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Game 87: Red Sox at Yankees

July
4

74023-3d-us-flag-screensaver.jpg
YANKEES (45-41)
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Posada DH
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Molina C
Rasner RHP

RED SOX (51-37)
Ellsbury LF
Pedroia 2B
Drew RF
Ramirez DH
Lowell 3B
Youkilis 1B
Crisp CF
Varitek C
Lugo SS
Beckett RHP

Josh Beckett (7-5, 3.65) vs. the Yankee hitters.

Darrell Rasner (4-6, 4.42) has never faced any of the Red Sox hitters.

Notes: Happy Fourth of July everybody. Hope you enjoy some time with your friends and family along with the baseball. Go outside and play catch with your kid. … LHP Billy Traber has been called up from AAA Scranton. No word yet on the corresponding move. … The Yankees have lost four of five and are 5-8 in their last 13 games. … The bullpen has allowed three earned runs over the last 25.1 innings. … Cano is 24 of his last 61 and is up to .252. … The Yankees are 1-3 on their homestand and 23-21 at home. … Today is George Steinbrenner’s birthday. He is 78.

UPDATE, 11:23 p.m.: Alberto Gonzalez was optioned to Scranton. … RHP Brian Bruney starts his rehab assignment today with the GCL team. … The Yankees will wear the hats with the red, white and blue NY the next three days. This is believed to be the first time ever they have worn an alternative hat. … Chien-Ming Wang is here and said he will have a cast on his foot for another month. “It feels better,” he said. Wang will start upper body workouts today. … Joe Girardi: “We need to start winning games.”

UPDATE, 1:13 p.m.: The Yankees announced that Andy Pettitte and Sidney Ponson will start against Tampa Bay next week.

UPDATE, 1:19 p.m.: Here’s an update on two rehabs in Tampa via the AP:

Brian Bruney allowed one run and two hits over two innings in his first minor league rehab appearance.

It was first thought Bruney would need season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in the foot, but the right-hander opted to rehab the injury after consulting several specialists.

“I think I made the right decision,” Bruney said. “Only time will tell. The foot felt good. My arm felt great, so I’m excited.”

He struck out three and walked one in a Gulf Coast League game against Detroit minor leaguers. He retired six of his last seven batters after allowing the first three to reach base.

Also, right-hander Phil Hughes, who was placed on the disabled list with a broken rib April 30, threw 90 feet on level ground. He hopes to throw off a mound in the next week or two.

UPDATE, 1:25 p.m.: Nice job by Rasner wiggling out of trouble in the first inning. Then Damon walks the walk after talking the talk with a double.

But why in the world would Jeter give away the first strike by trying to bunt? Swing the bat.

UPDATE, 1:32 p.m.: A two-run double by A-Rod. Celebrate, it’ll be all right.

UPDATE, 1:38 p.m.: Josh Beckett had a few words for umpire Paul Schrieber as he walked back to the dugout. He was talking into his glove. I guess in case Marlee Matlin was in the crowd.

Meanwhile the scoreboard between innings featured the Yankees picking their favorite Elvis songs. A-Rod selected Heartbreak Hotel. You can’t make this stuff up.

UPDATE, 1:43 p.m.: In case you’re wondering, Jason Varitek wears themed catcher’s equipment on holidays then auctions it off for charity. He’s wearing a red, white and blue chest protector and shin guards today. Nice job by the captain of the Red Sox.

In other charity news, Joba Chamberlain signed 100 little tote bags before the game for patients at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute. Joba is great at doing things like that.

UPDATE, 2:11 p.m.: Wow, what a crazy play there. The Yankees were lucky the ball rolled back onto the field instead of over the fence. Great effort by Damon to get back to the wall as the ball was smoked by Youkilis.

Meanwhile, it’s 3-3 and Rasner has put seven runners on base in three innings. The Yankees aren’t going to survive if that keeps up.

UPDATE, 2:15 p.m.: No word yet on Damon’s injury. He appears to have a shoulder or wrist injury based on how he was holding his arm as he ran off the field. His loss would be a real blow. Damon is hitting .317.

UPDATE, 2:27 p.m.: Say this for the Yankees, they are playing with more sense of purpose then we saw last night. But what matters is how they look in two weeks, not today.

Meanwhile, the Braves sent down Jeff Francoeur today. Might be worth mentioning that to Melky.

* * * * * * * * * JOHNNY DAMON UPDATE * * * * * * * * * * *

X-rays on Damon’s left shoulder were negative. The Yankees are saying he has a contusion. He will be further evaluated tomorrow, an examination that will include an MRI.

It sounds as though they are worried about a separation.

UPDATE, 2:59 p.m.: I’m sure we’ll get another “Darrell gives us everything he’s got” from Joe Girardi. But you could see that home run coming a mile away (or in the 2:11 p.m. update, at least). His stuff is such that he needs to have nearly perfect location to get through a good team.

Rasner was lights out for four starts. But that was against Seattle, Detroit at the height of its struggles and twice against Baltimore. He has been getting hit hard since with an exception here or there.

It’s pretty simple, the Yankees have three good starters. That makes it hard for a team to achieve any consistency.

UPDATE, 3:19 p.m.: So the Yankees have little use for Billy Traber all season but they’re running him out there down 6-3 with four innings left? Interesting move.

UPDATE, 3:38 p.m.: Starting to rain here at the Stadium.

UPDATE, 3:47 p.m.: Dr. Ronan Tynan just did the extra-long version of God Bless America. It was a rare Stadium appearance for the good doctor. I believe he has been touring with Social Distortion.

UPDATE, 3:51 p.m.: Some news from Scranton via Chad Jennings. Chris Britton has been activated off the disabled list and optioned to the AAA team.The Yankees also re-signed Ben Broussard to replace Shelley Duncan on the roster.

UPDATE, 3:55 p.m.: Well, here is their chance to get back in the game. First and second, nobody out.

UPDATE, 3:58 p.m.: Nice play by Lugo to take a single away from Gardner. But what impressed me was Jose Molina running hard into second and sliding through the bag to take out Pedroia. Molina hustled through the play.

UPDATE, 4:02 p.m.: Great scene at the Stadium. Bases loaded, one out, the crowd into every pitch, rain coming down, A-Rod on deck. This could be your ballgame.

UPDATE, 4:04 p.m.: Two outs and A-Rod up. Delcarmen coming in to pitch. Madonna and Dr. Ronan Tynan are singing Don’t Cry For Me Argentina during the pitching change. OK, that may not be true.

UPDATE, 4:09 p.m.: The Yankees are 1 for 7 with RISP. And so it continues.

UPDATE, 4:13 p.m.: The game has been delayed as the grounds crew works on the field. Meanwhile it’s still raining. Farnsworth is on to pitch.

UPDATE, 4:20 p.m.: That was brilliant. They spent 10 minutes working on the field, Farnsworth faced one batter and now the game is being delayed by rain. Why not put the tarp on in the first place?

How to help the home team. Farnsworth warms up, faces a batter and now he’s probably done for the day. Then A-Rod gets an error because he’s playing in a swamp.

At least now Girardi can hold another meeting.

UPDATE, 5:08 p.m.: It has stopped raining and the grounds crew is about to pull the tarp.

UPDATE, 5:22 p.m.: The game will start back up at 5:45 p.m. There are not too many fans left here here at the Stadium. Can’t say I blame them.

UPDATE, 5:45 p.m.: Edwar Ramirez now pitching. There are maybe 10,000 people still here. Of course most of the lower box seat phonies have fled the scene.

* * * * * * * * * YET ANOTHER JOHNNY DAMON UPDATE * * * * * * *
Johnny went to Columbia Presbyterian for an MRI that revealed a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. He is day-to-day.

Damon has never been on the DL in his career.

UPDATE, 6:10 p.m.: Great job by Edwar and the rest of the bullpen today (4 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs). But now the Yankees have to deal with Jonathan Papelbon and his mean looks.

I suspect the Yankees will fall back on “we gave it a great effort, today was better, etc.” after the game. But a team with a $205 million payroll shouldn’t take much solace – if any – in trying hard. You can find 25 guys in the parking lot who will try hard.

UPDATE, 6:27 p.m.: Replays showed that seemed to be a catch by Crisp. What is it with these two teams? Something always happens.

Great at-bat by Brett Gardner. That showed you something.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 9:59 am by Peter Abraham.
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1,104 Responses to “Game 87: Red Sox at Yankees”

  1. Martin

    “If we bring Gardner up, he’s playing everyday.”

    This front office has turned into a joke.

  2. MikeEff

    no gardner again today?

    big shakeup girardi.

  3. Fran

    Hopefully the Yankees will win today as a birthday present for George.

    Happy Birthday George and Happy Fourth of July to all.

  4. ERâ„¢ (The Last Yankee Fanâ„¢)

    Sorry George. Another loss coming today.

    Happy Birthday though

  5. Martin

    And what’s the point of having a lefty in the pen if he can’t get anyone out? If Drew comes up in a big spot, then thank God we’ll have our best man, Billy Traber, on the case.

  6. jennifer- I got your back Girardi

    I shut off the game last night before it was over and stayed away from sports, just heard that Joe held a closed door meeting.

    Also heard that Joel Sherman doesn’t grasp the English language. Doesn’t know what it is between my team and me. Also wonder if he ever grilled Joe T on what his meetings were like. I think Joel should just ignore Joel’s questions. He is jerk.

  7. Joe from Long Island

    Good morning, Pete –

    I would love to know what has been said between Joe, Cash, and the Steinbrenners over the past few weeks. To really understand how they seen the team, not just now, but in the future. And not just the 25-man team, but the whole organization.

    From past interviews (I think by Pete) Cash has indicated that he has been moving to professionalize the Yankees, to get them away from the mom-and-pop mentality that many have commented on. What I think will favor this approach is that by investing a few more dollars, relatively speaking, in a better organization, they can save many more dollars (millions) by NOT spending wildly on FA contracts. It is a pure business approach that Hal should see the sense of, and it seems that he does in fact. The decision not to trade for Santana is a show of that philosophy.

    Unfortunately for the here and now, that approach will not yield here and now results.

  8. MikeEff

    i think sherman’s questions were quite reasonable. i was one of the 56,000 people there who wanted some answers.

  9. Fredo Corleone

    “no gardner again today?”

    Nobody thinks Melky stinks more than I, but he did have a couple hits yesterday. They may as well see if he can go on a little run.

  10. Stephen M

    Also, happy birthday to Harry Moskowitz.

    (That’s John Sterling to you and me.)

  11. jennifer- I got your back Girardi

    MikeEff

    Come on, how many times did he have to ask, with the answer it is between my team and me. Would I have loved to be a fly on the wall? Heck yeah! But if Joe doesn’t want to reveal what was said, that is up to him. Did the old Joe ever tell the media what was said in those closed door meetings? No! I sent Joel and email letting him know what I thought of his antics last night.

  12. Martin

    “Nobody thinks Melky stinks more than I, but he did have a couple hits yesterday. They may as well see if he can go on a little run.”

    A couple hits?! A blind squirrel. Forget his “little run.” He is what he is. A 4th OF who we have as our everyday CF.

  13. GreenBeret7

    Sorry, MikeEff, but, just like in the personal lives of other people/players, your “want to know” about what goes on between Girardi, the players and front office is trumped by your lack of the need to know.

  14. jon

    im so glad girardi is playing gardner.

  15. Sawyer

    I think Girardi needs to go old school like the Baltimore Orioles and start having fielding practice before games. You can’t have Jeter not turn that DP and then have Damon threw the ball to no one on Lowell’s RBI single in the first inning. Lowell took second on the throw.

  16. MikeEff

    jennifer, i know you have girardi’s back, and that is very admirable- i certainly respect your opinions, but i’m getting fed up with girardi’s “press conferences” after one of our many lossed. i don’t appreciate his defiant attitude and his prevarications and sometimes downright disinformation ( injuries etc).

    fredo- i know what you’re saying, but one halfway decent game doesn’t mean anything. melky isn’t the answer. perhaps gardner is- the only way to find out is to let him play

  17. Bench Melky

    To Martin,
    Come on,if Melky can get rolling before the trade deadline like he did last year,Yankees can
    trade him for something worthful.So at least your team can get the last of him.

  18. MikeEff

    green beret- agreed- i don’t have the need to know—but why do they even have press conferences? are they not to give information to the public? guys like me with no right to know anything?

  19. jennifer- I got your back Girardi

    MikeEff

    Did Joe T ever reveal what was said in his closed door meetings?

  20. GreenBeret7

    Maybe because Cabrera is hitting .308 lifetime in 26 at bats against Beckett.

  21. Laura - Praying team meeting helped!

    I love how Johnny Damon admitted that once the Yankees hit hit, they go down for the count. Glad to see that the fans aren’t the only ones noticing that.

    I like Girardi’s passion and the fact that he’s not afraid to upset a bunch of millionaires. I’m just not sure how those who have been coddled by Torre all of these years will respond. I’m sure Jeter was annoyed by it. Considering that his error upset the apple cart, he shouldn’t be complaining.

    I wish I could have been in on that meeting.

  22. Fredo Corleone

    “then have Damon threw the ball to no one on Lowell’s RBI single in the first inning. Lowell took second on the throw”

    Damon threw (for lack of a better word) exactly where he should have. The cutoff man (Arod or Jeter) was not where he was supposed to be.

  23. MikeEff

    jenn, no he didn’t. but are you actually satisfied with the answers girardi gives to the press?
    i’m not just talking about last night.

  24. Sawyer

    Next time Joel Sherman should try watching the game so he doesn’t have to ask such a stupid question after it’s over.

  25. jay-mizzle

    So Girardi freaks out yesterday and sends out pretty much the same players today? This makes no sense.

    I couldn’t stand Torre last year, but Girardi is worse. He seems to not know what he’s doing..

    And I love how everyone is making a big deal about Jeter’s error. Pettitte didn’t have it yesterday, whether or not Jeter committed that error, they were going to lose. The game ended in the first when they got the first two men on base and couldn’t score. The loss had nothing to do with the error. It didn’t help things, but I honestly don’t think it made a difference. Needless to say, Jeter has not had it this year.

  26. Michael Kay's Worst Nightmare

    They’re officially giving Gardner the “Duncan treatment.”

  27. BigV

    TRADE TRADE TRADE

    I’ve said this before the season, during the hot streaks and now. I said to breakup this .500 ball club. BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE a .500 Ball team. Trade the parts that can be traded.

    1) We had value with Matsui – no more injured.
    2) Trade Damon and start Gardiner.
    3) Release or trade Betemit – unless they think the new shades will help – but he he is a DH at best.
    4_ Play Duncan full time and see what he can do: OOPS out of the season.

    Even if you trade in theory two of your best hitters Damon and Matsui – the hitting can’t be any worse than what it is and the other guys start to pick up the slack. I’ve seen it a hundred times. Put Jeter or Cano in the third slot – time to do a Billy Martin and have these guys move around in the lineup or pick a number out of a hat and that is your spot in the lineup. I remember Chris Chambliss was batting 8th.

    And it worked. Bring up the young pitchers and lets see what they can do.

    Too Early to throw in the towel? PLease this is a team sinking fast and stuck in Mediocrity, Time to spare the pain and accept defeat.

    For the Yankees a .500 ballclub is defeat. Save the dough shed the players that aren’t performing or are old.

  28. BBFan

    From an earlier thread.

    “Girardi has to connect with the core guys. Jeter, Damon, Abreu, A-Rod, etc. The team will rise or fall on how they play. Joe Torre always found a way out of the woods, now Girardi has to find his path. This is what managing is about. Strategy is 10 percent, the rest is getting your guys to play the game right.”

    Pete,

    You have the pen (or keyboard), so you can write any BS and get away with it.

    Let us look aboutt some facts:

    First you need to get off your man crush on Joe Torre. Yes, he has good inter-personal skills, better than most of the managers in the ML. Still, Yanks made Joe Torre, not the other way round. He was a failure as a manager before coming to Yanks and so far his team in LA is a sub-500 team. Enough proof? Also, open your eyes and look at the facts. In spite of all the problems, Girardi’s team has better record this year than Torre’s team last year at this time. So, how well Torre was connecting with his veterans? He must have been a disaster by your standards. Also, how well he connected with A-Rod and Sheffield? He threw A-Rod under the bus with that SI article, openly talked to media about the “ha” incident and then appologised to A-ROD, insulted him batting 7th in the ALDS, even without informing him……How well he connected with the team as a whole? He always had his people vs others.

    Now let us talk about Girardi connecting with his players. Today Damon, Giambi, and Cano have come out of thier season long slumps. Same with Mussina. Every one was on Girardi’s case when they were struggling and he kept believing in them. Is Girardi as good as Torre in inter-personal relatioships? No. He will never be just like you will never be like your buddy Tyler Kepner. Get over with it and start being rational. There are very very few managers as good as Torre in that respect. Stop beating on the dead horse :)

    Also, I challenge you to show some cajones and write about Jeter’s futility. Just listing the DPs in the last thread is not enough. Show the same vigor and write about Jeter’s futility just like you take all these shots at Girardi and A-Rod. Jeter is a failure this year. This is what Buster said on ESPN: Jeter is having the worst offensive season of his career. In addition he hits all these GIDPs killing rallies. Becaue of that alone Yanks must have lost about five games this season. After the game, Jeter gave the same BS talk about how the offense should do better. May be he should look into a mirror, recognize he is a major part of the problem, swallow his ego, goto Girardi and tell him that he wants to bat lower in the order so that he would not kill the rallies. Obviously, it is wishful thinking on my part, as he will never do that and he wants to hang on to SS poistion until he is forced out of there. Even if Girardi shows some cajones and bats him low in the order, all the heavens will fall courtesy to media vultures as Jeter is your golden boy and he can walk on water and can do nothing wrong.

    I wish Yankess win today and hopefully this negative talk will subside a little bit.

  29. SJ44

    How many times did Torre tell the press what went on in his player meetings?

    The answer is: Zero.

    Did you ever hear details from Torre about the players only meeting he held in St. Louis a couple of years ago. The meeting in which he almost came to blows with Gary Sheffield?

    Nope.

    As usual, folks focus on the wrong target. Joel Sherman knows no manager tells the media what goes on in a private meeting.

    That move was done by Sherman to provoke Girardi. Unfortunately for him, it failed.

    Jennifer is right. The public doesn’t have a right to know what goes on in a private meeting. If you think you do, tell me how many teams you follow in which private meetings are divulged publicly.

  30. Dee

    A bit surprised there is no hint of shakeup in the lineup after the big meeting. Oh well. I’m headed up to the Bronx now, hope it’s they play much better today. Go Yanks!!

  31. raymagnetic

    “If we bring Gardner up, he’s playing everyday.”

    Is this an exact quote?

  32. Laura - Praying team meeting helped!

    I don’t expect the meeting to have any effect considering that we are going against Beckett today. But it should help in the games going forward. We will see.

  33. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Let’s see what happens today. Hopefully the Dead Bats Society will decide to no longer exist. Easier said than done though. :(

    No Brett again? Disappointing. Let’s go Melky and Let’s go Rasner!

  34. raymagnetic

    “A couple hits?! A blind squirrel. Forget his “little run.” He is what he is. A 4th OF who we have as our everyday CF.”

    And the other CF is what exactly? Willie Mays?

  35. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    oh and happy July 4th everyone! :)

  36. Sawyer

    Fredo,

    I agree that’s my point perhaps a little pre game fielding might just help Jeter and A Rod know where they should be. The throw should have gone to second.

  37. Martin

    I’m just glad they were smart enough to bring Billy Traber back into the fold.

  38. back bench

    In case anyone missed it, JD’s comment last night is very revealing about how the players see the tsunami coming:

    “We better do something soon,” Damon said. “July 31 (the trade deadline) comes sooner than you know it, and I know a lot of guys here that don’t want to go to another team or even be in that conversation. … Come July 31, we better be in a good spot.”

