Lol, the Kevin Long scapegoating gets started again :shake:
Why does Kevin Long get a pass? Because of the last two weeks of Cano. Because of ARod’s post-2006 swing. Because of Giambi breaking his slump.
Hitting coaches can’t prevent slumps. They can only try to fix them ASAP. And even then, they’re just a coach, not the guy swinging the bat.
Melky is a 4th outfielder in my opinion. I like his glove and he has a great arm, but he has been awful at the plate, and hasn’t brought much to this team this season. I have no problem giving Gardner a shot and see what he can do. We have given Melky his and he hasn’t responded, end of story.
I’ll
neverunderstand the Hughes’ whining. As if he fractured his ribs on purpose!Doreen, You made a point that has been bothering me for a long time: Whenever the yankees face a pitcher they haven’t seen before, they generally struggle.
This has occurred for a long time now, and I wonder whether it is just a natural byproduct of never having seen the pitcher in person, or whether there is something lacking in our preparation i.e. proper video review or scouting reports.
I mostly just follow the Yankees, so I don’t see a lot of other teams – do other teams exhibit the same tendency?
“Doreen, You made a point that has been bothering me for a long time: Whenever the yankees face a pitcher they haven’t seen before, they generally struggle.
This has occurred for a long time now, and I wonder whether it is just a natural byproduct of never having seen the pitcher in person, or whether there is something lacking in our preparation i.e. proper video review or scouting reports.
I mostly just follow the Yankees, so I don’t see a lot of other teams – do other teams exhibit the same tendency?”
I haven’t studied it, but anecdotally yes (Cardinals).
V-
Are you kidding? “Because of A-Rods post 2006 swing”? I darn near coghed up a lung reading that. How did Arod ever hit all those homeruns in Seattle and Texas without Kevin Long in the 1st place? Becuase of Cano the past 2 weeks? LOL. I guess if he was doing his job right from the beginning Cano would not have needed to get hot the past 2 weeks to get his average above .230 LOL. You funny.
I would like to say GOOD JOB AROD. I know i may catch some Criticism for this but Its ok everyone has their own thoughts. AROD saying he is not doing the HR derby is a good thing I know people would love to see it for reasons him being a Yankee, the last year, and so on. However. AROD know that being in that can ruin his swing or at least change it a little and this shows he wants to be focuse and WIN, he seems like he is one of a few Yankees thats laying it all on the field these days. SO I SAY GOOD JOB AROD, and watch him have an MVP 2ndhalf fans and at the end of year this will be a good thing he didnt do
“Doreen, You made a point that has been bothering me for a long time: Whenever the yankees face a pitcher they haven’t seen before, they generally struggle.”
I’d be willing to bet anybody here $100 that the Yankees hammer as many pitchers they’ve never seen as they struggle against.
Just because everyone believes they can’t score against pitchers they’ve never seen before doesn’t make it true.
Off hand I can already come up with two names who they hammered that they’d never seen. Randy Wolf and Zach Duke. I’m more than positive there are others this year and previous years as well.
It’s funny how an idea gets put out there and then suddenly everyone believes it’s true.
That’s why I don’t believe anything people say unless I can research it and find out the truth myself.
sorry guys I can spell FOCUS..haha I am a teacher so its summer..haha
“V-
Are you kidding? “Because of A-Rods post 2006 swingâ€? I darn near coghed up a lung reading that. How did Arod ever hit all those homeruns in Seattle and Texas without Kevin Long in the 1st place? Becuase of Cano the past 2 weeks? LOL. I guess if he was doing his job right from the beginning Cano would not have needed to get hot the past 2 weeks to get his average above .230 LOL. You funny.”
Did you see ARod’s 2006? Have you seen any of the umpteen times he’s credited Long with helping him fix his broken swing?
Yes, he’s an excellent hitter, but his 2006 slump was HORRIBLE. His swing was completely off. And Long helped him fix it.
Long can ram down his lessons down a player’s throat for a decade, but he can’t make him take them to heart.
The fact that you’re going to blame a coach (making exactly
howmuch money?) for failing to prevent someone else from failing is ridiculous. Apparently, the Yankees are happy with his services. I’m not one to dispute them.“how do you get abreu, jeter, jorge, giambi, cano, and others to perform better??”
I guess you have to give Giambi steroids if you want him to peform better. I hate the guy but I give him credit. He’s hitting exactly the way he used to in Oakland. Unfortunetly, it took 5 years for him to re-learn hitting to the left side but thank goodness for contract years.
What exactly did you want him to perform better at? He’s got 17 HR’s 46 RBI’s .. His avg and obp are going to be shot because he was carring that .170 for a while. That’s one player you can’t complain about… unless he’s playing first.
V-
What does Kevin Long’s salary have to do with the god-awful job he is doing this year? Also, would love to know what a hitting coach needs to do in order to get fired?
“V-
What does Kevin Long’s salary have to do with the god-awful job he is doing this year? Also, would love to know what a hitting coach needs to do in order to get fired?”
How is he doing a god-awful job?
Name me a single hitting coach who can prevent slumps. I won’t hold my breath.
Still hungover?
Joba goes 9 tonight
raymagnetic –
As a rule, I don’t jump to conclusions based simply on what other people say. I didn’t say ALWAYS struggle, I said they GENERALLY struggle against unknown pitchers. I don’t know how to go back and do the research on this, but I do know that I have paid attention the last 2 years and more times than not, when it’s a pitcher they haven’t seen, they tend to struggle offensively. Not always – I try not to make blanket statements – but enough times that it is mentionable.
I have no answers just a lot of questions.
Yankees lose when they see a new pitcher. Yankees lose when they see a pitcher they’ve only seen once or twice. Yankees lose when they see a pitcher who pitches them well. At least the Red Sox make their games interesting even if they end up losing the game. Once another team gets three runs, I plan on the Yankees losing.
Is Derek Jeter on his decline? Look at his average. We can’t possibly win with Jeter hitting the way he does, streaky if at all, and hitting into record number of DPs. Is it possible he’s on his way down?
On paper we have the offense picked to get the highest number of runs. What gives?
I said this last night. Leyland and Guillen both called their players out in a big way. Public and big. Both of those teams weren’t hitting for spit. Both teams turned it around after getting called out. Both teams had the offense to do the job but they weren’t doing it. So something happened to make them turn things around. It wasn’t magic.
Yankees have the offense to do the job. Maybe they need to be called out in a big way? I don’t have answers just questions. So here is my question. Is it possible that the Yankees offense needs some real calling down to wake them up? Girardi came out one game and said they stunk. They got a trillion runs the next game. It doesn’t matter that you shouldn’t have to find a way to motivate players. Let’s deal with reality. Chicago, Detroit, and the Yankees. Two of the three turned it around when they were humiliated in public. Is it time for Girardi to do the same thing?
All I know is that last night I was thinking that even if the Yankees pulled it out it wasn’t going to make me happy because they shouldn’t have to work magic at the end of a game to win it.
It’s beyond frustrating.
**I also did not say they can’t score. I said they struggle offensively. There’s a difference in my mind, anyway.
V-
Jesus Christ?
Anway, at this point, the Yankees have won more games than they’ve lost – not as many as we’d all hoped and certainly not as many as we’d like, but as “bad” as they’ve been, they’re not horrible. And they’re so far still in the mix.
Doreen,
I wasn’t calling you out specifically. I’ve just seen a lot of people say they struggle against pitchers they’ve never seen. I hear Suzyn Waldman say it all the time on the radio and I just don’t believe it’s true.
I of course could be wrong about this however.
I have no way of finding out their winning percentage when facing an unknown pitcher but I’d be willing to wager it isn’t much different than their overall record.
RISP BA 2nd worse in AL with absolutely no slugging….......