  39. GreenBeret7

    Just because they have press conferences, doesn’t mean that Girardi, the players or anybody else is required to spill their guts, just to placate the media slugs and rumor mongers. Face facts, you don’t want news on the Yankees, you want gossip. Gossip columnists like Sherman and Lupica serve absolutely no purpose. Basically, they are male (perhaps, though debatable) versions of Rona Barret and Liz Smith (Hedda Hopper and Luella Parsons for you old timers). My suggestion, if you want gossip, go buy the National Enquirer or London Mirror.

  40. SJ44

    BBFan,

    I actually would argue the opposite. I don’t think Girardi has to connect with the veteran players. I think the veteran players have to connect with him.

    If they lack intensity, focus, etc, that’s not on Girardi, that’s on the players.

    I know folks hate hearing negativity but, give a listen to what Johnny Damon said in the post-game last night.

    Say what you will about Damon but, he called out the entire team for their lack of effort last night.

    I had ZERO problems with what he said. Only thing is, he shouldn’t have been the guy to say it.

    One person should have said what Damon said last night.

    Derek Jeter.

    He’s the captain of the Yankees.

    Come out, say, “We stunk, starting with me and this is unacceptable”.

    No talk from the Captain. Very disappointing.

    For the folks who get upset about hearing Damon speak so much, do you know why he does? Because he is one of the few players who makes himself available to the media after nights like last night.

    Unaccountability from these players is as big a problem as lack of focus. Not enough standup guys in the locker room, IMO.

    Its why the Yankees are left with little choice but to break up this merry bunch of mercenaries. The sooner the better.

    You want Girardi to be a better manager? Give him players that care. Not enough guys care on this team.

    If they did, we wouldn’t see performances like last night.

  41. BBFan

    “I’m sure Jeter was annoyed by it. Considering that his error upset the apple cart, he shouldn’t be complaining.”

    He has no reason to be annoyed or upset. He is bot above the rest of the team.

    We lost the game yesterday becaues of his stupid error in the first inning. That changed the tone of the whole game and Pettite was not himself after that.

  42. raymagnetic

    “melky isn’t the answer. perhaps gardner is- the only way to find out is to let him play”

    The answer to what? I would love to know what your question is.

    Do you think if Gardner had played last night he would have went all Barry Bonds are something?

    It’s amazing to me how much people really focus on the #9 hitter in the Yankees lineup.

    If the top of the order guys in the lineup don’t produce the Yankees will have a ridiculously hard time scoring runs. That’s the bottom line.

    Whether Melky or Gardner plays isn’t the root of the Yankees run scoring problem.

  43. Martin

    “Is this an exact quote?”

    Google it. (Hint: Be sure to include the quotations.) Will everyone please be sure to precisely quote diction for ray from now on. I’m sure he’ll appreciate day and time info too.

  44. Yankee Trader

    Will they have a fireworks display at Yankee stadium today, or are they relying on the Red Sox to provide the entertainment?

  45. raymagnetic

    “They’re officially giving Gardner the “Duncan treatment.”

    What are you talking about? He’s played in 60% of the games while he’s been called up.

    You people need to really relax with your fixation on Brett Gardner.

  46. Martin

    “And the other CF is what exactly? Willie Mays?”

    If you’re going to answer your own question, then you don’t need a question mark. But I don’t agree with your suggestion. Mays is not the answer, but Gardner plays center.

  47. Chambliss

    I know that Melky had a few hits last night, but if Joe wants to ge this team going he should start Gardner. If he gets on base, he can electrify the crowd with his baserunning.

    I agree with everyone who said that Sherman was out of line last night. The Yankees should ban him from the press room.

  48. raymagnetic

    ““Is this an exact quote?”

    Google it. (Hint: Be sure to include the quotations.) Will everyone please be sure to precisely quote diction for ray from now on.”

    There’s a big difference in he’ll play everyday and he’s here to play.

    He has played in 3 of 5 games since he’s been up. I don’t recall anyone saying he’ll play everyday.

  49. Fredo Corleone

    “How many times did Torre tell the press what went on in his player meetings?”

    No manager does. No reason they should. Fact is, there’s not much magic to these meetings. “We stink, we’re not playing hard, we’re underachieving and we have to be better” is quite likely the content.

  50. Jackie V.

    The Yankees haven’t won for George on his birthday in recent years. Time to change it.

  51. Global Warming

    Derek Jeter is the captain in name only.

    That lead by example garbage would work if he was on a young team like the Marlins.

  52. GreenBeret7

    Nothing is going to improve Jeter’s throwing until he gets rid of that sidearm flip. He’s great on throws when he has no time to think about it. When he has time, it’s anybody’s guess as to where he throws it. That has been 70-75% of his errors throughout his career….throwing errors.

  53. Mike

    SJ44

    Isn’t it at least one of the manager’s duties to MAKE players care? To motivate them, and get them to buy into the gameplan? He has to manage in the business sense of the word (personalities, differences) as well as how it applies uniquely to baseball (lineups, tactics).

    I’m not saying it’s all Girardi’s fault, and certainly with many of the players being veteran, the impetus lies more on them, but I think it’s his job to find a way to reach the guys on the team, and not the other way around.

  54. jennifer- I got your back Girardi

    bravo BBfan!! bravo!!

  55. SJ44

    Fredo,

    Exactly. My point was, fans don’t need to know the content of the meetings. Its not on their “right to know” list and Sherman knows that.

    That was just a dog and pony show started by him to provoke Girardi. Fortunately, Girardi wouldn’t take the bait.

    Really folks, Brett Gardner is not the key to the season. I’m all for homegrown love but let’s try to keep it logical.

  56. BBFan

    “Derek Jeter is the captain in name only.

    That lead by example garbage would work if he was on a young team like the Marlins.”

    Well said.
    For the good of the team he needs to get out of that 2nd position in the batting order. He has to volunteer to do that.

  57. george

    well, hopefully this is it for Hawkins; can’t see who else they’d cut. Traber’s been shaky, but he’s more likely to make a positive impact than Hawkins.

    Gardner’s intriguing, but it’s not like he projects to be Mickey mantle, or Bernie Williams. if Matsui is out, on days Posada catches they’ll be able park Damon or giambi at DH, and then play either Gardner or Betemit. i think that, and some pinch-running, is going to be Gardner’s role & opportunity.

  58. raymagnetic

    “This is what Buster said on ESPN: Jeter is having the worst offensive season of his career. In addition he hits all these GIDPs killing rallies. Becaue of that alone Yanks must have lost about five games this season.”

    Jeter’s having a bad year for true. But it’s nonsense that the Yanks have lost 5 games due to Jeter’s DP’s.

    He has 12 DP’s this year. Is he really trying to tell me that in about half the games Jeter has hit a DP that the DP was the sole reason for the Yankees losing?

    No, that’s nonsense.

  59. jennifer- I got your back Girardi

    Mike, they shouldn’t need to be motivated. Winning a ring should be enough of an incentive.

    A little off topic, but the news just came out today. Remember what happened with Reyes on Sunday? Well Keith Hernandez was calling him out during the game about his antics. Well apparently Jose’s family told him what Keith said about him, and on the team plane Jose got in Keith’s face, it almost came to blows!! Too bad they didn’t tell him what Kay said!! :lol: Really what a baby!

  60. Joe from Long Island

    SJ started me thinking…as he frequently does…

    Damon is one of the few who routinely talk to the media, win or lose. It may be ironic, as he’s one of the few actually having a decent year.

    But one who only seems available after a win, or a big game, is Bobby Abreu.

    How many of us were thinking, in the off-season, that Bobby might be brought back for one more year? A lot. Do we still hold that opinion? Not I, not based on what I’ve seen so far. His OF play has been OK at best, and outside of a couple of instances, he’s not been doing well at bat. Given his age, and that his play is has been getting worse, let alone the $$$, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him gone, maybe even mid-year. And who knows, a change of scenery might re-invigorate him. If it does, good for him. But I’m thinking it’s time for him and us to move on.

    Melky in RF – with his arm, and give the younger guy every chance to succeed – and Brett in CF going forward?

  61. jay-mizzle

    I agree that Girardi does not have to tell the media what happened in the team meeting, but why in the world did he call the meeting right after the game? All it did was incite a media circus. A media circus that already existed due to A-Rod’s ridiculousness. There was no reason why he couldn’t have called the meeting today.

    Torre didn’t tell the media about team meetings, but I don’t believe he called the meetings right after the game either. He also tended to call them when a scrub wasn’t pitching the next game.

    Girardi is an idiot.. =/

  62. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    So Chad Moeller is on the team why?

    Girardi took responsibility for not getting wins. Good. It’s a start. I agree the manager has to find a way to get his players to cowboy up when they aren’t doing it. That is if they have the talent to do it. These Yankees do.

    The player who has disappointed me the most is Jeter. He has a lackadaisacal (sp?) attitude. I’m only hoping that one of the things Girardi and coaches said was something like “if you’re hurt, get your ass out of the game because you’re killing the team.” I had to laugh when they said Damon and Jeter also talked in the meeting. Jeter’s one of the biggest problems here! I have no problem with Damon.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE STEINBRENNER! You deserve so much better than you’ve gotten these past years.

  63. BBFan

    “Isn’t it at least one of the manager’s duties to MAKE players care? To motivate them, and get them to buy into the gameplan?”

    Yes, it is.
    For all we do not know, Girardi must have done it.
    May be some of these veterans are on the downside of their skiils (Jeter’s defense, Posada’s throwing etc.,.) and it does not make any difference.

  64. jennifer- I got your back Girardi

    raymagnetic

    Who knows, if Jeter didn’t make that error in the first, maybe Andy could have righted himself in the second. The game could have been totally different.

  65. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    I will keep saying for the hard of hearing. Leyland and Guillen found a way to do it. NY is still in the US. The Yankees are still ballplayers. Motivation is still a smart tool in private industry. Baseball is private industry isn’t it?

  66. Carp

    I’ve got a little no-hitter trivia going over at Faceoff (mine and Sam Borden’s blog) at:
    http://www.faceoff.lohudblogs.com

  67. raymagnetic

    “I had to laugh when they said Damon and Jeter also talked in the meeting. Jeter’s one of the biggest problems here! I have no problem with Damon.”

    What if they talked about Jeter’s DP’s? Do you have any idea what they talked about?

  68. Yankee Trader

    SJ44-
    Once the Yankees decide to become sellers, then Cashman will be fielding calls from the contenders on player availability.

    Dodgers need a leadoff hitter now that Furcal is out and Pierre is not the answer. Damon and others for righty Matt Kemp?

    Arizona and SF are still in the race in the west. Abreu and prospect to SF for lefty pitcher Sanchez?

    Phillies need a pitcher-Mussina might welcome a trade and still be close to his home in PA. This would unload the remaining salary owed Damon Abreu and Mussina, three players who would have some trade value and let the Yankees get younger

  69. Global Warming

    “Melky in RF – with his arm, and give the younger guy every chance to succeed – and Brett in CF going forward?”

    I’m all for looking for other options in RF and letting Bobby go. He seems to be in a decline though he did have an excellent second half last year.

    That being said I would never put Melky in RF. An outfield of Damon, Gardner, and Melky would produce 15 HRs combined!

  70. Fran

    SJ44,

    I was beginning to think that Damon had a contract to appear on the YES post game show, but then as you pointed out he is probably the only one that stays around. And the fact is that Damon speaks the truth. He doesn’t try and hide any facts or feelings.

  71. Mike

    jennifer

    No, they SHOULDN’T need to be motivated. But they also SHOULDN’T be struggling the way they are. They SHOULDN’T be playing like a group of inconsistent glass-jaws. But they are, and if nothing else, the manager should be reminding them of those facts. It may be up to the players to get it going, and I agree in the end that’s the only way it can happen, but obviously Girardi is going to be judged on the results they produce, and he should be.

  72. Carp

    We’ve got a little Yankees no-hitter trivia going at our Faceoff blog:
    http://faceoff.lohudblogs.com

  73. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    ray the way it was reported was that Jeter and Damon also addressed the team in the meeting. I could be wrong but I didn’t get that it was so that they could give their own personal mea culpas. More than that I totally believe that Damon is someone who would man up that way. I don’t see Jeter standing in the clubhouse pointing out all the way he sucks.

    It’s possible Girardi brought it up.

  74. SJ44

    Mike,

    How do you know he’s not doing it? I’m honestly not trying to be a jerk about this but, what can he do?

    Can he bench Jeter? How about Arod? Can he make Sidney Ponson a real pitcher? Darrell Rasner? I know Brett Gardner is the man of the moment for some but, on a team with 10 guys making over 7 million a year, he’s not going to turn around the season.

    Really, there is only so much he can do.

    I have to tell you, if Joe Girardi needs to motivate a team with a 209 million dollar payroll, then they have the wrong players on the team because Girardi is sure as hell motivated.

    He takes the losses much harder than the players. When you see that, its on the players, not the manager.

    How can these guys NOT be motivated to play for the NY Yankees?

    And before people tell me, “Torre did”, the Yankees are 4-13 in their last 17 post-season games. You mean they didn’t have “motivation” to win those games?

    At this level, the players have to push themselves harder. Sometimes, you don’t have players who can do that. Sometimes, they don’t want to. I think the Yankees have too many guys on the team at this time who either can’t or won’t push themselves, and sacrifice their own numbers, for the betterment of the team.

    Take a good look at the roster. An honest look.

    Pitchers: Moose, Andy, Chamberlain, Rasner, Ponson, Hawkins, Farnsworth, Robertson, Veras, Traber, Ramirez, Rivera.

    How many of those guys are “keepers”? In other words, guys you think you can win with? Six, maybe seven guys. That leaves you 5-6 players short on the pitching staff.

    Among the 13 position players, how many are really guys you want on your team with the season on the line? Six or seven more, tops.

    That leaves you quite a bit short from having what I would call a championship team.

    With that being the case, I don’t know a lot of managers who would get more out of the team. Personally, I don’t think some of the guys on the team have much left to give.

    Hard to be hungry if you aren’t starving, if you know what I mean. I don’t know many “all star at every position” teams that win titles. I know of many that (like this one) that haven’t.

    I just think its a bad mix of guys. Over the hill vets, underperforming younger players, injured key players, and just plain bad players. I don’t know how you win a title with this mix of guys.

    Just my opinion. I could be wrong.

  75. jennifer- I got your back Girardi

    I also thought it was pretty funny that Jeter spoke. Jeter was a huge part of the problem in last nights game. He seems to be more of a captain only in name. But we all know George named him captain cause he was parting too much.

  76. GreenBeret7

    Bobby Abreu is far from a problem on this team. Given the issues on offense from the bottom of the batting order and Jeter, the fact that he’s #5 in the league in RBI. He’s #1 or #2 in RBI, stolen bases, doubles, hits, #3 in homers and runs scored, first in triples on the team.

    Maybe you’re right. Abreu is really dragging the team down.

  77. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    “Remember what happened with Reyes on Sunday? Well Keith Hernandez was calling him out during the game about his antics. Well apparently Jose’s family told him what Keith said about him, and on the team plane Jose got in Keith’s face, it almost came to blows!!”

    Wow. For real? Someone tell him what Kay said!!! :P

  78. BBFan

    “BBFan,

    I actually would argue the opposite. I don’t think Girardi has to connect with the veteran players. I think the veteran players have to connect with him.

    If they lack intensity, focus, etc, that’s not on Girardi, that’s on the players.

    I know folks hate hearing negativity but, give a listen to what Johnny Damon said in the post-game last night.

    Say what you will about Damon but, he called out the entire team for their lack of effort last night.

    I had ZERO problems with what he said. Only thing is, he shouldn’t have been the guy to say it.

    One person should have said what Damon said last night.

    Derek Jeter.

    He’s the captain of the Yankees.

    Come out, say, “We stunk, starting with me and this is unacceptable”.”

    SJ, you hit on the mark.
    I hope Pete read your entry.

  79. Astoria John

    When will Joe Girardi or Joe Torre reveal what goes on in a closed door meeting???
    It will happen the day that Joel Sherman posts his yearly work performance evaluation with his editor in chief on the front page of his newspaper.
    Meaning NEVER.
    We would all loved to be a fly on the wall, but Joel is only trying to sell papers and be the story instead of reporting it.
    Sherman was just trying to goad Joe G. into a tirade like the seattle mariners manager had a few weeks ago.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4xjkYfKuHo

    Sherman you are a hack, not a journalist. What you do is no better than what the “established” news outlets are crying out against when they rail against the reckless bloggers.

  80. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    jennifer Jeter’s act has worn thin with me to the point of wearing out. I hate to think that he is over the hill but if he is he is. I don’t see any passion from him. He used to be nothing but passion.

    Maybe I am totally wrong about this but I think the Yankees have the players to deliver a championship. Somewhere between that and where they are is the problem. Maybe what Girardi did last night is a step toward eliminating the gap.

    I guess I don’t know the last time or the last long period of time I remember the Yankees playing with passion and intensity. Then I watch the Rays play.

    Maybe it was the 2000 Yankees or the 2001 Yankees.

    I don’t know. It feels like it’s been a while.

  81. Fredo Corleone

    “Dodgers need a leadoff hitter now that Furcal is out and Pierre is not the answer. Damon and others for righty Matt Kemp?”

    Damon has an NTC and it would have to be a helluva prospect the Yanks are including to get Kemp.

    “Arizona and SF are still in the race in the west. Abreu and prospect to SF for lefty pitcher Sanchez?”

    Why would the Giants trade a good young pitcher, who will be under their control for six years for a half season of Bob Abreu???

  82. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    So, do we know what Jeter actually said last night in the meeting? Or are we all just assuming he said nothing and blamed everyone but himself?

  83. Fredo Corleone

    Off topic:

    Some reports out there that the Brewers are prepared to offer LaPorta as the centerpiece of a Sabathia deal.

  84. SJ44

    The two meetings in which Torre was as angry as he had ever been as Yankee manager were both in 2005. One in Tampa and one in St. Louis. He called both of them immediately after bad losses.

    The timing of the meeting isn’t the issue.

    After last night, if he didn’t call a team meeting, something would have been wrong, IMO.

    19 first pitch swings. 11 first pitch outs. Missed signs. Errors. 5 DP’s.

    I think they deserved an airing out.

    Will it do any good? Probably not.

    Can’t make a bad team good folks. All you can do is try to make them good again.

    You don’t do that with meetings. You do that with trades.

    Only a matter of time (by the end of the month to start, IMO) that this team breaks up. Its time.

    Losing isn’t an issue to me. Every team loses. Its how you lose. Is the effort there? It hasn’t been for a lot of the season.

    Do the players seem like they care? Not enough of them do, IMO.

    When you see that, I have no problems if they (the Yankees) decide to be sellers at the deadline.

    I also don’t want to hear, “its Girardi fault”. That’s BS. That’s player scapegoating the manager. Damon called them out on it last night and he’s 100% correct.

  85. Mike

    SJ44

    Frankly I don’t disagree with you. The team this year is sort of in purgatory, halfway between a contending team and a rebuilding team, but not either.

    At the same time, it’s impossible to say if Girardi could be doing “more,” to get the team to win, because “more” may not work with this group of guys. Maybe it takes less. Maybe just a little more. As I said, Girardi will be judged by us and by his bosses on the results the team produces on the field. As such it is his job as manager to make that product as good as possible. You can’t blow up an entire team on the basis of “it’s a bad mix of guys.” I mean you could, but ..you can’t. When it’s a team as a whole that does not perform to its ability I think you look elsewhere.

    That is of course given the assumption that the team is playing below its level. It’s entirely possible the bar is set too high. I guess that, ultimately, is your point. Maybe it is that simple.