WHY??Why AROD stinks with RISP, why does Giambi stink, Jeter never hits a double with RISP, why oh why… BTW are we allowed to complain about Jeter or is that a venal sin?
Cano with RISP is laughable, he i WIll Nieves like… Actually I think I am insulting Nieves.
But hey Hideki has 7 HR’s at DH/LF and has been on the DL twice and Jorge throws like me, but nah let’s talk about Melky’s shortcoming batting 9th…
the only starter who has played up to expectations or better is Damon and maybe Arod…. that is it. Abreu has soft #’s and most of the other guys #’s are down. Giambi gets a pass fro mthe fans because his pretty good #’s are better then expected, we all forget he makes $21 mill. and hits 5th…
How the heck cn we get these guys going?????Cano has been abysmal, Jeter 20% below career avg., and how can we get some big hits…...............
They need astarting pitcher and for the roster to hit better wth RISP, that means the whole roster, not minnesota over 300 with RISP just 270 + avg. why can’t they hit 270 with runners in scoring position?????????
I guess we are doomed stuart.
Reason to be sad you’re a Yankee fan after this year according to Tim Marchman.
http://www.nysun.com/sports/2008-may-be-yanks-best-chance-for-years/81023/
I always wonder though why it’s assumed every other team’s young players will get better and better except for the Yankees.
Stuart:
I think people harp on Melky for two reasons.
1) He truly does stink
2) He’s the only player, among the several who have underachieved, for whom a viable alternative exists.
That’s it. It’s not Melky’s fault the Yanks are playing marginal baseball but he’s not helping ‘em any either(to this point the Replacement Value guys have is putrid offense more than offsetting his solid defense). Where there is no alternative for a struggling Cano, there is one for a struggling Cabrera.
Patrick we are not doomed but we need our stars to play better much better. WHy don’t people b and moan about that instead of Melky? Really has any of these guys performed up to par?
Damon has and that is it and you know with his fragility that can change anyday now..
WHy does Hideki always get a pass? Why does Jeter get a lifetime pass? WHy can’t they hit when it counts these guys(the whole lot ) are suppose to be prime time players but why all talk and no results????
Cano he again has been abysmal… His performance is been botom 5 for 2B….He should be the 2nd best 2B after Utley or Uggla also…He is like 28th or so in performance.. the guy is 25 not 34…....
I think the most telling stat for me is one they showed on the broadcast last night and I may have the exact number wrong but when the team is losing after 7 innings they are like 3-27. That is pure unacceptable for the New York Yankees.
I also think I saw a stat over the weekend that they are almost the exact opposite when winning after 7 innings.
Ray we think Gadner can replace Melky but no one knows that yet. And at $460 K Melky could be a good 4th outfielder getting a few hundred AB’s…
SO the reason everyone is on Melky is we have viable options for the 9th hitter but we have no viable options for the other underachievers… I have a solution maybe the underachievers can play better?
The sux have no viable option if manny, or lowell, or pedroia, or others underachieve also.. But there guys are not underachieving.. Giambi, hideki, derek, cano, melky, abreu, jorge, have all underperformed because of inuries part of the game or just lack of performance…
Who would have thought that Damon would be the only overachiver or perform to expectations… Alex has been far from bad but at $27 mill. he needs to perform at ungodly levels and he has not yet this yr.
Fredo just hit the nail on the head. Thats exactly why people talk about Melky.
stuart, Yeah the players have to play better but whats the point of complaining nonstop? One loss and all of a sudden the entire team stinks?
ray, thats actually not a bad article but I see what you mean. The author assumes the Sox and Rays prospects will all pan out while the Yankees’ won’t. I’d say all three teams are positioned pretty well for the future. Even the Orioles are in rebuild mode, they have some hope going forward. The Jays, I’m not so sure. THey have great pitching but their GM is awful.
raymagnetic –
I wish there was an easy way to truly research that information. There must be some organization that keeps that kind of data. I’ve been at the Baseball Almanac and I think unless you know off-hand the pitchers the Yankees had never seen before, it would be grueling to get through all the games.
Perhaps Pete could ferret out the information? Pete – are we imagining the Yankees struggles vs. previously unseen pitchers, or do the statistics show us to be correct?
I really think if we can get Melky out of this lineup, it becomes more well rounded. I swear, if Gardner gets on base (he has good plate discipline) then we could get things rolling.
What REALLY screws the offense, if you haven’t noticed, is how many times Melky or Jose Molina has started off an inning. The automatic outs are getting tiresome. I almost celebrate when Melky/Molina finish off the inning and we get to start off the inning with a good hitter (Damon)
“I always wonder though why it’s assumed every other team’s young players will get better and better except for the Yankees.”
Read the last paragraph, Ray. The writer allows for the possibility that the Yankees’ youngsters players will get better.
“What REALLY screws the offense, if you haven’t noticed, is how many times Melky or Jose Molina has started off an inning.”
Sadly, this coincides with the number of times Cano ENDS an inning.
“I think people harp on Melky for two reasons.
1) He truly does stink
2) He’s the only player, among the several who have underachieved, for whom a viable alternative exists.”
Or people have nothing else to harp on so they will try to find a scapegoat. Earlier in the year it was Damon and Giambi, now it’s Cabrera and Jeter.
People assume their is a viable alternative although none of the projection systems or numbers the so called viable alternative has put up in the minors seem to support this “fact”.
As I said before if Melky is the reason why the Yankees haven’t been scoring these past few games then they might as well trade everyone right now and hopefully in the next 5 years they can try to contend again.
Gayle –
I saw that stat, as well, last night. It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? But I didn’t realize as you have that the numbers are almost exactly reversed when they’re winning after 7. So it’s a good thing that they don’t lose games that are pretty much in hand, but man, if they were even .500 on the other end (coming from behind), they would be so far ahead it wouldn’t be funny!
2-35 when trailing after the 7th… pathetic.
Everyone has been screaming and crying over our bullpen but seems like our “all-star” lineup is to blame and can’t get the job done.
What would be interesting to know, though, in those games where they didn’t come from behind, how many were blow-outs where it would not have really been expected for them to come back, and how many were close games that realistically could have been won.
Raymagnetic,
It’s the old “grass is greener” argument, everything is coming up roses in Tampa Bay and dark storm clouds have gathered over the Bronx. The age issues Marchman quoted are old news, and several of those names are nearing the end of their contracts. I’d rather wait and see how things play out before tossing in the towel on the next few years.
“Read the last paragraph, Ray. The writer allows for the possibility that the Yankees’ youngsters players will get better.”
I actually read the whole article where the writer says there’s a scenario where it could happen if “minor leaguers Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata spring into the majors fully formed as if from Athena’s brow”
Doesn’t sound like someone who actually believes it’s a possibility to me.
“I think the most telling stat for me is one they showed on the broadcast last night and I may have the exact number wrong but when the team is losing after 7 innings they are like 3-27.”
What’s their record when leading after 7 innings? I honestly don’t know what stats like these are supposed to mean.
Ray:
Think I heard someone say the Yanks have lost ONE game in which they had the lead thru 6.
I suppose the stat means the bullpen has been somewhat effective.
Sj44,
What distinction? You stated explicitly that this is not a playoff team and that you want the front office to play minor leaguers so as to assess them for next year.
Where I come from that’s called quitting. If you want to backtrack off that now, that’s fine. But take a stand one way or the other.
Will this team make the playoffs, yes or no? I say yes.
raymagnetic –
When they’re leading after 7 innings, their record is something like 36-1. You could supposed that that means the bullpen is holding leads.
But without knowing the scores of the games, you can’t make too many assumptions. I guess what you could infer, generally, is that the Yankees don’t have a lot of late come-from-behind wins (or losses, for that matter).