  86. raymagnetic

    “I also thought it was pretty funny that Jeter spoke. Jeter was a huge part of the problem in last nights game”

    Jeter gets criticized for not saying anything because he’s the captain. Then if he does speak out during the meeting he’s criticized because he shouldn’t be speaking.

    What if he told everyone that he was going to step his game up?

    Nobody knows what was said and Jeter gets criticized because he spoke during the meeting. Honestly I just don’t get it.

  87. BBFan

    “I just think its a bad mix of guys. Over the hill vets, underperforming younger players, injured key players, and just plain bad players. I don’t know how you win a title with this mix of guys.

    Just my opinion. I could be wrong.”

    SJ, you said it right.
    It is time to stop thinking about the glory days and make the veterans accountable. That includes Jeter, Posada and Pettitte (Mo excluded).
    Jeter should be told if he does not improve he is not entitled to what he wants. Instead it will be what the team needs. If Cash could do that to Bernie, he should be able to say the same to Jeter.
    Posada has become a liability as catcher. May be he should have his surgery now and be ready for the start of next season. His offense is not good enough to occupy the 1B or DH slot for the rest of the season.
    Pettite is a tough one. He is on and off.

  88. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    Hard to be hungry if you aren’t starving, if you know what I mean.

    I’ve thought that about the Yankees for a while. You say how can you not be motivated when you play for the Yankees. I think it’s a little complicated. For a lot of players playing for the Yankees is the goal. Once they’re there it’s like they’ve reached the top of the hill. On other teams the goal is getting to the postseason. They don’t have the street cred that the pinstripes automatically gives you.

    I’m not saying the Yankees don’t want to be in the postseason. Maybe the players take it as a given and don’t stop and think that too many L’s means you didn’t get the job done. Other teams have players who go home at night and think about how important it is to win. Yankees have players who go home at night and think about the fact that they get to put the pinstripes on. Maybe that gets them through too many nights. I don’t know.

  89. GreenBeret7

    Matt Kemp has minimal power, doesn’t walk and strikes out too much. Yeah, he’s perfect. Make it Loney and it’s a start of a decent talk.

  90. Harry

    Hey everybody, I know this has nothing to do with today’s game but i’ve got a problem, maybe someone can help. I purchased 2 tix to Sunday’s game on StubHub last night, Upper-deal, Tier 6, almost behind home plate for $75. Now someone offered me 2 tix in Field Box level, 3 rows near 3rd base for a very cheap price considering the game. I really want those tix but now I can’t cancel those StubHub tix. What to do? Anybody got any ideas? Anybody interested in buying those tix?

  91. Yankee Trader

    SJ44-
    Your 11:14 opinion is ’spot on.”
    This team does not field well, they can’t or won’t work the count, they don’t try to advance the runners, and they are stuck with too many players who should DH-Damon, Matsui, Posada, Giambi. Also the bench is awful.

    Allow them 2-3 weeks to right the ship and then prepare for 2009. It would take a miracle for this team to put it all together and be capapble to advance to the WS. Making the playoffs and losing in the 1st round is not something that Yankee fans need to tolerate anymore.

  92. raymagnetic

    “Some reports out there that the Brewers are prepared to offer LaPorta as the centerpiece of a Sabathia deal.”

    Hope it’s true. At least he’s out of the AL.

  93. BBFan

    “Jeter gets criticized for not saying anything because he’s the captain. Then if he does speak out during the meeting he’s criticized because he shouldn’t be speaking.”

    It is not about what he says, it will be more about what he does to help the team. I hate to say this but lately I find him selfish and put his self interst above the team.

  94. matt

    Why is Gardner on team if he isnt goin to play?

    This team had better show some effort and enthusiasm today, yesterday was an embarassment. It was one of the worst feelings I ever had while being at the Stadium.

    Wouldnt it be nice if the Yankees young pitchers could win games like Lester, Masterson, Buckholz?

    Two years ago Yankees were in Cleveland on the 4th of July got embarassed had a team meeting and everything turned around for the season. Lets hope last night was rock bottom.

    http://www.newyorkyankeesnews.com/maelias33/weblog/

  95. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    “One person should have said what Damon said last night.

    Derek Jeter.

    He’s the captain of the Yankees.

    Come out, say, “We stunk, starting with me and this is unacceptable”.””

    Say that to the press..so the fans can hear it? Or to the team(which he might or might not have done last night and no one knows either way)?

  96. raymagnetic

    ” I hate to say this but lately I find him selfish and put his self interst above the team.”

    What? What self interest does he have that he’s putting above the team?

    The stuff you people come up with in here is a riot.

  97. BBFan

    “I also don’t want to hear, “its Girardi fault”. That’s BS. That’s player scapegoating the manager. Damon called them out on it last night and he’s 100% correct.”

    Right on the mark again, SJ.

  98. JR Yankees

    Does anybody else get the feeling that some of our stars look around and wait for the other stars to get something going during any point in a game?

    The point is, the offense definately feeds off of each other, and we all know that’s why a lineup needs to be thought out ahead of time. Now before everybody says blame Girardi for not having a consistent lineup everyday, think about the players in the lineup.

    On any given day we most likely have Damon, Jeter, Abreu, Arod, Giambi, and Cano in that lineup. They could all be considered stars.

    What if the problem is they are all waiting for somebody else to step up and get the ball rolling?

    I realize these are all major leaguers making millions and shouldn’t need a closed door meeting or a pat on the back, but if they all sit around and give away at-bats and scoring opportunities because they’re hoping somebody else will light the fire, we as fans will all be very disappointed for a long time.

  99. SJ44

    77,

    If I was Cashman, here is what I would do:

    I would call Pettitte, Abreu, Damon and Moose (all the guys with NTC’s who have value) in for a meeting and tell him that by the 24th, if the team isn’t showing signs of life, he is going to dismantle it, and he wants to give them a heads up on it.

    If they decide to go in that direction, he wants those guys permission to deal them to contenders if they want to finish their careers on a winning note.

    He should tell them this isn’t about their play but about improving the long term prospects for this franchise. The future of the Yankees is more important than the future of any one individual.

    If the players say no, nothing he can do during the season. You just have to play it out.

    If the players give a conditional ok (depending on the deals, of course), he needs to explore what he can get for them.

    That’s a start.

    The next meeting he should hold is with Posada and convince him that by the 31st, if they are out of the race, they want him to get the surgery and shut it down for the season.

    Jorge has 3 more years to go on his contract and its foolish for him to continue to play with a bad wing. Gotta think long term in trying to keep him healthy.

    The next meeting I hold is with Jeter and Arod. I tell them the direction the team is going (if they decide to cash out on the 31st) and tell them its up to both of them to be leaders and set examples for the younger guys.

    I also tell them that whatever off the field crap they have going on has to cease. Its time to up their games on and off the field.

    The next meeting I hold is with the Steinbrenner’s. I tell them I need more help on the pro player personnel side and whether I (Cashman) am back or not, you have to have more beef in that department.

    At this point, its all he can do.

  100. GreenBeret7

    Matt, what has Buchholtz won? He has the same career number of wins as Hughes. One game doesn’t mean that he’s proved anything.

  101. george

    Jeter’s was awful in April-May, but had a nice June. look at his splits. plain silly to say he’s washed-up, as a lot of frustrated posts are saying.

    if you look at his career stats, he’s had a couple of years – 2004 & 2007 – where he had a few more GIDPs than in other years. he’s trending towards that this year as well. meaning the GIDPs don’t signify anything meaningful in terms of assessing how he’ll do going forward.

    obviously i’d like to see him play better, and expect he will. my only criticism of him are the stupid bunts early in the game. Derek, bunting with a man on first was OK in the deadball era, or for pitchers in the medieval NL; it’s stupid in the AL, unless it’s something like the 8th inning in a tie game against a top righty.

  102. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    It is not about what he says, it will be more about what he does to help the team. I hate to say this but lately I find him selfish and put his self interst above the team.

    I have to agree with you. For a long time everyone accepted that Jeter wasn’t the kind of rah rah captain who was going to motivate the team that way. We all accepted that since we saw him lead by example. He played with passion. Now he looks nothing but lethargic and bored.

    Say what you want about Varitek but you never question about how much he wants to win. He works hard and leads that team by example. If something goes wrong you can see it on his face. Jeter just stands there with his la dee dah look on his face. Varitek isn’t a rah rah guy either but you never question how hard he works and how much he cares about winning.

  103. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    So now Jeter doesn’t work hard and doesn’t wanna win? Look, I know people are frustrated, but are you kidding me?

    So yesterday was bash Melky day, today is Bash Jeter day..oh I know..maybe tomorrow will be bash Abreu day..

  104. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Mission 2708

    Happy birthday, George.

    Maybe the Yankees can win one for the George-er.

  105. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    The last thing I’ll say is that I still definitely believe the Yankees have the players to get the job done.

    Now we’ll see if they do it.

  106. Someone Else

    Well, sorry CC fans, but if these rumors are true, CC is going to Milwaukee.

    If the rumors are true, the Brewers have reportedly discussed trading LaPorta… there’s no way the Yankees beat that.

  107. Global Warming

    You are not going to blow this team up in the last year of Yankee Stadium. That’s absolutely silly.

    We are 4 games over on July 4th, last year we were two games under.

    There is no reason that this team can’t fight for the Wildcard. I’m not saying they will win it but at least put up a fight. Cashman needs to get this team a bat or an arm and give it a boost. Like the Abreu trade of 06.

  108. BobK55

    I agree with Jeter looking lethargic and bored. Does anyone here think he misses Torre that much?

  109. Joe from Long Island

    Green Beret – Having some of the better batting numbers on a bad offensive team doesn’t meant that one is having a good year at the plate. Especially for the money being paid. If Alex can be panned for not being clutch, why can’t others? I’m just wondering if he’s still a good fit for the team.

  110. SJ44

    I don’t have a problem with Jeter’s effort. Never have.

    One problem I do have, not with Jeter but with the entire team, is doing the little things.

    Stuff that unfortunately, the YES Crew never bothers to explain to viewers during the telecast.

    Last night, Jason Varitek, who has been struggling as bad as anybody in baseball the last couple of months, not only worked walks last night, he gave himself up in a 5-0 game (with a 3-1 count on him), to advance a runner to third with a groundball with less than 2 outs. That run eventually scored.

    Why is that significant? Because the game was already over, yet Varitek still did the right thing from a baseball perspective.

    Usually when a guy is struggling and the game is in hand, that’s when he takes a rip to see if he can snap out of his funk. Varitek didn’t do that and that kind of unselfishness spreads through a team.

    Don’t believe me? Take a good look at the Yankees from 1996-2001, prior to the “All Star at every position” nonsense.

    This Yankees team does not play like that. They don’t do the little things. They don’t advance runners. They don’t hit SF’s. That stuff wins games.

    It also creates a team first mindset that, IMO, is missing with this team.

    That has to change before we even start the conversation about playoffs, World Series wins, etc.

  111. pat

    Granted last night was aweful but if you are going to have a come to Jesus moment with the team, it’s usually smarter to do it with your ace on the mound the next day and not the other teams.

    That being said, Go Razz. Give them 7 strong and hope the Yanks bats sing today.

    Happy Birthday George and Happy 4th all.

  112. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    S.A. I don’t believe I’ve had a bash any player day yet. So this is a first for me. I might have gotten upset about the way the offense was playing but never any one person. I’ve been feeling that way about Jeter for a while. I don’t think he deserves to have the title of captain. I’d rather see damon with the C or someone else who actually acts like they care. I don’t see Jeter as a team leader. Almost the opposite. Maybe he started to believe his own press a little too much.

    There was a time when every player seemed to look up to Jeter and want to be him. I don’t mean just the Yankees. Now the players in MLB voted him as the most overrated player in the majors. Bull that it’s jealousy. I think it’s fact right about now.

  113. Yankee Trader

    SJ44- You should be Girardi’s bench coach. Now maybe some of these talks have already been done.

    I would include talking to those players whose contracts are up also about moving them to a contender. Farnsworth and even Giambi, whose salaries might have to be eaten, to get a younger good player.

  114. Jeff NJ

    SJ44, thanks for the armegeddon post at 11:37. It was a good post albeit the worst case scenario. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but last night was pathetic. One thing about the struggling Yankee teams in the past is that they could always turn it up a notch for Boston. That was not the case last night.

  115. Doris From Rego Park

    Anyone wanna bet that somewhere right now George has a musty smelling blanket covering his legs only while staring a white spot on the wall?

  116. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    Doris what a nice thing to say. What goes around comes around. Hope nobody wonders the same thing about you when you’re George’s age.

  117. Yankee Trader

    Soon I’d like to see a discussion of trades that the Yankees might realistically be able to make and for whom, to prepare for the 2009 season.

    Also the Yankees can trade in August as most if not all of their high priced players will pass thru waivers.

  118. stuart

    SJ your mos recent post is dead on.

    As I stated last night; mose, dmon, abreu, and pettitte would all have value at the deadline..

    Alli s well in Yankeeland they sent down the AG and called up Traber another big move that will definitely get the zillionaires to play better…

    THink of Jorge trying his hardest with 1arm, but afraud, softie(abreu) and others doing nothing.. Jeter is a dissapointment not just his performance but his postgame blather and his lack of an honesty in communicating to the press.

    Damon mentioned Variteks AB last night and the hit to the right side as a great AB and that is all you need to know. Varitek made an out and it was a great AB because he sacrificed for the TEAM, what a concept….

    Now to arod when will people take a long look at him and be real… the guy has the softest good #’s in baseball. Last yr. arod carried the team and no I did not expect him to duplicate the best right hand hitting season in yankee history but his lack of clutch hitting is beyond bad..

    The team should be able to hit 270 or 275 with RISP no problem.. The minnesota twins are hitting 300 with RISP, hit the ball to the right side, just hit a fly ball to the outfield etc..

    If cano keeps up his hot hitting they should move him up to 2 or 3 in the order, the only problem with that is he has mental cramps and gets very anxious when men are on base…

    the yanks have alot of problems WOW…9 more yrs of therecord breaker.. invision this 7 or 9 yrs from now arod has the HR record and many other records and the yanks have won nothing, is he a great player?????How can he be considered a great player???

    to St. Torre we need to remind his groupies on occasion how those great yankee teams have played for him the last few yrs. in the playoffs, and that was porrly. Torre won when they had a team of guys like; oneil, brosius, cone, wells, mendza, bernie, and so on.

    this group of zillionaires have won NOTHING NOTHING. How many titles does abreu have and giambi, and arod, and cano, and matsui, and moose.. THe answer is ZERO.. they have never won squat…..

  119. Doris From Rego Park

    id gladly spend my last few years in that condition if it meant owning the NY yankees for 20 years

  120. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    I GUARANTEE you that you are going to see Yankees playing with passion today win or lose. If I’m wrong it’s time for me to turn in my Yankee fan membership and watch reality shows with my girlfriend.

    If I’m right I only hope that it lasts for more than one game.

    Anyone know why Moeller doesn’t get to catch any games? I hope Girardi resolves that.

  121. Global Warming

    Trading away old Outfielders and Pitchers are just not worth it.

    Oh great, we get “decent prospects”, we have tons of those already.

    I would rather fight for the Wildcard than this doomsday nonsense.

  122. Sawyer

    SJ,

    I agree. It seems like everyone is waiting around for the 3 runner homer. That’s not happen with this team. When we won our 4 Championships the Yankees did not have one player hit over 30 home runs on those teams. The most was Bernie with 30 in 2000. We won by doing the little things very, very good.

  123. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Well, all I have to say mark is sometimes looks can be deceiving. Go ask Eli Manning. He didn’t looked like he cared, right? It has to be since that was all I heard and all that people would say.

    None of us know what Jeter said or didn’t say to the team and now people are assuming that he doesn’t care and doesn’t wanna win..based on how he acts? What? He needs to play better, that is a fact. A lot of people on this team need to play better.

    Also, Those lovely players voted Jeter (along with Alex) as one of the most overrated players in the majors, yet they also voted him (and Alex) as the people they would love to build a team around. Go figure.

  124. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    Global I agree. I say we live and die with these guys. If this year isn’t the year it isn’t. You only trade when a trade makes sense. They said it last night on Baseball Tonight. What good is a trade when the Jeters, Arod, Abreus and Canos, the heart and soul of the team, aren’t getting the job done? That wasn’t my line, that was theirs. But I thought it was a great one.

  125. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    You and the wife ready for the 4th Doris? Taking the kids to go see the fireworks?

  126. Doris From Rego Park

    anyone read klapisch this am? he is spot on: http://www.northjersey.com/sports/Klapisch_Time_for_Yanks_to_face_reality.html

  127. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Mission 2708

    just because there are a lot of Yankees with trade value doesn’t necessarily mean they are going anywhere. I’d imagine someone like Moose or Pettitte would have a full NTC anyway.

    Anyway, the Yankees have a lot of work to do, but they’re hardly out of it. They still have most of their games left versus Boston and Tampa.

    That said, they have to start winning.

    Like now.

    And SJ is dead on about the little things.

  128. Doris From Rego Park

    SA- we have a 9 month old so we are debating whether or not its worth it to keep him up till 9:30. If we do go, we will go in Watermill as we are out east for the holiday weekend.

  129. SJ44

    I could care less about the WC. I care about whether or not this team can win a World Series.

    This team, as presently constructed, can’t win the World Series. By moving some parts now, you can begin the process of putting together a team that can win the World Series again. Perhaps (if the off-season is fruitful) as soon as next year.

    There is no fight with this team. Frankly, there really hasn’t been fight with this team (over long periods of time and the post-season) since the 2004 ALCS debacle.

    Gotta change the culture of the team before you even think about winning anything significant.

    The sooner they can do it, the better.

  130. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    S.A. to be the captain of the NY Yankees is probably the biggest honor in organized sports. Here’s the difference with Eli and Jeter. Eli is a kid who is making his way. Jeter’s been around long enough to know better. He’s a shadow of the player he was in the past in every way. If he’s leading by example it’s no wonder the team has been sucking.

    Every catch his canned postgame interview? Just what is his value these days? If you have to guess at what he is all about it’s not a real good thing is it. Take a look at his batting average. Watch the throws he makes. I agree that whoever said Jeter is playing selfish. Maybe too many endorsements and too many females has taken his “EDGE” away.

    You want to be happy with Jeter go for it. I’m embarrased that he’s the best we can offer for captain of the Yankees at this point.

  131. stuart

    The issue with trading giambi is not that his contract is up at the end of the yr because it is but he has a $5 mill. buyout for next yr.. that makes him fairly expensive.

    Kyle could be moved today he has less then $2.5 left on the bill and he has some value.

    if they yanks moved some of the abreu, damon, moose, giambi, pettite, matsui crowd. they could get many many prospects or possibly some majore league talent..

    Personally I would move all of them except Pettitte if we want him back for next yr…I like Damon and think he has the most value.. abreu is a FA in 70 games so why not.. Giambi is having a good yr but if I am the GM he is not back under any circumstance he is 37 and fragile…

    The Yanks can do this and save a tone of $$ and allow the GM for the 1st time since 2000 to have flexibility to make some moves and signings in the offseason..

    Imagine a team of texiera, cano, jeter, arod, posada, in the infiled next yr. a DH of Matsui, gardner, melky, and 2 unknown at the moment out fielders.

    a staff of wang, joba, hughes, pettitte, and un knowns , and a pen of mo and robertson, veras, edwar, cox, melancon, and others.. yeah not the star team you are use to but a very young team with huge upside…..

    the good news in all of this is the expiring contracts and the yanks good minor league system which is getting better all the time…

  132. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    “Chien-Ming Wang is here and said he will have a cast on his foot for another month. “It feels better,” he said. Wang will start upper body workouts today.”

    Poor Wang. Glad that it feels better though.

  133. jon

    sj-
    if you were hank and hal would you keep cash?

  134. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    I agree with some of your points SJ44. I agree that this team as presently constructed can’t win the world series because I agree with your point that there’s no fight with this team.

    But I don’t agree that the team as presently constructed can’t win the world series if they find that fight.

  135. jw

    do you seriously think cashman will do what SJ said?
    i mean as much as it makes sense i just dont see him as someone who has the balls to do such a thing

  136. BBFan

    “The last thing I’ll say is that I still definitely believe the Yankees have the players to get the job done.”

    I am in the same boat.
    At the same time, even if they make to the playoffs, changes need to be made for next year.

  137. Doris From Rego Park

    I predict that the yanks will win today to honor the death of jesse helms

  138. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    mark- we will just have to agree to disagree about Jeter.

    Maybe in time he will leave the Yankees and go somewhere else or maybe retire. That should make you and some others happy.

    Hopefully he won’t make you hang your head in shame as a Yankee fan for too long. The man sure is an embarrassment to the franchise.
    If only he was more like Jose Reyes…maybe today he will threaten to beat up Michael Kay.. ;)

  139. nyyanks23

    They need a good start from Rasner to get them going.

    insidethepinstripes.blogspot.com/

  140. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    Maybe in time he will leave the Yankees and go somewhere else or maybe retire. That should make you and some others happy.

    Or maybe he’ll go back to being the player most of us were proud to call the captain of the Yankees. I bet that would make a lot of us a lot happier than the other options you mentioned.

    Some people don’t mind mediocrity S.A. I’m not one of them especially when I’ve seen so much more from a player.

  141. SJ44

    Nobody is afraid to play the Yankees anymore. Look at their home record.

    In a year where home teams have dominated baseball, the Yankees are barely over .500 at home. That advantage disappeared with Mystique and Destiny some time ago.

  142. Doris From Rego Park

    nyyyanks23- have you been watching baseball tonight again? I only ask becuase that type of expert analysis is rare amongst the non-professionals

  143. BBFan

    “What? What self interest does he have that he’s putting above the team?

    The stuff you people come up with in here is a riot.”

    1. Insisting on playing when he is hurt.
    2. How about voluteering to move another position, so that the team can try to get a better defensive SS.

  144. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    Pete PLEASE if the opportunity ever presents itself ask Girardi if he sees Moeller catching any more games this season. Absolutely ridiculous that Girardi has him riding the bench, collecting rust, when Jorge’s arm just isn’t getting the job done and when we saw Moeller call some really good games, plus hit and throw runners out.

    That one puzzles me the most of all of Girardis calls.

  145. yankee2123

    The first move the Yankees should make when the off-season begins in September is get rid of Cashman, and bring in a new GM. The next move is to cut ties with Mussina, Giambi, Farnsworth, Hawkins, Damon, Abreau & Pettitte. The big decision will be what to do with Jeter? If he can no longer start at SS, where will he play. Forget third with his range, or the outfield. Maybe first, if the don’t pursue Texiera. Second is out, unless they trade Cano. And the DH spot has to be open for Matsui (Unless traded), and Posada.

  146. Yankee Trader

    Doris-
    Enjoyed the Klapisch article today. He’s right-who has the cajones to tell Jeter he’s moving to 2nd or 1st next year and to top it off that A-Rod is playing short, while they sign a FA or trade for a player to play 3rd!!!!
    Steinbrenner would have to step up and basically say to Jeter, you are no longer “the man.”

  147. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    “Or maybe he’ll go back to being the player most of us were proud to call the captain of the Yankees. I bet that would make a lot of us a lot happier than the other options you mentioned.
    Some people don’t mind mediocrity S.A. I’m not one of them especially when I’ve seen so much more from a player.”

    and I am sure people will still complain about our embarrassment of a captain. I don’t like mediocrity. I don’t like stupidity either. :)

  148. Eugie

    “the good news in all of this is the expiring contracts and the yanks good minor league system which is getting better all the time…”

    Great news! I can’t wait for the AAA years!

  149. BBFan

    “mark- we will just have to agree to disagree about Jeter.

    Maybe in time he will leave the Yankees and go somewhere else or maybe retire. That should make you and some others happy.

    Hopefully he won’t make you hang your head in shame as a Yankee fan for too long. The man sure is an embarrassment to the franchise.
    If only he was more like Jose Reyes…maybe today he will threaten to beat up Michael Kay.. ”

    Keep living in the past.
    Then do not complain when the team stinks like yesterday.

  150. Sawyer

    mark – HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    You’re right on about Varitek leadership. You could put Mark Messier and Paul O’Neil in that category. Just look at their faces. Once the game starts they refuse to lose or be beaten. Yanks were beaten after the first inning last night.

  151. Mike

    Maybe our offense can touch up Beckett for more runs than the Red Sox do Ranser.

    Hey Guys, there’s this great site where you can get free stuff if you refer people to sign up for free offers. Watch out though, some free trials (Stamps.com, Freecreditreport.com) dont cost anything while ones like Netflix makes you make at least one payment after the trial period. I’m trying to raise money to take my son to a Yankees game before Yankee Stadium closes. I would appreciate any help you could give. Attached is the weblink.

  152. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    “Keep living in the past.
    Then do not complain when the team stinks like yesterday.”

    Whos living in the past? Jeter has to play better. No duh. He’s hurting this team…so are a lot of other people. But Jeter supposedly is such an embarrassment and brings such shame to the NY Yankees. Oh nooooooooooo.

  153. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    I don’t like stupidity either.

    I’ll reserve judgement on that one S.A. Ha ha.

  154. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Gah!
    **whos=who is

  155. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    “I’ll reserve judgement on that one S.A. Ha ha.”

    LOL :P

    I’m off to buy beer. Hopefully we win this game.

  156. JoeT 28 in 09!! SWEEP BOSTON MOVEMENT - SWEEEPP CAROLINE!!

    Sawyer – does Tek’s “leadership” make up for a .215 batting average?

    he is by FAR the most overrated player in the game. I’m a catcher, I know how important the position is, probably the most important on the field – and Tek is still the most overrated player in baseball. damn espn treats him like a god

  157. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    SJ44 if you see the team come out today and play with a totally renewed vigor – that might be a big if – then it’s going to be hard for you to say that manager motivation doesn’t work. Well you can say it but it will be hard for you to make that stick. I think we’ll see it for sure. My thing is I just hope it will last.

  158. li

    Joel Sherman may have tried to “provoke” a response from Girardi, but at least he was trying to get some information for his readers. It seemed like the rest of the media was sitting on their hands.

  159. Eugie

    Who motivates the manager to not make dumb moves?

  160. GreenBeret7

    Sherman doesn’t have readers. He has “gawkers”. The type that stop to look at car wrecks or the types that read scandal rags like National Enquirer. Like I mentioned in another subject thread. Sherman and Lupica are malignant dwarfs.

  161. jw

    ‘damn espn treats him like a god’
    nicely said.

  162. anthony from the bronx

    Molina gets another start.I bet he will either have a passed ball or get crossed up on a pitch or a wild pitch that leads to a run.He cant hit Why not give Moller a start?
    Melky playing again.No Gradner.Posoda dh.I was all for Giardi getting the job.I thought he would be tough on the players that did not get the job done.I am very disappointed so far.This offense is just bad.Cant or wont do the small things that win games.Each player wants to be the hero instead of doing what best for the team.Case in point is runner on 3rd less then 2 outs they swing for the fenses in stead of just making contact.They seem to be more selfish this year then in past years

  163. Yankee Trader

    Yankee 2123- Don’t agree with cutting Cashman at the end of the year, unless you’re bringing in someone who is familiar with the present club and their minor leaguers. It would be too hard to try and right the ship that quickly.

    Personally Cashman has the right vision for this team, now that George and his cronies are not making the decisions anymore without his input.

    Giambi instead of Ortiz. Steinbrenner wanted Giambi. We could have had Ortiz.

    Sheffield instead of Vladimir Guerrero. Steinbrenner made that decision.

    Look at his good decisions-Damon, Matsui,the 2006 minor league draft of Kennedy, Chamberlain, Betances, Melancon.

    Every GM makes iffy picks, even Shuerholtz did with the Braves.

    Not ready to fire the GM or the manager. Just give this aging team the right mix and chemistry to compete again.

  164. GreenBeret7

    Why do people assume that players who take swings designed to hit the ball hard is not the same as “swinging for the fences”?

  165. li

    Please note the link to Joel Sherman’s blog under Pete’s My Favorite Baseball Sites.

  166. YankeesTech

    Derek Jeter is one of the reasons why this team s(fill in the blink).

  167. SJ44

    Mark,

    A win today doesn’t change my view of the team. Its not about one game. Its about watching this team all season.

    I just don’t think they are that good.

    If they win today, guess what? It means they have split the first two games with the Red Sox. That’s treading water.

    They have to win series, not just tread water.

    JMO but, I don’t think this team, no matter who is “motivating” them, is in it for the long haul this year. I think they need to make significant changes.

    JMHO.

    Enjoy the game and holiday everybody.

  168. bigjf

    I’m starting to get annoyed. Gardner needs to be sent back down. He can’t just sit like this. Bring up Jason Lane instead. If Alberto Gonzalez went down for playing time, Gardner has to go with him if he’s not going to play. He’s more valuable than Gonzalez.

  169. Jeff NJ

    if we are talking about breaking the team down for contention next year, the trades would still be one like prospects for Sabathia. Only difference is trying to shed some vets in the last year or two of their contracts. That’s not happenning. So as bad as the team has looked, the doomsday scenario is not happenning.

  170. GreenBeret7

    Badly worded my last post. Swinging to hit the ball hard does not mean swinging for the fences.

  171. Jeff NJ

    let’s go Joey Chestnut! Hot Dog eating live on ESPN now!

  172. Jeff NJ

    hot dog eating live now

  173. GreenBeret7

    Hot dog eating is almost as exciting as that other great sport….poker on tv. My God…ESPN has regressed back to their first years of trying to find garbage to fill air time.

  174. BBB

    Please let this game not suck.

    Also, what is the purpose of having Moeller on the roster IF HE NEVER PLAYS!!! Let him catch Ras for crying out loud!

  175. Jeff NJ

    The way the Yankees are playing lately, 10 minutes of Hot Dog eating is a lot more interesting. It’s a 4th of July tradition, my wife and I watch it and laugh our butts off, until the final pukes.

  176. JoeT 28 in 09!!

    Look at his good decisions-Damon, Matsui,the 2006 minor league draft of Kennedy, Chamberlain, Betances, Melancon.

    Damn – yes, Matsui – DEFINITELY, Kennedy – Possibly but we haven’t seen the full potential yet. Chamberlain – DEF. Betances/Melancon – same with IPK, maybe 2 great picks, but we haven’t seen anything yet. Hughes and IPK were like the most highly regarded minor leaguers and we wouldn’t trade them for Johan yet they still haven’t shown us anything.

    Anyway enjoy the game everyone, Happy 4th – post who wins the Hot Dog contest, i’m in Grand Cayman so I can’t watch it :(

  177. raymagnetic

    “1. Insisting on playing when he is hurt.
    2. How about voluteering to move another position, so that the team can try to get a better defensive SS.”

    1. I always thought that players who play through minor injuries were considered gamers. Guess I’m wrong.

    2. This year according to all the defensive matrix has been his best defensive year in about 3 or 4 years. He even worked out all offseason to get better at defense. Again, who’s the alternative at shortstop?

  178. raymagnetic

    “He’s right-who has the cajones to tell Jeter he’s moving to 2nd or 1st next year and to top it off that A-Rod is playing short, while they sign a FA or trade for a player to play 3rd!!!!”

    A-Rod isn’t a good defensive 3B and you people think he can slide back to SS?

  179. youngtimer

    Nice to see that Girardi is on board with the whole “we need to win games” thing. Fans think so too, no?

  180. Jeff NJ

    Photo finish.

  181. Dan

    Happy Birthday George.

    …I mean if we’re just going to look at this one based off of who is pitching it looks very bad. But after the Yankees lost last night when the pitching matchup was decent, they have to pull one off here if they’re really serious about contending.

  182. Yankee Trader

    The Yankees gain 81+ Million dollars if they don’t resign any of their free agents. Some players will have a jump in salary.

    Before hopping on the Teixeira bandwagon so fast, he’s batting

  183. Jeff NJ

    A tie? IT’S AN EAT OFF!!!!

  184. Jeff NJ

    JOEY CHESTNUT WINS!!!!! A GREAT DAY FOR AMERICA!!!! HAPPY FOURTH EVERYONE!!!

  185. Dan

    lol they have a shootout…

    Chesnut won go USA way to keep up that obese image!

  186. Holla

    10-1 Sox win.. pathetic offense rears its ugly head again

    Put it down… I called the shutout yesterday

  187. BBB

    Not to dwell, but this Moeller thing really irks me. Doesn’t this team have enough problems without essentially wasting 2 roster spots, one on a guy who never plays (Moeller) and one on a guy who never should play? (Hawkins)

    Also, I was thinking last night..I miss Miguel Cairo. I know everybody will now post his miserable OPS+ or whatever, but he was certainly more adept at getting hits with men on than seemingly anyone on the team right now. He was (well, is) a veteran who harbored no delusions about being a star, completely absent of any ego whatsoever, and was willing to do whatever it took to help the TEAM win. Right now I can think of few veterans on the team who play like that on a regular basis. Maybe Damon, and Matsui when he was healthy. that’s about it though.

  188. JoeT 28 in 09!!

    “Put it down… I called the shutout yesterday”

    ALL HAIL PETER GAMMONS!!

  189. JoeT 28 in 09!!

    BBB – I will NEVER say anything bad about Miguel Ciaro – you’re 100% on that, I loved having him as the UTL guy, he did ANYTHING to help the team win

  190. Austin

    Is anyone else watching this on Direct tv and has to watch the NESN feed because they black out the YES feed?

  191. Yankee Trader

    Oops post got cut off. My bad!

    Before hopping on the Teixeira bandwagon so fast, he’s hitting

  192. Redboard

    I blame Cashman , plain and simple…..How he has been able to walk thru the last 3 years with the teams he has put on the field is hard to believe….I will not be a foolish to say just because he has a $200 million payroll, he should win automatically, actually its possible it could hurt him because most of that payroll is spent on too few players, and why in my opinion, why ARod is stupid or could care less to understand he will never win a WS ring because he will never have a complete team around him because of his contract…i think the fall of the recent Yankess was when they passed on Beltran (at a discount mind you) and then hald way thru that season blamed all their problems on Bernie Williams arm, so they pass on a great CF who would have even better numbers in Yankee Stadium and then go out and get Damon, a nice palyer, but who throws worse than most girls !!!….Pavano has been a killer for sure on so many levels, but Cashman not being able to get another pitcher here to help the rotation has been the downfall of the NYY in the post season and then he decides to pass on the best left hander in all of baseball this year….so why does this guy keep getting a free pass I Will Never Understand….and finally i must admit , i hate Randy Levine, i never want to see his fat face , race any trophies and i also must admit after i saw the outrageous prices of the FBox seats this year, i actually dont mind when the NYY lose another game and now looking foward to the day when no one is sitting in the entire lower level for a mid week September game and the tickets are available on Ticketmaster for the low price of $350 each (and $400 if you procrastinate and wait until day of game)….ah yes , Steroids, Bud Selig and apple pie baseball is americas past its prime time….HAPPY 4th of July everyone (lets not forget the wonderful economy!)

  193. TKinDC

    Well – after wading through all the negativity of the posts above I would simply point out that the defeatism is misplaced.

    The object of the exercise is to win the World Series – which we don’t accomplish if we put Jorge on the shelf and dismantle the team in-season.

    My fellow arm-chair GMs ignore the obvious – that the team can make the playoffs and once you make the playoffs, anything can happen. Just look at the Cardinals who won the Series a couple years back.

    We are going to have a ton of off-season decisions to make with all of the expiring contracts and free agents available – but the idea that you are going to dismantle a team that is closing down the House that Ruth Built and stagger into the new stadium is simply mindless.

  194. Sawyer

    JoeT 28 in 09!! SWEEP BOSTON MOVEMENT – SWEEEPP CAROLINE!!

    July 29, 2006 Red Sox’s lead Yanks by 1.5 games. Jason Varitek batting .238 goes down with season ending injury. Boston finishes 2006 in 3rd place 11 games behind Yankees.

    Look how he handled calling the game for Lester last night. The Yanks looked foolish at the plate.

  195. BBB

    JoeT: I think not having a guy like that on our bench right now is a big problem. Betemit can hit for more power all day long, but he’ll never bring the same kind of never say die professionalism that Miggy did. He has talent, but he doesn’t inspire the same kind of Cairoesque confidence that he will come off the bench and do the job he’s being asked to do.

    One of the biggest things the team needs to do in the winter is find another Cairo like veteran utility man. I’d trade Betemit in July or in the winter. He has value to a lot of teams, I just don’t think he’s the answer for us.

  196. Laura - Praying team meeting helped!

    “A-Rod isn’t a good defensive 3B and you people think he can slide back to SS?”

    Are you joking? A-Rod is a very good 3B and deserves credit for making that transition.

    As for him going back to SS, forget it. He’s too big to go back to SS.

  197. ellen

    Pedroia HBP.

  198. Jeff NJ

    Ok back to baseball. In regards to the Moeller question, we need him on the team with Jorge not being able to throw unfortunately. Today for example, if Molina gets hurt or ph for, Moeller could come in otherwise moving Jorge would make us lose the DH. With Matsui out, this is our best lineup and it’s good to have a 3rd catcher.

  199. YankeeVIP

    these yankees play scared against the bosox.

    rasner should not be starting!!!! he is not a mlb pitcher.. and unfortunately this is going to be same as before..embarrassing.

    for those that think its wrong to give up like this so early… this team has done nothing to earn respect or get the benefit of the doubt.

  200. Y's Guy

    grim times for the boys in pinstripes! it rarely comes down to a game in july so i wont put that much onto todays game, but if our boys don’t win about 4 of the next 5, we’ll be going into the trade period as sellers rather than buyers.

    Lets Go Yankees!!!!!

  201. YankeeVIP

    get rid of rasner… im tired of all these “crafty” pitchers.. you can only fool mlb pitchers for so long..

    thats why kennedy will never be good.

  202. Eugie

    “My fellow arm-chair GMs ignore the obvious – that the team can make the playoffs and once you make the playoffs, anything can happen. Just look at the Cardinals who won the Series a couple years back.”

    No one’s making the postseason with 2 1/2 pitchers.

  203. j

    late call there

  204. ellen

    Struck him out!

  205. Y's Guy

    people who give up are not real fans.

  206. YankeeVIP

    hit manny damnit!!!! dont let him swing, please!

  207. ellen

    Y’s Guy: Happy 4th!

  208. Joe from Long Island

    I know it’s only the 1st inning, but that K of Drew was big. If Ras can get a DP or otherwise get out the inning without a run scored, it will be big.

  209. BBB

    Jeff NJ: Definitely agree with the benefits of having Moeller on the team. I just want him to play! Today would have been a good day to start him, Ras’ last start vs Perez, who Chad hit hard in the NL, would have been a GREAT day to start him. Frustrating to see him warming the bench when he could actually help us. Meanwhile, guys who should be benched for a few days, never are.

  210. Eugie

    “people who give up are not real fans.”

    People who ignore reality are delusional.

  211. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    happy independance day, i went downtown and walked by independance hall and ben franklin’s grave early this morning! great day to be an american!

  212. YankeeVIP

    its easy to give up on a team that has already given up on themselves.

    i never threw in the towel last season and believed they could come back.. this season is a different story, these guys dont play with any heart or desire to win..

    if they can give up on their season, so can i

  213. TKinDC

    Great Jack Curry article about the man who threw out the first pitch – HAPPY 4TH OF JULY – GOD BLESS THE USA

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/04/sports/baseball/04soldier.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin

  214. Joe from Long Island

    Another big out for Ras!