“I actually read the whole article where the writer says there’s a scenario where it could happen if “minor leaguers Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata spring into the majors fully formed as if from Athena’s browâ€
Doesn’t sound like someone who actually believes it’s a possibility to me.”
Don’t know. I only believe half if it (Jackson). One difference is that the Tampa Bay guys are already up and succeeding to a degree, whereas these two are either hitting very well in AA (Jackson) or hitting below average in AA thru occasional bouts of petulence (Tabata).
The devil you know and all that….
I would bet in all of baseball when teams are losing after the seventh inning they have an abysmal record.
Especially with the way bullpens are not configured.
pete ! as of your last night outing keepgoing out dont give up maybe you will cash sometin in one day!
One of the problems when discussing Yankee prospects in comparison to other teams, is the “now” factor.
Unfortunately, too many fans and media people expect prospects to be great “now”. There is no development time for prospects in NY because of all the hype.
Hell, after ONE outing, Bill Madden declared David Robertson as “not a solution” to the Yankees bullpen issues.
First off, that was a dumb comment to make. Nobody is that good a talent evaluator to determine a players value after his first two big league innings. Second, I wasn’t aware the Yankees had bullpen “issues” since the bullpen has performed better than last years.
One of the most impressive things Theo and the Red Sox have done is change the culture of their fan base and media people re: prospects.
For years, media and fans in Boston scoffed at every prospect. They, like many Yankee fans today, wanted the Sox to load up on names in free agency.
Today, the fans and media people actually support prospects in Boston. You hear more fans saying, “keep the prospects” as opposed to them saying, “trade them” to get CC Sabathia, for example.
In NY? Prospects are often scoffed, frowned upon and given instant negative evaluations if they don’t pan out right away.
Its the biggest challenge Cashman faces in remaking the team for the future. Will his prospects be given the lead time by the fans and media to see if they truly are solutions for the future?
Are the Yankees correct in their evaluations re: their prospects? Two key questions that are going to have to be answered now and through the off-season.
Looking back, the best thing to happen to the Red Sox was 2006. By not making the playoffs, and not panicking to trade their prospects, it began the culture change needed to give younger players a chance in Boston.
Yes, they spent money on Dice-K and Drew. They also gave guys like Youkilis, Pedroia, Delcarmen, Ellsbury, Lester, etc, the chance to play and look how that worked out for them.
If the Yankees are going to go the “young” route, they have to give these kids a chance to play and live with the ups and downs from it. If it means no playoffs this year, but you find several guys that can be cornerstones to future playoff teams, so be it.
What they can’t do is go into the off-season assuming guys are ready for bigger roles on the team when they are not.
Its a slippery slope to change the culture of any fan base. Especially one that is used to big free agent signings and money spent (and often wasted) at the drop of a hat.
That’s what the Yankees are trying to do now and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
In the Tim Marchman article he also compares the Rays to the 90’s Cleveland teams and the Moneyball A’s.
Two teams who did not win 1 single championship between them.
Yet he’s’ assuming that the Yankees will not be able to compete with them. It’s silly to me to write an article about how this may be the Yankees best chance for years to come.
I guess he has to write about something though. Deadlines and all.
“Sadly, this coincides with the number of times Cano ENDS an inning.”
Exactly – that’s another thing to look at. You have to look at the offense in bunches. Look at it assuming they extend the lineup with Gardner leading off:
Gardner, Damon, Jeter – how many times have we seen Reyes get on base and come around to score? Gardner is our Reyes (maybe not as good a hitter but has the same effect on the basepads). Damon is a hot hitter and with him batting behind Gardner and fouling off pitches, that puts Gardner in scoring position ALL THE TIME for Jeter. Lets see Gardner get on first, steal second, move to 3rd with Damon hitting to the right. Jeter wouldn’t be able to hit into a double play.
Abreu, A-Rod, Giambi, Posada – the meat of our lineup. Pure offensive power. You can’t argue the presence any of these guys have when the