  215. Eugie

    “if they can give up on their season, so can i”

    exactly.

  216. YankeeVIP

    rasner should be pulled right now.
    i dont want to see him in the 2nd

    im a diehard fan.. and have tried to be optimistic all season, but these veterans dont care anymore (maybe playing for a guy they were teammates with just doesnt inspire them) and half the team is a bunch of AAA scrubs

  217. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Mission 2708

    Rasner on smoke and mirrors.

  218. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    well its the 4th of july, its boston but its not dave righetti unfortunatly.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE STEINBRENNER

    okay and john stertling, too!

  219. TKinDC

    “No one’s making the postseason with 2 1/2 pitchers.”

    Mussina
    Pettitte
    Joba
    Mo

    Even you can count to four, can’t you?

  220. Joe from Long Island

    Two walks and a HBP is not how you want to start the game, but it was a terrific comeback by Ras. Hope they get some inspiration from this.

  221. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Rasner-livin on the edge

  222. Jeff NJ

    Good post YankeesVIP, I must say this year feels very different than last year.

  223. BBB

    Great job Rasner!!

    People complain about the lack of heart and effort from some players on this team, well the guy who just walked off the mound hasn’t given up on a damn thing and will not give up as long as he pitches. Don’t give up on him either.

  224. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Mission 2708

    I love Johnny Damon.

  225. zellyanks91

    Nice Joba Damon…

  226. Joe from Long Island

    Damon looks inspired there. And Sox can’t get a 643 DP.

  227. JoeT 28 in 09!!

    That a boy damon!! They leave them loaded – lets put up a crooked number!!

  228. sunny615

    please score – please score – please score

  229. David Robertson for Setup (Captain Damon)

    Thats my boy Johnny Damon

  230. Eugie

    “Mussina
    Pettitte
    Joba
    Mo

    Even you can count to four, can’t you?”

    WOW!! You’re Right!! 3 6 inning pitchers and a 1 inning closer. We sure do have a chance!

  231. Jeff NJ

    Damon with his 23rd double. Gotta love this guy.

  232. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    i know about all the problems and whos not doing well and all that. i’ve watched or listened to just about every game all year.

    this is not the time to pick our team apart!
    this is the time to pull for our guys!
    this is what separates the real fans from the fake fans!

    Lets Go Yankees!!!!!

  233. Eugie

    I forgot games were 7 innings long..

  234. mel

    Glad it happened to them. We’re usually the ones leaving them full.

    Hope to see Beckett lose his temper today. That means he’ll be losing.

    Nice job, Damon.

  235. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Im telling you all, were going to win today

  236. BBB

    Damon has to be at least close to leading the league in doubles.

  237. sunny615

    at least it wasn’t a GIDP

  238. JoeT 28 in 09!!

    Bobby’s going yard

  239. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    We need some walks today

  240. BBB

    Word up Y’s guy. Go Yankees!!!

  241. Eugie

    “this is what separates the real fans from the fake fans!”

    Lieing to yourself doesn’t make you more of a fan.

  242. TKinDC

    “WOW!! You’re Right!! 3 6 inning pitchers and a 1 inning closer. We sure do have a chance!”

    Maybe this is your first week watching baseball – but it really doesn’t take that much more to win than for the Yanks bigtime players to perform at their potential and for the role players to contribute.

    But if you just want to troll the team that’s fine – be a clown.

  243. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Arod will go yard sometime today

  244. .500 Team

    Jeter has been a legendary Yankee…it’s fair to say we are watching him get older.

  245. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Ok, Alex, If Bobby walks, what do you not want to do?

    Ground into a double play

  246. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Thats what happens when you swing at the first pitch alex.

  247. Eugie

    “Maybe this is your first week watching baseball – but it really doesn’t take that much more to win than for the Yanks bigtime players to perform at their potential and for the role players to contribute.”

    Maybe you haven’t been paying attention lately but this isn’t the same East as past years.

  248. zellyanks91

    Way to go Arod!

    Kevin

  249. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Theres the clutch rod we love

  250. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Mission 2708

    YES!

    YEAH ALEX!

  251. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    THERE YA GO!

    BIG HIT for AROD!!!!

  252. Vrsce

    Arod is tighter than a gnats ass.

  253. The Fallen Phoenix

    So A-Rod just delivered. Against Boston’s ace.

    Is he still a distraction to this team?

  254. Jeff NJ

    A Rod! Get into the Groove!

  255. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Ok, it was obvious we were going to come out and play hard today, but can it last more than 1 game?

  256. JoeT 28 in 09!!

    A-RODD!!! THAT’S HOW YOU PLAY BASEBALL!!

  257. YankeeVIP

    Thanks Jeff… winning this game means little, you need to win this series 3-1. anything less shows this team doesnt have a sense of urgency or just doesnt have the talent (hard to imagine huh).

    I also hate to say this, but i think the biggest reason for the problems with this team is jeter. not his stats or defense or anything, but his general approach to the game this season. Jeter was always the guy who plays the right way and with the passion he had his rookie year. and guys fed of him when they see him diving for balls, etc. i said this in spring training, but he doesnt seem to have the same energy or motivation this year (has become very complacent). maybe he is taking a back seat to arod but more so losing torre had a bigger impact on him them he lets on. jeter use to always be the guy on the top step cheering every hit and the first guy to be excited by a big hit… you dont see that anymore

  258. blackdragon905

    EXACTLY WHAT WE NEEDED!!!!!

  259. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    bring him in now!

    Let’s Go Yankees!!!!!

  260. DFox

    There’s that A-Rod just mailing it in. He was probably thinking about madonna that whole at bat and that’s why he struck out. I wonder where all the people knocking him last not will be right now.

  261. BBB

    A-Rod just justified my love. Heh.

  262. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Oh look-runs.
    Nice Alex

  263. mel

    If he scored on that, would that have been an inside-the-parker?

  264. Joe from Long Island

    It’s about time they played with some attitude. I like taking the chance and sending Abreu.

    Now to get Alex in from 3rd.

    Re: Jeter bunting – I wonder how bad his hand is hurting him, to where he doesn’t think he can deliver the big hit.

  265. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    BUNT!

  266. DFox

    *last night

  267. sunny615

    A MIRACLE!!!!

  268. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    Well well well. Either the Yankees hit much better against Beckett than the Red Sox superstar, uh, what’s his name from yesterday. Or maybe just what a lot of us thought was needed worked. MOTIVATE WITH THAT DAMNED STICK!!!

    Ha ha ha. Please keep it up Yankees.

  269. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Ouch at Abreus leg

  270. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    here’s where giambi has to use the shift to his advantage! butcher boy or anything that goes to the left side and arod can walk home

  271. TKinDC

    “Jeter has been a legendary Yankee…it’s fair to say we are watching him get older.”

    What is the alternative? :)

  272. Jeff NJ

    ok all, let’s focus on the positive now while SJ44 is gone. Let’s play today and win today, worry about solving all the Yankees problems some other day. 3-0

  273. zellyanks91

    Nice sac fly by Giambi. This was a very positive way to start off the game.

    Kevin

  274. Larry

    Nice hit,Alex. But here is an illustration of what I’m talking about. He swung at the
    first pitch and I have no problem with it. To my eyes, that was a good pitch to hit, he just fouled it back. With runners on first and second there, I don’t want him taking a pitch just for the sake of taking a pitch.
    I’m more open to it with noone on, but in this case the right first pitch could mean 3 runs.

  275. Joe from Long Island

    Man, they look pumpted in the dugout.

    Damon isn’t the only OF who can’t throw well.

  276. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    Thank God! I was so afraid I’d have to watch reality shows with my girlfriend.

    SJ44. Motivation definitely works. It doesn’t matter if its veterans or newbies.

  277. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Mission 2708

    So we get five hit against Jon Lester and today we score three runs in the first on Beckett?

    Dang, this is a weird game.

  278. BBB

    Getting the runner in from 3rd with less than 2 outs?! Be still my heart!!! WTG ’stache!

  279. Vrsce

    Varitek is a lowlife

  280. TKinDC

    Anybody else want A-Rod to knock ‘Tek over on his candy a$$ on that play?

  281. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    wow, what a year he’s having

    so glad giambi’s on both of my fantasy teams!

  282. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    Jeff where is SJ?

  283. bphill

    I love this

    THE YANKEES ARE FIRED UP

  284. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Becketts beard is uneven…

  285. mel

    Two things:

    1. Can accept Varitek’s armor. But those shin guards have Wonder Woman written all over them.

    2. Way to go Bobby. See the wall doesn’t look so bad, now, huh?

  286. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    lets see jorge juice one here!

  287. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Rebecca dont we own Beckett though?

  288. Larry

    I think that, despite his troubles with RISP, Giambi has been good at getting the runner in from third with less than 2 outs.
    Glad to see it. Let’s not forget Rasner is pitching. They may need every run they can get.

  289. matt

    didn’t the yanks wear alternative hats after 9/11 when play resumed again? I know the mets did and I thought the yanks did as well

  290. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    All I ask is for 1 more solid start from Rasner

  291. thunderfangabe

    “Becketts beard is uneven…”

    i noticed that too. like he clipped a little too much on the left side so there’s a patch missing. hahaha

  292. Joe from Long Island

    Rebecca – my wife was taunting me this morning about John Sterling and how he always says “You can’t predict baseball.” How appropriate – John’s saying, that is, not my wife’s taunting.

  293. sunny615

    now let’s hope rasner can keep it down… shiver

  294. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Matt,

    Yes the Yankees did. I believe the mets wore the Fire Dept and Yankees the police

  295. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    come on Ras-strikes

  296. sunny615

    c’mon rasner get more aggressive… high pitch counts help nobody.

  297. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    That new stadium looks beautiful

  298. BBB

    lol, as soon as the Yankees got that 3rd run I said in my head, “Well Suzyn, you just can’t predict baseball.”

  299. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    gotta love that view of the stadiums side by side. they wont be next to each other for very long….

  300. YankeeVIP

    jason “wonder woman” varitek!!! hahah so true

    glad to see some life .. but one game wont make a season. we need atleast 1 week of this!

    wow. amazing picture of the two stadiums.. didnt realize how far along the new stadium is

  301. mark - HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    A-Rod isn’t a good defensive 3B and you people think he can slide back to SS?

    Uh what? You’re right he’s not a good defensive 3B. I’d say he’s actually shown flashes of greatness.

    SJ44 will be around if the Yankees do something bad.

    I think it takes a lot for him to admit he’s wrong. He did eventually admit he was wrong about Giambi.

    It is beyond apparent that the Yankees are playing like a different team. It is beyond obvious that the talk from Girardi did something.

    Only SJ44 might be too stubborm to admit it.

  302. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Didnt put the glove down quick enough. Good attempt though

  303. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    good job of avoiding each other! that could have been a catastrophe!

  304. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    game going great so far

  305. Kill-Schill(ing)

    Well at least they’re playing with zeal today, either it’s more Red Bull or last night’s meeting.

    At the least, Girardi’s meeting appear to have goaded his team to play with more verve.

  306. mark - Play Moeller dammit!

    I said yesterday I expected to lose last night’s game and end up taking 3 out of 4. I’ll stay with that. I said I thought the Yankees were going to start of a good winning streak. I’ll stay with that too. I said those before we knew Girardi was having his meeting with the team. Maybe I was beamed in some information! Ha ha ha.

    Of course I will be here to take the beating if I’m wrong. But I don’t think I am.

  307. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Mission 2708

    Niiice DP

  308. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Nice!
    Back to work bats

  309. mel

    Did you guys talk about the Reyes/Keith Hernandez incident on the charter flight?

    Supposedly Hernandez said that the Mets are babying Reyes. The family told Reyes and he took issue with Keith.

  310. Fran

    The bottom of the 1st inning showed how productive the Yanks can be when they are doing things right – the big hit by Alex, the sac fly by Giambi. Keep it up.

    And nice job by Rasner so far getting out of trouble and keeping the Sox off the board.

  311. Joe from Long Island

    If Joe’s motivation gets these guys started, then I’m going to see if he can talk to my son….

  312. mark - Play Moeller dammit! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    I just saw Helms died. Love him or hate him the guy was bigger than life. RIP Jesse wherever you are.

  313. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    gotta keep scoring and give raz a chance. these guys are gonna put up some runs too, so we need to crank it up again right here!

    Let’s Go Yankees!!!!!

  314. mark - Play Moeller dammit! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Even Jeter turned it up a notch. Fly out instead of ground out. Nice clean D.

  315. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Opposite field power from Cano.

  316. TKinDC

    Jason “Wonder Woman” Varitek’s highlight reel ;)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PklPDx5_6J8&feature=related

  317. BBB

    Mel, I think someone mentioned it. I don’t think I’ve ever typed these words before in my life, nor will I ever do so again, but Hernandez is absolutely right. Everybody’s slowly starting to realize it, too. Even the ESPN hype on how Reyes was “the most exciting player in the game” has died down. Considering he’s only the 3rd if not 4th best SS in his division, I’d say it’s about time.

  318. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Melky will get a basehit

  319. Kill-Schill(ing)

    Hernandez reminds me why I so despised the ‘86-’88 Mets.

  320. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    the big ballyard may have been empty when maris hit #61, but it was packed to the rafters on Lou Gehrig Day!

  321. mel

    Joe,

    They’ve already got Joe G. lined up to talk to the LoHud Yankees blog.

  322. Ron

    When Melky drives the ball off of you, you don’t have good stuff, Josh.

  323. mark - Play Moeller dammit! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Dead still air in the Stadium. They’re going to have to put a lot of power behind it if any of the balls are going to leave the park.

  324. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Michael Kay is scarred of alot. Heights, Thunderstorms, Femal commitment

  325. Ron

    Mark –

    A-Rod will take that as a challenge.

  326. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    mel-That’s just Reyes being Reyes and the media blowing it out of proportion. Well, at least, that is according to my friend who is a nutty Mets fan.

  327. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Im saying this serious, Jose Reyes is bad for baseball

  328. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Hahahaha Varitek trying to to pick another fight with Arod?

  329. Laura - Just call me L-Rod

    The Mets should deal Reyes. He’s more trouble than he’s worth.

  330. Ron

    Damn, that dude’s fast.

    It wasn’t a brawl, exactly. It was more of a catfight. Complete with butt-grabbing action by Varitek.

  331. Ron

    Well this isn’t very good.

  332. mark - Play Moeller dammit! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Ras, this game is HUGE buddy. You didn’t ask to draw the “day after” straw but you did.

    Hold these punks down. Please.

  333. Yankee Trader

    This is the inning that will show us if Rasner has what it takes.

  334. Vrsce

    Varitek is a lowlife, dirty player. If this was Hockey, he would not last long.

  335. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Its funny that Drew has been nothing short of amazing in June, yet he still is only batting .303

  336. zellyanks91

    I smell a DP…

    Kevin

  337. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    arod is great, but not as good as brosius or nettles at that bunt play.

  338. mark - Play Moeller dammit! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    The other thing is we know pitchers like Rasner can’t live on the edge too long and get away with it. Hope we have some good long relief in the pen.

  339. mel

    David,

    Don’t forget, Kay’s terrified of condiments.

    S.A.,

    He’s being afforded that kind of treatment? He hasn’t done anything!

    There must be a lot of Boston fans. I hear a lot of cheering on their basehits.

  340. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    come on Rasner

  341. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    ewww what is Susan wearing

  342. James G

    WALK MANNY!!!

  343. Ron

    Dan Giese is our long relief. I’m still not sure if that’s a bad thing.

  344. canocabrera

    If Jason Varitek would man up and take his catcher’s mask off, I’m pretty sure he would get his ___ handed to him

  345. mark - Play Moeller dammit! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Too bad Jason is ball shy. That play might have had slick fielding DP written all over it.

  346. James G

    …AGAIN.

  347. mark - Play Moeller dammit! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Uh oh. Ras getting jobbed on the corners.

  348. James G

    Thank God.

  349. Ron

    Well, it looks like he’s going to have to do it again.

    Rasner against really good hitting teams is just not a good combination. He’s an okay 5th starter. Normally, teams like the BoSox pummel okay 5th starters.

  350. Laura - Just call me L-Rod

    Somebody needs to take a pair of scissors to Manny’s hair. It looks like a mop.

  351. Larry

    Rasner is going to walk this tightrope one time too many, I’m afraid.

  352. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Whats with the Red Sox having their homegrowns look like teenagers? Pedroia, Masterson, Ellsbury

  353. ERâ„¢ (The Last Yankee Fanâ„¢)

    woo,
    some news regarding American Idle 2,
    a.k.a. Phil Hughes

  354. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Its only 1, dont overreact

  355. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    “He’s being afforded that kind of treatment? He hasn’t done anything!”

    Say that to some mets fans..and they will attack. At least my friend will. He has a special talent..that’s all I hear.. :P

    What that dude needs to do is grow up. Stat.

  356. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    IF we get out of this with one run, it’s not bad.

  357. Larry

    Got lucky there. That ball was smoked.

  358. Joe from Long Island

    Getting out of this with only one run scored is not bad. Just have to get the 3rd out now.

  359. Ron

    I’ll trade a run for an out.

    Get Youkilis and you’ll have surpassed my expectation for the first three innings.

  360. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    ok, well take that. big batter here, raz needs to get us outta here now!

    Lets Go Yankees!!!!!

  361. bodhisattva

    Ron,

    Umm…Melky actually has some power.

  362. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    1 more out Rasner-you can do this.

  363. Fran

    Get one more out without giving up any more runs would be a good job by Rasner.

  364. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    That was a nice pitch. Two more please Ras.

  365. Today's Burning Question

    What does that “C” on Fairytek’s uniform really stand for ???

    C_ _ _

  366. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Reyes just isnt good. How any Met fan could think he is I will never know. Rollins, Ramirez and the kid from Atlanta are all better than him. He is the 4th best in his own division

  367. Ron

    If Rasner gives us five innings every time out and keeps us in the game, he deserves to stay in the rotation. Hell, I’m not sure of the last time we had a fifth starter that reliable.

  368. MoBoy(aka McLovin)

    Whats up with this starting staff and there high pitch counts.Rasner and Joba needs to just throw strikes.What they are crafty pitchers now.

  369. Kill-Schill(ing)

    Why isn’t Gardner playing for the second game in a row?

    Watching Ellsbury makes me eager to see Gardner have the opportunity to match him.

  370. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Rasner-Beckett on paper certainly doesn’t give the Yankees the edge.

    DO IT RAS!

  371. Laura - Just call me L-Rod

    We need to get rid of Rasner. He’s just a band aid. We need a real pitching solution.

  372. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Are you serious? Thats a catch. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  373. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    DAMN! HE HAD IT!

    NICE TRY JOHNNY!

  374. YankeeVIP

    DAMN YOU RASNER.. he needs to be demoted right now

  375. Larry

    What a pest this Youkolis is. I guess it’s great if you’re a Boston fan, though.

  376. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    What the hell was that? Boy was that bad luck.

    Hope Damon is okay.

  377. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    First Matsui, not Damon.

  378. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Mission 2708

    Wow, this is so not our year….

  379. BBB

    F me

    Guess we’ll see if the offense is gonna fight back now…

  380. Global Warming

    “If Rasner gives us five innings every time out and keeps us in the game, he deserves to stay in the rotation. Hell, I’m not sure of the last time we had a fifth starter that reliable.”

    Jaret Wright?

    No, Wright was better…

  381. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Oh crap

  382. Angel {insert random statement plus multiple !!!!!'s here}

    Man, talk about bad luck. :(

  383. canocabrera

    Here you go, what you’ve all been hoping for. Our savior, Brett Gardener!

  384. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Test #2. This is where the Yankees have given up in the past. Once the other team starts hitting.

    We’ll see what happens next.

    Geeze we don’t need this. Poor Johnny. NICE TRY BUDDY!!!!!

  385. YankeeVIP

    so damon looks like he dislocated his shoulder or bruised some ribs.. he is done for the awhile i guess too.. wow!!!

    and damon was the only guy hitting in this lineup..

    i blame rasner for all this

  386. Vrsce

    Now is the “season” of our discontent.

    When the fates are against you, nothing for it but to endure with a good spirit.
    Go Yankees
    Good play Johnny.

  387. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    guess gardner will play now.

  388. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Well you wanted Brett Gardner, now there he is guys. Just lost Damon for a very long time

  389. Ryan

    Hopefully that wasnt his throwing arm…..

    /sarcasm

  390. Laura - Just call me L-Rod

    I swear, we are snake bitten this year.

  391. Ron

    You can hammer Rasner all you want. But who’s going to replace him?

    He’s a 5th starter. It’s not his job to go out there and dominate. It’s his job to keep them in the game. He’s going to get rocked, especially when he faces an offense like Boston’s.

  392. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    damn, almost a great play there. johnny gave it his best and really crashed in the attempt! i hope he’s okay.

  393. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Rasner better dig down real deep and get the job done.

  394. Ron

    Jaret Wright, in the only season he wasn’t hurt 80 percent of the time, was our 4th starter.

  395. Yankee Trader

    Well that sure was a confidence booster for Rasner. Who comes in next, and will they finally bring up britton to stay?

  396. yankeenate

    that last play (which was an incredible effort by damon) sums up this crapshoot of a season.

  397. Kill-Schill(ing)

    What’s the Phil Hughes news?

    Wonderful. Johnny didn’t seem to be too badly injured. Let’s hope it’s just a bad bruise to his ribs.

  398. Fran

    Nice try by Damon – he looked like he hurt his shoulder the way he was holding his arm and not moving it. Loosing his bat would be a big blow. He is really hot.

    Rasner has got to get a 1-2-3 inning sometime soon!

  399. j

    this team is allergic to leads

  400. melky Jr.

    yeah, 5th starter automatically means a loss. you’re right, ron. which is why this team won’t make the playoffs.

  401. Angel {insert random statement plus multiple !!!!!'s here}

    Ugh.

    I’m waiting for the all the WebMD’s to come out with their diagnosis and prognosis for Damon, lol.

  402. Yankee Trader

    What’s the word on Damon’s injury?

  403. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Yeah we’ll get to see the incredible phenom named Brett Garnder. At least we won’t have to read his name every 5th post anymore!

  404. Kill-Schill(ing)

    Please God, don’t let it be a separated shoulder.

  405. MoBoy(aka McLovin)

    Rasner should stay for now.But you have to replace him at sometime.Cash needs to start working the phones.

    Hopefully Freddy Garcia gets healthy quick.

  406. Mo

    Great job Rasner. Way to blow the lead. He stinks.

  407. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    hey this is the red sox, these guys have great hitters! you cant expect rasner to shut them down. the yankees have to put up more runs, thats all. a 5th starter’s job is to keep them in the game and we’re in the game.

    Let’s Go Yankees!

  408. will

    lol.. now Abreu is going to stay even further away from the wall.. after seeing that.

  409. Laura - Just call me L-Rod

    Let’s see if the Yankees just lay down or come out swinging.

  410. DFox

    Um, if you believe in fate, you would have to say that was the turning point of the season. THE BALL WAS SITTING ON THE WALL. It could have went out, it could have stayed in. It stayed in. It showed that the season just turned for the Yankees. They will win this game by 1 run probably, and never look back.

  411. Angel {insert random statement plus multiple !!!!!'s here}

    Oh, I missed YankeeVIP’s post. haha, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed, lol.

  412. TKinDC

    You know Abreu is looking over at Johnny and saying “that’s why I don’t run into walls!” :)

  413. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    I don’t think we’re going to lose Johnny for any length of time. Maybe just a precaution here.

    No idea why I think that. I just do. He didn’t look like he was really messed up.

    I hope I’m right.

  414. BBB

    Praying hard Damon’s injury isn’t serious.

  415. mel

    Hope Johnny’s going to be okay.

  416. thunderfangabe

    c’mon gardy!!!!!!

  417. Ron

    The year Wright was league-average, 2006, we had a 5th-starter by committee, starting with Shawn Chacon’s suckiness, followed by Karsten’s mediocrity, concluded with Cory Lidle’s inconsistency.

  418. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    DFox I’m with you.

  419. )8 year of the dog... a ruff ruff year

    its a new game boys and girls

  420. Yankee Trader

    Well Gardner, here’s your chance to shine against one of the dominant righties in baseball. Can you be what Ellsbury is for the Sox?

  421. Vrsce

    Time to crush Beckett.

  422. Larry

    Abreu was one of my first thoughts as well. Only on AB but Gardner sure looked overmatched there.

  423. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    I am scarred that this is a season ending shoulder injury

  424. YankeeVIP

    5th starter or not, rasner does not have the talent or stuff to pitch in the mlb. he throws offspeed junk and hopes he gets lucky by tricking hitters.. that is not a MLB pitcher.

    i also blame all this on selig somehow.. his bosox bias is clear and im sure he told the wall to hurt damon somehow

  425. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    So let me get this straight all of you who kept calling for Gardner. Is he here for his D or his offense?

  426. Kill-Schill(ing)

    That re-play of Damon didn’t look good. As soon as he tried to throw the ball, he winced in pain.

  427. .500 Team

    that’s damon playing hard with that red sox mentality. jeter’s too busy worrying about what (or who) he’s going to do later.

  428. Ron

    Jeter’s just a groundball machine. It’s really concerning. His LD rate has fallen off a cliff. He’s not getting any of those opposite field liners.

    Lester was effective, but the Yankees didn’t make him work at all. Weak hacks early in the count.

    Sort of like this inning.

  429. BBB

    ugh. Way to fight back there guys!

  430. jm

    My question on the Youklis hit, if the ball had stayed on top of the wall lie it nearly did and Johnny or Melky goes up to it and plucks it off the wall is he out.????

  431. DFox

    Damon can’t be hurt. Why would fate make that ball come back in but Damon be seriously injured? He probably just got a little banged up.

  432. Mo

    When a team gets a pitcher like Beckett back in the game they usually dominate from here on in.

  433. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Hope Johnny is alright

  434. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Of all players we don’t want to lose we sure don’t want to lose Damon. I somehow don’t see this kid Gardner being the “sparkplug” that Damon is. In fact I still don’t know why he’s here. I haven’t seen anything in any of his AB. I could have hit Madrigal.

  435. Vrsce

    Ferocious

  436. canocabrera

    “So let me get this straight all of you who kept calling for Gardner. Is he here for his D or his offense?”

    He’s definitely not here for defense.. I don’t think he’s here for his offense for that matter.

    Fans like him because he is fast and because he isn’t Melky Cabrera

  437. sunny615

    what the hell??? I go away for two minutes and Rasner throws up the lead? fer christ’s sake…!

  438. Mo

    Rasner vs Beckett? Come on. Who thought we would win? We are going to lose 10-5.

  439. Yankee Trader

    This is Rasners last inning. Who’s warming up in the Yankee bullpen?

  440. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    When a team gets a pitcher like Beckett back in the game they usually dominate from here on in.

    That did cross my mind…

  441. george

    this game shows why 1B defense is so underrated. If giambi were not such a horrific 1B, he turns the DP on Drew,maybe the Yanks are still up 3-0,Rasner’s pitch count is lower. Giambi starts a DP about as often as he triples

  442. Ron

    Rasner’s ERA, after that 3-run inning, is 4.65, slightly worse than league average. If he does what he’s done most of this year, it’ll be back around league average by the time he is pulled. He might also get rocked. I’m hoping he settles down.

    If Rasner doesn’t have ML stuff, than I’d give up on Jeff Karstens. He’s just like Rasner, only he lacks the cutting action on the fastball and gives up loads of flyballs.

  443. TKinDC

    There must be something wrong with Gameday – I’ve been reading about how we must sack Melky for Gardner – but Gameday shows his average at .091.

    Can someone tell me what he is actually hitting? I mean there is no way people would be benching the melk man for a sub .100 hitter right?

  444. melky Jr.

    OH NO! ITS UNFAIR TO JUDGE GARDNER NOW! HE IS TOO YOUNG! YOU MUST WAIT 4 YEARS!

  445. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Gardner is a good replacement for Melky, not Damon. If Damon is done for more than 2-3 weeks, thats when I call it a season

  446. Kevin

    Rasner is not a bad 5th starter. But the problem is the Yankees have two 5th starters…

    If they can somehow win this game with their 5th starter against Boston’s ace, the Yanks have a good chance at taking 3 of 4.

  447. YankeeVIP

    gardner is not saving this team or doing anything to help us win. he is a nice player that will have a nice career as a 4th outfielder and pinch runner.

    hopefully he bumps up his trade value somehow. and we can get something for him.

  448. sunny615

    grife – lost damon now too

    rasner can’t seem to throw a strike…

    ugh – this game is going to get ugly… I hope someone steps up

  449. TKinDC

    “what the hell??? I go away for two minutes and Rasner throws up the lead? fer christ’s sake…!”

    Sunny –

    the team just missed all of your tireless encouragement :)

  450. Ron

    Maybe Mark Texeira turns that play. Maybe. It was a rocket, that most 1st basemen aren’t able to catch cleanly. Then you’d need a precise throw to second to get Pedroia, who has good speed and plays hard, before relying on a good throw back to get Drew, who isn’t a slug.

    There aren’t many times that ball gets turned into a DP.

  451. canocabrera

    TKinDC, He has only had 15 at bats or so.

    You watch, he’s the next Babe Ruth except faster

  452. The Fallen Phoenix

    Gardner is actually a good defensive outfielder. He doesn’t have the strength of Melky’s arm, but he’s accurate with his throws, and doesn’t throw as weakly as Damon does.

    His routes aren’t the greatest (but then, neither are Melky’s), but he has the speed to compensate for that.

    He certainly doesn’t have any power offensively; the question is whether that is going to translate to at-bats like his last one, where Beckett just came right after him and dared him to hit the ball. It’s the same thing that has started happening to Ellsbury more often in the last month, since he hasn’t been showing any power.

  453. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    There must be something wrong with Gameday – I’ve been reading about how we must sack Melky for Gardner – but Gameday shows his average at .091.
    Can someone tell me what he is actually hitting? I mean there is no way people would be benching the melk man for a sub .100 hitter right

    -

    Could be that he only has 12 at bats. And Melky is batting .240 with plenty of chances

  454. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    1 more Rasner!

  455. Ron

    This is getting incredibly annoying. He hasn’t done this all year, and suddenly he’s the best bunter in baseball history.

  456. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Maybe Damon having to leave the game = motivation for Rasner. Meaning maybe he feels a little responsible for what happened and is going to dig down even deeper. He should have had a 1-2-3 right now.

    Damn curse of the kaballah!

  457. Kill-Schill(ing)

    Hey, all those of you watching AND listening to the game on YES, please post a Damon update if you can.

    My sound is on mute because I have to work.

  458. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    TK very funny stuff about Cloudy, I mean Sunny! Ha ha.

  459. Ron

    If Gardner gets hot, there is an argument. Girardi will get him playing time. If there is one thing I like about Joe G, it’s that he gives unproven players chances and sees what they do with it. He turned Veras and Edwar from unknowns into reliable setup men. He got Betemit out of his early-season slump and showed he could be a useful super-utility man. And he’ll do it with Gardner.

  460. Yankee Trader

    Concentrate on the hitter Rasner. He’s gonna steal 2nd and maybe 3rd anyway.

  461. Patrick (the good one)

    Wow Ellsbury is freaking fast

  462. Ron

    Ellsbury got pwned.

  463. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Hes fast, but isnt a smart baserunner

  464. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    To me 12 AB is a lot of AB if you’re brought up to show you’ve got something to offer.

    Nice way to end an inning guys!

  465. j

    heart of the order up now

  466. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Haha

  467. Fran

    The bunts for base hits is what Gardner should try.

    I don’t know if Damon will miss any time at all, but if he were to miss an extended amount of time do you think it’s going to be Gardner in LF? Or is there someone else the Yanks might bring up?

  468. The Fallen Phoenix

    Except he gets caught in a pitch-out and doesn’t go anywhere but back to the dugout.

  469. BBB

    “Concentrate on the hitter Rasner. He’s gonna steal 2nd and maybe 3rd anyway.”

    Jose Molina says, ” :lol: Not on my watch!”

  470. sunny615

    this is why we have molina… cannon arm

  471. lil' m

    No kidding about the baserunners, Pete. Not the greatest matchup for Razzle Dazzle, because Beckett isn’t likely to give them more chances to regain the lead. Staying tuned to see whether the Yankees’ “glass jaw” firms up or not. Hope that Johnny Damon is OK and not badly injured.

  472. Vrsce

    Hah
    Caught the sneakly little rodent.

  473. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    excellent pickle play there! everybody in place and jeter gets him going back to his original base! textbook!

    now lets get some runs!

  474. sunny615

    wonder if molina can pitch?

  475. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    I think the big guys will come up big. I just hope Arod can stay focused.

  476. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    I hope your kidding that you think 12 ABs is alot

  477. sunny615

    can we please get the lead back…?

  478. TKinDC

    mark -

    Sunny is a fellow DC-area poster – so we tease b/c we love.

    Although now that DC folks can carry guns – I’ll be more careful!

  479. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Varitek has a crush on Madonna thats why he is pissed

  480. Bench Melky

    Does anybody know Ellsbury and Gardner who is faster?
    Gardner should do something like Ellsbury do-Bunt for a hit.

  481. sunny615

    THAT was not a strike

  482. BBB

    WOW how come Ras wasnt getting calls like that? (1st pitch)

  483. Ron

    I’d like to see Gardner’s bunting ability, actually. If he comes up with nobody on, why not go for it?

  484. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Good eye from Arod

  485. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    What an AB

  486. Ron

    Alex Rodriguez IS the Yankees’ offense.

  487. BBB

    Nice AB by Alex

  488. melky Jr.

    Girardi must have named AROD the new captain of the team. Jeter doesn’t deserve it.

  489. j

    browoski dfa, perhaps he could help?

  490. Larry

    EXCELLENT AB, Alex. I’ve knocked him for his plate discipline, but he sure showed it there.

  491. stuart

    Ellsbury 3 for 3 a bloop and 2 bunts… that is winning baseball… Shermans column today was classic but 1 bad stat is Abreu our 3rd hitter has a lower OBP then like 4 or 5 sux hitters.

    Nice AB for Arod, down 0 – 2 and gets a single…

  492. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    I hope your kidding that you think 12 ABs is alot

    No I’m not kidding. All I kept hearing was Garnder Gardner Gardner. Well Gardner hasn’t done jack sh*t. Gonzalez came up and showed you why he was here. I think Gardner is a decent outfielder though. So if we need his D I am all for it. Just don’t bat him lead off. (when you get to set the lineup.)

  493. BBB

    And now no more smack talking about the best player in the game pls!

  494. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    leadoff runner aboard, lets get him around and take the lead!

    Let’s Go Big G!

  495. sunny615

    TK is a fellow DC’er – so it’s all good.

    I’m out again. So let’s hope nothing else bad happens.

    GO Yanks!!!

  496. Ron

    I really would consider switching Giambi and Abreu in the order. Abreu just isn’t the OBP machine he once was. He’s just not drawing walks.

  497. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    where is the crowd here? great game and they’re sitting on thier hands!

    what are they waiting to get the freakin wave going?

    Let’s Go Yankees!!!!!

  498. melky Jr.

    just admit it, mark. you’re a big gardner hater and a melky lover (like me). just admit it, man.

  499. TKinDC

    I wonder why A-Rod isn’t running on limp-noodle-armed Varitek?

  500. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    I want to take a poll. Girardi’s talk had an effect on the Yankee playing. Yes or no.

    I say yes.

  501. Ron

    Jeeze Giambi whacked that.

  502. j

    Just foul :(

  503. Phil

    That was close.

    Happy 4th, Peter and you LoHudHeads!

  504. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    We take this game it’s big just because of the matchup.

  505. BBB

    Agreed about batting Giambi 3rd. I’ve been hoping for that for a while.

  506. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Nice AB by the Giambino!

  507. Ron

    This is exactly what they weren’t doing yesterday. And Beckett is a good pitcher.

  508. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    tough at bat, the guys are really battling today!

    Lets Go Yankees!!!!!

  509. Tom #2

    If Damon is out you’re gonna call it a season? – that’s just not right. All guys here reading that blog, writing about the yankees etc. won’t call it a season before the team absolutely has no chance to reach the postseason.

    Bronx Bombers gonna win tonight. Without Damon, without Melky or Bobby. Win.

  510. BBB

    Mark I say yes too. No matter what the score, it’s obvious. Look at the difference in the quality of ABs from yesterday to today so far (for the most part, anyway)

  511. Mike

    I cant believe this idiot Michael Kay gave credence to Tek being upset because how dare Alex prepare for a collision. I guess Alex doesnt want to be cheap shotted by a pooswah again.

  512. Ron

    See how Varitek roughly slung that ball back?

  513. Ron

    Well, they are driving the ball. Just hitting it to the wrong spots.

  514. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    If nothing else he got Beckett’s pitch count up.

  515. stuart

    Giambi got out but that was a good AB.. Battle, make him throw pitch’s and if you get out what can you do..

    good job Jason..

  516. Ron

    Jorge’s got to pick it up. He’s been really cold recently.

  517. TKinDC

    Great 10 pitch AB by the Stache – even if that ball fell foul.

  518. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Ron I think this is all part of Jorge’s problem with his shoulder.

  519. BBB

    “Battle, make him throw pitch’s and if you get out what can you do..”

    Exactly. No matter what happens I just want to see them FIGHT rather than lay down!

  520. Angel {insert random statement plus multiple !!!!!'s here}

    What the heck is a pooswah?

  521. TKinDC

    It is about time that Jorge Juiced one – no?

  522. Ron

    Great ABs here.

  523. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    they’re really battling him here, this could turn the tide of the game if they can bust through for 2 right here!

    Let’s Go Yankees!!!!!

  524. Tom #2

    I want to take a poll. Girardi’s talk had an effect on the Yankee playing. Yes or no.

    —-

    This is professional sports. Everything has a certain influence but maybe they would lead this one 6:0 now without the Girardi-Talk.

  525. Mike

    I cant believe people call in to ESPN radio to call Michael Kay a homer. This guy doesnt care what happens to the Yankees. He thinks he is acting unbiased, but all he does is tout the opposition. “Take away credit form Lester”. Lester is a bum who cant throw strikes. He nohit the real Royals, while we gave up 10 to them b/c they put up an effort. We gave Lester a 5 hit shutout, he didnt earn it.

  526. Ron

    C’mon Robby. Let’s see that maturity.

  527. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    I want to take a poll. Girardi’s talk had an effect on the Yankee playing. Yes or no.
    I say yes

    I would say No. I don’t think Girardi has the type of connection to the”core” group that he needs. If the season turns around, it will be because they decided that they feel bad collecting paychecks instead of earning them.

  528. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    nice hes around 25 pitches this inning and hes got 2 on one out. wish we had godzilla right here!

    Let’s Go Yankees!!!!!

  529. Mike

    Pooswah is p**sy

  530. Nick in SF

    Hey folks, Happy 4th. I’m not able to watch the game today or even follow along, but I wanted to pop in to give a big round of LoHud congrats to that gritty gamer Livan Hernandez, winner of the annual Coney Island Inning Eating contest!

    Congrats, Livan, hope you enjoyed all those innings!

  531. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Tom, they are playing with a sense of purpose we haven’t seen in a while. I don’t know that you’re up on Josh Beckett 6-0 no matter what!

    I asked the question but I already knew the answer. They responded to Hank’s blather and they are responding to Girardi’s calling them out.

    The only question that remains is always this one. How long will it last.

  532. Angel {insert random statement plus multiple !!!!!'s here}

    Is that part of a gopher on Beckett’s chin?

  533. Angel {insert random statement plus multiple !!!!!'s here}

    Oh. I never heard that word before.

  534. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Beckett must be close to 70 pitches? Yes?

  535. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    love the no-pitch! Beckett is a little pissed, we can break him right here!

    c’mon robbie!

  536. BBB

    “I wanted to pop in to give a big round of LoHud congrats to that gritty gamer Livan Hernandez, winner of the annual Coney Island Inning Eating contest! ”

    :lol: Classic!!! I’m glad I wasn’t drinking coffee, I would have snarfed big time.

  537. Ron

    Damn this little runt.

  538. Kill-Schill(ing)

    Okay, Damon has a contusion to the shoulder, negative X-rays but MRI necessary for tomorrow.

    Does a separated shoulder show up in X-RAYS? Isn’t there a damn doctor on this board somewhere?

  539. j

    they need to get a run here after all thats happened in this inning.

  540. melky Jr.

    what a surprise melky made an out…

  541. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Just got a call saying Red Sox announcers said x-rays were negative on Johnny’s shoulder but he has a contusion. Something like that.

    Good news so far…

  542. Vrsce

    Great play by Jacoby, the rodent.

  543. j

    OUCH that has to hurt there

  544. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    Well you can see that the Twins were as stupid for not taking Ellsbury as the Yankees would have been to sign him.

  545. Ron

    Rotoworld pointed out that Damon’s shoulder probably isn’t separated, given that he made a strong throw immediately following the collision with the wall.

    Time for a Jose Slammer!

  546. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    mri for damon, within 24 hrs, xrays were negative.

  547. Kill-Schill(ing)

    Count on Coco Crisp to be hit by Joba on Sunday night.

  548. Angel {insert random statement plus multiple !!!!!'s here}

    Ouch.

  549. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    left shoulder contusion from Damon

  550. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    big 2 out hit from molina right here!

    Let’s Go Yankees!!!!!

  551. j

    melky is holding that wrist, and that is not good

  552. Phil

    coward hits Melky to get to Molina.

  553. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Kill I would think a separated shoulder would have to show up in an x-ray since x-ray shows bones.

  554. TKinDC

    Is Justin Christian on speed dial?

    25 + pitch inning for Beckett :)

  555. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    Ok, Rasner needs to retaliate. Right off the knuckles of Ellsbury, Pedroia, or even better Crisp.

  556. Fran

    Kill-Schill

    I had a separated shoulder and it showed up in the x-ray. The MRI I had was for ligament damage as well as the separation.

  557. BBFan

    We need one of those patented doubles from Molina now.

  558. Kill-Schill(ing)

    Wonderful, now Melky is clutching his wrist at 1B in pain.

  559. BBFan

    …. or a walk will do….

  560. j

    how was that a strike?

  561. Ron

    Molina’s begging for a walk here.

  562. Mike

    just seeing if this works

  563. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    thats funny that cone texted him! i like david, he’s a little nuts!

  564. Ron

    If the top of the lineup would actually produce, we might not need to put the biggest AB of the game in the hands of Jose Molina.

  565. zellyanks91

    at least they worked his pitch count…(76 pitches thrown) and we got the top of the order next inning.

    Kevin

  566. Tseng

    What a waste. At least the pitch count got worked.

  567. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    Wasted inning. Pitch count is the only thing that was good. Needed at least a run there.

  568. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Now it is critical for Rasner to do his job.

    He looked good last inning. Let’s hope it holds.

  569. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    well, we didnt get through, but he’s not gonna finish this game, so that was still a big inning right there! now raz and the bp have to keep us in it till we get to thier bp.

    shaping up to be a great game so far!

  570. dr m

    yes xrays will show a separated shoulder

  571. stuart

    Rasner get thru this inning and you are done for the day..

    pitch like this is your last inning, no runs please

  572. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Beckett at 76. Rasner at 74. 75 now.

  573. Mo

    When was the last time this team had a big hit with RISP?

  574. Ron

    Darrell just can’t help himself with the leadoff guy reaching.

  575. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    I know Melky can’t catch that but does it look like he doesn’t run hard to get to balls in short center?

  576. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    come on Rasner. Get through this inning

  577. stuart

    I think Pedroia could get a hit off Rasner in his sleep!!!!

    If Rasner does not have a good curve ball he cannot get big guys out…

  578. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    if gardner, jeter and abreu work the count as well next inning, we will break through and get him out! looking for a quick inning here from rasner!

  579. Ron

    Mo:

    I seem to remember Giambi clutchily scalding a ball into the upper deck two days ago.

  580. Fran

    “When was the last time this team had a big hit with RISP?”

    That would be Alex in the 1st inning today

  581. j

    with this team the only way you can get a run for sure is the homerun.

  582. Mike

    Molina wasnt begging for a walk… That’s a joke. Molina like alot of our other players, care about their personal stats. He was up there hacking away. Darrell Rasner and Mussina have more brains, taking pitches, than Molina. That’s why the sox win, because their players will take the walk, and that’s why the Yankees used to win, taking pitches.

  583. Mo

    Why don’t the Yanks hit Manny everytime he comes up?

    Easier than watching him rake our pitching.

  584. stuart

    I mean he is so hittable it is scary…

    when you cannot strike anyone out that is a problem..

    ouch….

  585. DJ

    Quick inning from RASNER !?!

    Ha, I had to laugh…

  586. Yankee Trader

    Please tell me someone is warming up in the Yankees bullpen. And no a separated shoulder doesn’t always show up on an X-ray.

  587. Global Warming

    “When was the last time this team had a big hit with RISP?”

    1st inning.

  588. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    well take a single from mannyh, especially without the lead run advancing to third!

    big batter right here!

  589. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Game ova, thanks Raz

  590. j

    and there we go, the great game we started has now shown its true colors

  591. Mo

    Well, that’s the ball game.

    Happy 4th everyone.

  592. Ron

    Yeah, kinda saw that coming.

    Rasner is not cut out to face really good teams. Most 5th starters aren’t.

  593. TKinDC

    “I think Pedroia could get a hit off Rasner in his sleep!!!!

    If Rasner does not have a good curve ball he cannot get big guys out…”

    Pedroia is a big guy? Thanks for another enlightening ray of sunshine stuart.

  594. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    There is your game right there. So now the Yanks will be 9 games out.

    And the day had so much promise.

  595. Kill-Schill(ing)

    A separated should does NOT show up in an X-Ray, Yankee Trader? Can you elaborate?

  596. stuart

    we will see if the millionaires lay down now or battle…

    rasner is not very good and that is the bottom line… he cannot get guys out..

    the rasner experiment is over do we have concensus there??????

    we will see if the yucks give up or battle…….

  597. Mike

    oh yeah, these yankees either take pitches right down the middle and swing at bad ones, or swing right through pitches right down the middle. the red sox, like lowell, hit the pitches down the middle, sometimes right at people, more often than not, get hits.

  598. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    What the hell..
    :x

  599. DJ

    okay rasner, hope you had fun with your final start as a yankee

  600. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    damn, that hurt right there!

  601. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Im surprised after the team got torn a new one last night that they react like this. Guess there will be moves

  602. YankeeVIP

    of course.. this is ridiculous ..
    Rasner is NOT an mlb pitcher.. there is a reason he’s been in the minors his entire career.

  603. Vrsce

    just ugly

  604. Ummmmm.....

    Game over.

    The bright side is that maybe we don’t have to see Rasner pitch again.

  605. Mike

    P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C team. exclude Mats, Giambi & 3/4 of the time Damon.

  606. Yankee Trader

    Why wasn’t Rasner removed after the 1st hitter got on?
    Are we trying to lose this game?

  607. stuart

    why can’t guys like kay and leiter say the truth, rasner stinks.. good location if you throw 92 not if you throw 86..

    look at rasner the lat 7 starts it is over gang..

    HE is not very good and that is the truth. I am sure Rasner is a nice guy and all but look at the AB’s the easy hits by pedroia and others and then the big bang…

    again announcers Rasner is not very good…COmprenda?????

  608. YankeeVIP

    atleast rasner will have a nice 4th of july souvenir hat to remember his mlb career.. cause its over!!!!!

  609. Eugie

    “okay rasner, hope you had fun with your final start as a yankee”

    ??? And who’s going to take the #5 spot? Sidney Ponson?

    Ian “i’m going to make them look stupid” Kennedy?

  610. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Hahaha that kid jumped onto the field

  611. j

    once again no one is up in the bullpen.

  612. BBFan

    There are still five innnings left for Yanks and the game over already ?

    Come on folks…. It is not over yet.

  613. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    So now the best they can do is get a split. But they don’t play well on Sunday nights and it is Boston.

    I still think they are going to get swept, unfortunately. Offense is still not there.

    Wasted a bases loaded bottom of the 4th.

  614. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    I heard McCutchen could be on his way up

  615. Ron

    This is what happens when three pitchers you were counting on get hurt. It’s hard for any team to recover from that.

  616. lil' m

    It’s the Revenge of the Baserunners lol.

  617. helno51

    girardi is at times clueless with these pitchers. this is a big game and you could see rasner again didnt have it. rasner has to go. these crappy pitchers can give you 2 or 3 solid games but they always come back to earth and that is whats happening.

  618. will

    what were they chanting

  619. Mike

    Yankee trader,

    we never know what weve got til its gone. Torre was a terrible bullpen manager, but he wouldve taken Rasner out as soon as the man got on. He burned guys arms out trying to wing games. This loser Girardi gives loser backups more playing time than they deserve and leaves pitchers out there until were done.

    By the way, Yankee trader, do you trade Yankees games on DVD?

  620. Josh

    You don’t go to the playoffs and win 90+ games with Ponson and Rasner starting for you.

    I blame this season on Hughes and Kennedy being absolutely terrible.

    Why are the Sox better than us? Strictly because Lester is the best young pitcher in the bunch.

  621. BBB

    Damn. Listen to all the crybabies in here. You guys should go watch the WNBA or something. Maybe get into competitive underwater basketweaving, but don’t think baseball is the sport for you.

  622. helno51

    do u think any of this makes girardi think its about time to pull rasner?

  623. YankeeVIP

    thats it.. pull him now.. in the middle of the at bat..

    i dont want him throwing another pitch..

  624. j

    You know that the game is over when varetifk hits an upper deck foul homerun

  625. stuart

    it is the 5th inning Yankee trader get a grip.. Again it is not Girardi’s fault that the players stink….

    they needed 5 innings from there starter… they got 5 shitty innings and that is a problem…

    again we will see how the glamour boys play the rest of the game…

    jorge kills them because he cannot throw and therefore they need to play molina who definitely can throw but CANNOT HIT…..

    THEY ARE FLAWED GANG REaL FLAWED

  626. Eugie

    “This is what happens when three pitchers you were counting on get hurt. It’s hard for any team to recover from that.”

    No. This is what happens when you make no moves in the offseason and overrate your prospects.

  627. Fran

    OK – now I have really seen enough of Rasner

  628. Ron

    Okay, this is getting painful.

    Anybody want to see if Kei Igawa can pitch? Because he’s the only SWB starter pitching well. I mean, we could try Karstens, but that’s not going to be an improvement over Rasner.

  629. bodhisattva

    We need to keep driving up the pitch counts and get into their weak bullpen. He has to keep it to 3.

  630. Eric

    I know it’s only July 4th, but this season ended the way Wang got injured. No way the Yankees can make the playoffs with only 3 pitchers in their rotation… it’s just not going to happen.

  631. BBFan

    One thing that is clear is that all these soft throwers, except Giese, are afraid to throw strikes. When they fall behind, they throw in the middle of the plate and give up huge hits.

  632. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    GAH!
    come on…

  633. Mike

    Eugie,

    Rasner will probably get another start. You think Cashman cares to go out and get someone. He’ll wait til the trading deadline like he did to get Abreu and hope that were not out of it by then. If we lose this game and the next two, were done. 7 games trailing the Rays, easily surmountable. 7 games to the sox with this team, insurmountable.

  634. Josh

    Yeah, Torre was such a bad bullpen manager that they won 4 titles and made the playoffs 12 years in a row under him.

    I wish he was a better bullpen manager!

    Give us a break. So he burnt out Tanyon Sturtz and Paul Quantrill. Big deal.

  635. george

    to win games against good teams, u have to play good defense. Giambi’s so bad on D thar

    i can’t take Giambi in the field any more. he is the worst-throwing 1b I’ve ever seen. he never turns DPs, he throws pickoffs into CF.

    This team isn’t good enough to offset that; the starters are not strikeout pitchers, they pitch to contact. it needs a real 1b.

    that play on Drew – the Yankees were lucky Giambi dropped it and settled for one, if he catches it cleanly he probably throws it into CF and doesn’t even get an out.

  636. Ron

    Actually, looking past the 3.96 ERA, McCutchen’s 1.32 WHIP says he’s probably the best bet.

  637. helno51

    why do the yankees keep bringing up traber. hes terrible

  638. Mike Mineo

    anyone want to bet that the yankees don’t score more than 1 run the rest of this game? (i’m assuming someone will hit a solo shot when down by 8 in the 9th)? the game today is just further indicative of horrible pitching, weak approaches to hitting, and the fact that the only run producers an opposing team would be fearful of is A-Rod and Giambi

    i guess those hilariously optimistic fans can look on the bright side though: at least they have another injury to pin the entire failure of this team on

  639. j

    I hope those are sarcastic claps for the yanks. They dont deserve appulause

  640. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    They still can battle back. Let’s see if that meeting actually made an impact on them..
    Come on Yanks

  641. BBB

    Well, at least you can always count on Julio Lugo to help get us out of further trouble.

    Now time to take this game back! Let’s go Yankees, stick it to all the reactionary defeatists whining about how “over” this game is!

  642. yankee lover

    once again- Girardi leaves a pitcher (and a weak one at that) in the game long enough to let the game get out of hand and possibly gone. Another throw away because he is clueless. Once it got to be 3-3 he should have made a move. He has 13 pitchers on the staff

  643. Kevin

    It looks like we’ll find out if Girardi’s talk did anything at all. Mike Lowell just punched the Yankees in the mouth. If his talk did anything, this game is not over and the Yankees will fight back. If they just roll over and die again, we’ll see how Girardi handles it. They don’t have to win the game because this is not a good matchup, but they do need to at least show some signs of life.

    I’ve also seen enough of Rasner. He’s had too many bad starts in a row to be given another one. I think Karstens deserves a shot for now. And don’t forget about Kennedy, who is an option to replace Ponson if he doesn’t look better against Tampa.

  644. stuart

    is al leiter dumb????

    the thing with rasner is he can get hit even with good location when you throw 86 MPH.. Is that so hard to understand???

    Rasner is going down, that is the bottom line… You are right on McCutcheon.. I have no idea if he is ready but his stuff long term is better then there AAAA pitchers karsteens and the gang….

  645. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Gardner shows bunt

  646. Mike

    Hey Josh, I extremely angry so dont take offense by this. You’re a MORON. Torre overused bullpen pitchers all the time.

  647. Searle

    I just hope they just compete the rest of the game, odds are 3 runs down with a good closer, it might be a loss….but keep working Beckett…have to start working their pen or they will be fully rested for the last few games.

  648. Mike

    And we won those WS because of Mo, not Joe. Joe was nothing before he came to us, and is nothing after he spurned and left us.

  649. bodhisattva

    Aceves isn’t afraid to throw strikes, and he has four pitches. His pitches really dive and he misses down. He has been on 7-day DL with mild groin, but was supposed to make his scheduled start. Anybody know if that has already happened? If it has, and he got through it fine, we should bring him up right now. Though it’s still early, we can’t keep trotting out Rasner, Giese and Ponson and expect to get results.

  650. YankeeVIP

    i dont want to see karsten, rasner or kennedy here.. all three are useless.. none of them have legit stuff.. they are AAAA pitchers at best.

    i say Gardner, Horne, Marquez, Cox and basically anybody in the minors should be on sale right now for a legit pitcher and maybe ichiro.

  651. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Now we see the grit of the offense. Beckett’s the last pitcher you want to have a 3-run lead. Hopefully good AB at least will get him out of the game faster.

  652. Ron

    Cashman wanted to develop from within. He hoped that he could win with a young pitching staff and an aging offense. A lot of things have gone wrong.

    He’s trying to build a sustainable future for the Yankees. This season was always up in the air. “Making moves” would mean sidelining that plan, which Cashman didn’t want to do after Pavano, Vazquez, et al blew up in his face.

  653. BBFan

    Rasner has an ineffective outing.

    I think Cash has to be bold and like he did in 2005 by bringing Cano and Wang, he should go for the likes of McCutchen.

  654. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Did you guys hear Mariano might actually start the ASG?

  655. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    do u think any of this makes girardi think its about time to pull rasner

    No, Girardi is managing scared and as been said in here many times and now by Pete, Girardi does not have a connection with this team nor its core players.

    He is ineffective at MANAGING, which is what he is being paid to do. He does not pitch, hit, steal, field, that is on the players for being hacks and collecting paychecks instead of “doing their job”. But, it is his responsibility to correct what is wrong and find the right formula, make the right decisions, motivate his team. Right now, he is just not getting the job done.

  656. Mike

    We won those WS with Mo, not Joe. Joe was loser before he came to us and a loser after he spurned and left us.

  657. yankee lover

    oh and Gardener?? hes still very much a AAA player.

  658. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Real good job by Gardner.

    What a joke.

  659. melky Jr.

    beckett has thrown gardner nothing but fastballs and has struck him out twice.

  660. Josh

    The Yank front office gave up this season last November when they made no trades and didn’t bring anyone in to help the team.

    What teams that lose in the 1st rd of the playoffs make no move to improve themselves?

    Everyone with a brain knew they needed another pitcher and Cashman does nothing.

    It’s almost like they passed on this year to develop young players and those young players are brutal.

    Hughes looks like a back end guy. Kennedy looks like a AAAA pitcher. Melky? Please.

  661. j

    why dont they throw inside more? all the other teams seem to throw inside with ease at the yanks

  662. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Wow, if Lugo didnt dive, it was a routine grounder

  663. Ron

    Why the F%#@ are people so enamored with Ichiro? He’s a mediocre offensive player. He’s hitting about .300, with no power and a barely acceptable OBP. He’s also making tons of money and the Mariners will demand a lot for him. Where’s the upside, exactly?

  664. DFox

    I’d much rather have Melky in the lineup than auto out Gardner.

  665. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    At this rate, the Yankees are going to have to bring Mariano in to pitch the middle innings just so he can get some work.

  666. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Thank God for Lugo.

    I’m going to go out on a limb and say we take this game 7-6.

    I know it makes no sense to think that. Just bored with nothing else to do but make game guesses, I guess.

  667. shaman1993

    Rasner is GARBAGE…He’s walking batters, giving up two out hits, walks, HR’s….He started the year 3-0 and will be, after today, 1-7 in his last 8 decisions…When your pitching doesn’t do the little things the game is lost. I agree about the offense, being HORRID, but this is rediculous, again….I give up, it’s time to drink heavily

  668. Eugie

    “Eugie,

    Rasner will probably get another start. You think Cashman cares to go out and get someone. He’ll wait til the trading deadline like he did to get Abreu and hope that were not out of it by then. If we lose this game and the next two, were done. 7 games trailing the Rays, easily surmountable. 7 games to the sox with this team, insurmountable.”

    Rasner is absolutely going to get another start. So is Sidney Ponson. This team already defined itself in the offseason when they layed off getting Santana. I don’t expect any major moves this season. We were pretty much done when Hughes and Kennedy forgot how to pitch.

  669. Fredo Corleone

    “i say Gardner, Horne, Marquez, Cox and basically anybody in the minors should be on sale right now for a legit pitcher and maybe ichiro.”

    Guys like that don’t get you a legit pitcher OR Ichiro.

  670. j

    i love the kids patience but he seems to be a bit content with taking perfectly good strikes down the middle

  671. Mike

    It looks like both of STEVE LOMBARDI’s mancrushes are bums. IPK and Gardner. Shows how much Mr Waswatching knows about the Yankees. All he can do is analyze stats.

  672. yankee lover

    oh and Gardener is still very much a AAA player- do not believe the Yankee propaganda on there so-called blue chip prospects

  673. yankeenate

    good pitchers (like beckett) do what good pitcher’s do and that is settle down and get hitters out. yankee pitchers (2, sometimes 3 of them) do what yankees pitchers do. dodge bullets for a while and then it all hits the fan.

    this team just cannot play complete…maybe because they really aren’t a complete team. this isn’t 2005…or 2006…or 2007’s teams.

    they just aren’t playing well and are catching absolutely no breaks

  674. Mike

    or find statistics to fit his theories.

  675. YankeeVIP

    Hold on..

    i dont want to hear anything about aceves, karsten or any of these retread pitchers..

    why do people fall in love with minor league numbers, there is a reason these guys have never made it in the bigs!!!

    gardner needs to be sent down .. atleast that justin christianson kid had a few hits.

    pathetic weak embarrassing team.

  676. Patrick â„¢

    This is what happens when the back end of your rotation has Ponson and Rasner. First of all, they stink so the team usually loses games they pitch. Second of all, there is no room for error among the guys that are any good. Pettitte, Moose and Chamberlain aren’t going to be perfect every time out. When they do have a bad outing its magnified. Finally the bullpen gets taxed trying to pick up the slack from these scrubs.

  677. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    Gardner is an auto out but Melky isnt?

  678. Ron

    Fortunately, the Yankee brass isn’t as short-sighted as you lot and will give their young talent a chance to succeed, rather than judging them batter by batter or AB by AB. If you ran the team, you’d probably run it into the ground.

  679. melky Jr.

    my brother is better than gardner

  680. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    ARod will strikeout. You can just tell by his swing

  681. stuart

    arod groupies sorry to upset you but Lowell has more RBI’s and he also was on the DL.. I assume he has had more opptys. but for $7 mill he is giving similar performance…..

    sorry arod deniers….

  682. j

    btw i dont think anyone should expect this team to be dismantled and built backup because well there is a new staduim coming next year and triple a players dont fill up seats.

  683. BBB

    About Gardner, it is not unusual for him to struggle initially when he is brought up to a new level. It was the same thing for him in the minors, at least in AA and AAA, but then he eventually caught fire. While I do agree it’s completely ridiculous to proclaim him our savior or say that he’s a future All-Star, it’s also WAY too early to deduce that he’s useless or a bust. He is just following his normal career patterns right now.

  684. bodhisattva

    Cano is back to being himself, so why not move him up? Melky backing him up isn’t going to make the opposing pitcher throw strikes. Bat him 3rd, and move Abreu down. With ARod behind him, it will keep the pitcher honest and he’ll actually get something to hit.

  685. Mike

    Steve Lombardi writes about the Yankees so he can profit off of them by selling his 5 cent shirts for $20 and spouting his useless drivel to get partnered with the classless SNY

  686. YankeeVIP

    fredo.. everything you read says the yankee system is actually valuable.. start selling them !!!

    The only kids i think that we should keep are hughes and maybe this melancon kid.. it should be open season on everyone else..

  687. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    why do people fall in love with minor league numbers, there is a reason these guys have never made it in the bigs!!!

    gardner needs to be sent down .. atleast that justin christianson kid had a few hits.

    Yep. Always a crap shoot.

  688. Yankee Trader

    Gardner overmatched. At least try and bunt to get on. Next inning is probably Beckett’s last inning. It could have been this inning if the Yankee hitters would have worked the count-Abreu!!

  689. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Traber in? Uh oh..

  690. Ron

    “arod groupies sorry to upset you but Lowell has more RBI’s and he also was on the DL.. I assume he has had more opptys. but for $7 mill he is giving similar performance…..

    sorry arod deniers….”

    Huh…

    .887

    vs.

    1.007

  691. stuart

    enough with the Gardner Melky nonsense.. one is 24 and had been a decent ML player for almost 3 yrs.

    1 has dominated at AAA and needs some time in the majors to see what they have.. You give up on niether and both may or may not be good players.. Getting on Gardner is as stupid as getting on Melky…

    get on abreu, arod, jeter(he did get a hit but of course hit to his favorite area ss), arod, and the other zillionaires….

  692. Mike Mineo

    gardner hit around .280 in AAA. he’s nothing more than a .260 hitter in the bigs at best. he’s here because the yankees don’t have any other options, not because they view him as some potential stud. anyone who tells you otherwise would know absolutely nothing about player development

  693. Josh

    Mike don’t take offense to this but you are as dumb as rocks.

    Torre mismanaged the bullpen so bad he won 4 titles BECAUSE OF THE BULLPEN.

    Really. Who cares if he burnt out scrubs like Sturtze and Quantrill and Proctor?

    How did Mo do under Torre?? Nelson?? Mendoza? Stanton? Wetteland?

    Hmmmm

  694. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    The umpire isn’t helping any today.

  695. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    These sky views are pissing me off

  696. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    Guys, Ichiro is not the answer.

    First, he is not washed up but sulking in Seattle because they told him a bunch of crap to get him to resign. Now he is stuck.

    Second, why would Ichiro want to go from a last place team to a team headed for last place.

    After the Yankees get swept by the Red Sox, they will be 10 games out. Then Tampa is next. Even if they split with Tampa, they are still 10 games out. Then is Toronto. 9 games against the division and they win 1 or 2 games, that does not bode well for staying out of last place.

    They need to start a “semi-fire” sale and get what they can, eat contracts and focus on 2009 and beyond. The current make up of this team has no fire, no chemistry, no motivation and will continue to just collect their overpaid salaries.

    The Yankee brass and Cashman sitting around with their thumbs up their asses will benefit no one.

  697. BBB

    “arod groupies sorry to upset you but Lowell has more RBI’s and he also was on the DL.. I assume he has had more opptys. but….”

    How does that old saying go again? Everything after but is BS?

    And, of course he’s had more opportunities. He actually has guys getting on base in front of him. That’s why RBI is an overrated statistic. Also, I’m pretty sure A-Rod’s DL stint (especially if you count the time he was injured before being DL’ed) was considerably longer.

    You go root for Mike Lowell if u love him so much, I’ll take A-Rod all day long.

  698. Fredo Corleone

    There’s a break for the Yankees.

  699. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    gardner hit around .280 in AAA. he’s nothing more than a .260 hitter in the bigs at best. he’s here because the yankees don’t have any other options, not because they view him as some potential stud. anyone who tells you otherwise would know absolutely nothing about player development”

    And Melky bats what? .300? Last time i checked hes at .240. But cant steal either

  700. Pedro

    It sure feels like this game is over.

  701. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    2 more Billy. I wanna be wrong about ya

  702. stuart

    again clowns look at pelfrey, look at his starts. he now is actually the MEts 2n best pitcher.

    PATIENCE MORONS……..Garnder, melky, robertson, guys like that you have patience with.

    rasner, ponson, guys like that you do not have patiene with..

    HOW COMPLICATED IS THAT??????

  703. Nick the Saint

    stuart,

    You are a worthless Yankee fan. And I use “fan” in the loosest of ways.

  704. Larry

    Man, that Ellsbury can fly. A play takes any time to unfold and they barely get him.

  705. David Robertson for Setup - Captain Damon

    How can we have any more patience for Melky? He has been up 2.5 years

  706. j

    he walks the lefty

  707. BBB

    oh, and to add to what I said before, Lowell plays in a little league park, and save for that dalliance he had with teh juice a few years back, has never been very good outside of that. A-Rod plays in a park that isn’t exactly a right handed hitter’s wet dream. A-Rod all day long.

  708. Ron

    It is an undeniable fact that A-Rod has more balls than Mike Lowell.

  709. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    Huh…
    .887
    vs.
    1.007

    Ron, getting on base does not produce RBI’s and runs when the rest of your team is worse offensively than you are.

    So in this case the OBS for this comparison is meaningless. Besides, you need to factor in ARod’s late inning, insigificant production that has marked his stellar career with the Yankees.

    I believe the argument is that for the savings of 18 million, you could go with Lowell and use the money to sign another hitter, bench player, pitcher or a couple.

  710. stuart

    david robertson set up are you thick in the skull…Gardner does not need to be a superstar he needs to slap the ball around and get on bast at 360 or better.

    where does it say every guy must be a 5 tool superstar??WHy is that so hard to understand.. This is not fantasy baseball or rotissiere, that is the problem. Youngsters today have no idea it is not fantasy baseball….

  711. YankeeJosh

    Josh,

    I agree that they made a mistake in the off-season and needed to get another pitcher, in addition to bringing Pettitte back, and it’s hurt the team. Still, the offense this year has been a tremendous disappointment and blown more games than even Cashman would expect.

    “Hughes looks like a back end guy. Kennedy looks like a AAAA pitcher. Melky? Please.”

    I honestly don’t know how you can say that yet. Way too small of a sample size. Hughes’s biggest problem is that he hasn’t learned to economize his pitches yet and can’t go deep in to games. If he’s not “on” then he has to battle and was lasting only 4 innings. This is something he’ll learn in time. Could Hughes be a bust? Sure? But he could also still be a top flight pitcher.

    Kennedy doesn’t have the stuff Phil has, but again, he’s having to learn to pitch out of jams and under pressure for the first time in his career. He had 3 big league starts last year and a handful early this year.

    Both Hughes and Kennedy are effectively rookies, and that means there will be growing pains. Honestly, I’d rather see those two get a shot, even if the team struggles than to send out retreads like Ponson since their upside is still there.

    Just look at the stats from great pitchers in their first few years. Most struggle. Hughes and Kennedy both deserve more time to show they can’t do it.

  712. JoeT 28 in 09!!

    Manny? Hustling??

    Regardless we need to score – too many guys left on as always

  713. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Ya did it Billy.
    Can we score a run now? Please? For George?

  714. BBB

    “I believe the argument is that for the savings of 18 million, you could go with Lowell and use the money to sign another hitter, bench player, pitcher or a couple.

    Sure, you could go with Lowell – and then watch him hit .260 once he’s away from the Little League park.

  715. Fredo Corleone

    “And, of course he’s had more opportunities. He actually has guys getting on base in front of him. That’s why RBI is an overrated statistic. Also, I’m pretty sure A-Rod’s DL stint (especially if you count the time he was injured before being DL’ed) was considerably longer.”

    FWIW BBB, going into today, Arod has 8 fewer plate appearances than Lowell on the season. Arod has had 95 PA’s with RISP and 144 PA’s with men on base. Lowell has had 76 PA’s with RISP and 136 with men on base.

  716. bodhisattva

    Game is not over. Work the count, get on, get into their bullpen.

    Can’t lump Aceves w/Rasner and Karstens types. He is not a career minor leaguer, like they are. Please differentiate and resist sweeping generalizations.

    Stuart: you make far too much sense (re Melky and Gardner)

  717. stuart

    how can you have more patience for melky he has played 2.5 yrs already.. brain surgeon go look up Bernie WIlliams stats, try that mental midget.. BTW mely is still 23 yrs old..

    how friggin stupid are you???

    I am not saying melky will be Bernie, I rather doubt it greatly but look at Bernies #’s they are almost HOF……

    Those guys do not grow on treee……

  718. Ron

    “Ron, getting on base does not produce RBI’s and runs when the rest of your team is worse offensively than you are.

    So in this case the OBS for this comparison is meaningless. Besides, you need to factor in ARod’s late inning, insigificant production that has marked his stellar career with the Yankees.

    I believe the argument is that for the savings of 18 million, you could go with Lowell and use the money to sign another hitter, bench player, pitcher or a couple.”

    You are dead wrong on A-Rod’s close-late splits, but we’ll ignore that for now.

    So, you are arguing that Lowell’s value is essentially created by his teammates. A-Rod has less value because no one drives him in. Or rather, they drive him in less often…which is why A-Rod’s higher OPS makes him the vastly superior player.

    Great logic.

  719. Bob(the original)

    This is like watching a funeral.

  720. Angel {insert random statement plus multiple !!!!!'s here}

    You really are the most bipolar headcase, Stuart.

    Up the lithium dose.

  721. Ron

    A-Rod, close and late, in 2007:

    .333/.455/.630.

  722. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    Sure, you could go with Lowell – and then watch him hit .260 once he’s away from the Little League park.

    BBB, I am not saying I would take Lowell. ARod is by far the better option. But, it that 18 million brings me a starting pitcher, a relief pitcher or God forbid someone who can actually hit with RISP, then, I am willing to take .260 from a defensive 3rd man and look for something later.

    Having ARod at 3rd, at least for this season, has only given the Yankees +2 wins. Not sure the effect of Lowell on the Red Sox.

  723. Ron

    Sorry, that’s 2008.

    I believe he was even better in 2007.

  724. Fredo Corleone

    “Sure, you could go with Lowell – and then watch him hit .260 once he’s away from the Little League park.”

    I’d rather have Arod too, but:

    Lowell in ‘08:

    .269, 5 and 22 at home
    .319, 7 and 27 on the road

    Must of been DL’d during a home stand because he has a 70 more road AB’s

  725. shaman1993

    Nine hits in fifteen innings, since last night…WTF, this team is ATROCIOUS…

  726. lil' m

    BTW SJ44: what you said about the 2004 ALCS is right on – they’ve never been the same since then.

  727. JoeT 28 in 09!!

    i hope Hansen comes in and Gammons can cry when he blows the lead…. or Timlin, he’s always nice to see

  728. Yankee Trader

    4 hits in 6 innings and only 2 hits since the 1st. For the most part the AB’s were better than last night [worked Beckett for 104 pitches in 6 innings] when we had what-5 hits. Talk or no talk by Girardi and coaches. Weak hitters, weak defense, injuries, marginal 4th and 5th starters, parity in the league and their division = no playoffs for these Yankees as currently constructed.

  729. Ron

    On what planet does the Yankees paying A-Rod 28 mil or whatever prevent them from making a move if they so desire?

    A-Rod’s overpaid. He’s also the best player in baseball and a marketing goldmine. Half the country wouldn’t recognize Mike Lowell if they bumped into him on the street.

    A-Rod’s making as much as he is because Tom Hicks was a complete moron and outbid himself. His salary had to increase after his performance during that contract – that’s how economics work.

  730. ohh Cano not again!

    guess this is going to be another game that puts me to sleep :(

  731. Ron

    Wow, Veras looks awful today.

  732. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Oh boy

  733. SJ44

    For a team (the Red Sox) that some of you think don’t have good players, they sure kick the Yankees butts every day, don’t they?

    Memo to the stat freaks, watch the games. One team wins rings and has a swagger and the other team looks like they have decided the season is over on the 4th of July.

    A complete turnaround of the two franchises since 2004. Until you change the players (the sooner the better as far as I’m concerned), the results won’t change.

    The unfairness of baseball. The one guy on this team (Damon) who has been standup in terms of effort and accountability is the guy that gets hurt. That’s a damn shame.

  734. Bob(the original)

    So do they have a fat lady warming up to sing during the 7th inning stretch?

    It’s all over but the crying people.

  735. Yankee Trader

    Just when I thought Veras might be the answer 2 pitches 2 hits

  736. stuart

    arod groupies I will end the arguement right here. Go look up some guys stats his name is albert Pujols compare to afraud…

    Arod is suppose to be the best player in baseball, no comparison…look at what pujols does for rhis team which has less talent then the Yanks..

    Obviously afraud is better then Lowell, he hould be he makes $18 mill more a year…and on the late inning success for afraud look at this yr. not last…..

    the thing is afraud is the highest paid player in the gme but these arguements never end, there must be a reason for that???The arod noise never ends why??/ Again the guy has a loose screw or something going on there…..

    he has been in the league 13 yr. and never ever played in the WS….He has been on the Yanks for 4 yrs. and this team is not going to the WS unless Cashman subtracts alot from this team….

  737. Larry

    There are the stats with official at bats. I’m not including walks. Lowell 70 games, Rodriguez 66. Lowell 60 AB with RISP-.317 avg, 13 with a man on third and less than 2 outs and batted with 166 runners on base. Rodriguez 73 AB-.247 avg, 22 AB with a runner on third less than 2 outs and 161 runners on base.

    Lowell is clearly better situationally and has not had far more RBI opportunities, but Rodriguez is still 125 OPS points better. I’m all for knocking poo situational hitting, but that’s a VERY big gap.

  738. BBB

    “FWIW BBB, going into today, Arod has 8 fewer plate appearances than Lowell on the season. Arod has had 95 PA’s with RISP and 144 PA’s with men on base. Lowell has had 76 PA’s with RISP and 136 with men on base.”

    Fair enough Corleone, but wouldn’t it be fair to argue that Lowell likely sees better pitches to hit, given that he is surrounded in his lineup by other guys that also hit?

    Also, I just looked up Lowell’s home/road splits and they’re even more pathetic than I suspected. .319 at home, .268 on the road. Just as I thought he is wholly average away from Fenway. And since the Yankees don’t play 81 games a year at Fenway, how could anyone possibly argue that it would have been prudent to let A-Rod go and pick up Lowell?

  739. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    This is pitiful indeed.

    Looks like I called this all wrong.

  740. M. Francessa PTRS 08

    Everytime I see Lowell or Youkilis bat against our pitching g their on 1st or 2nd base or driving in runs while their at it.

  741. Mike

    Can’t trade him if he’s injured either. Worst possible scenario.

  742. SJ44

    Veras is entitled to a bad day. Most of the guys on this team have been bad all season. What’s their excuse?

    Veras is one of the few guys on this team that is actually a keeper. If he has a bad day, that’s baseball.

  743. beezr

    I think those people with the big plastic baggie thingy were trying commit group suicide.

  744. Sorry, but .............

    this is a season lost. Don’t look for Cashman to be a big player at the trading deadline. There’s just no point to it knowing that too many parts are needed to get to the ultimate prize in 2008.
    The string will be played out, the contract baggage gone, and with some smart moves over the winter, the Yankees can begin a new phase to what fans were once used to.
    This team as constructed, resembles no greatness of Yankee teams past. You just can’t get water out of a dry towel.

  745. YankeeJosh

    Ron,

    The Yankees are trying to cut back on spending, that’s a pretty well known fact. Hal’s being tighter with the purse strings than George was, and ultimately it’s why he suided with Cashman against getting Santana.

    To win as a team, the money needs to be spent wisely. No one would argue that Lowell is better than A-Rod. But I was one of the few who wouldn’t have minded letting A-Rod walk at the end of last year (though I was glad he came back) and channeling that money in to getting Santana.

    Either way, it’s done now, but with the luxury tax and the new ownership, payroll has indeed become an issue for the Yankees, and we have to acknowledge it, and spend wisely and accordingly.

  746. Ron

    “There are the stats with official at bats. I’m not including walks. Lowell 70 games, Rodriguez 66. Lowell 60 AB with RISP-.317 avg, 13 with a man on third and less than 2 outs and batted with 166 runners on base. Rodriguez 73 AB-.247 avg, 22 AB with a runner on third less than 2 outs and 161 runners on base.

    Lowell is clearly better situationally and has not had far more RBI opportunities, but Rodriguez is still 125 OPS points better. I’m all for knocking poo situational hitting, but that’s a VERY big gap.”

    Oh, how dare he have a bad…what…eighth of a season?

    Do sample sizes mean anything to you raving braniacs?

  747. BBB

    “Fair enough Corleone, but wouldn’t it be fair to argue that Lowell likely sees better pitches to hit, given that he is surrounded in his lineup by other guys that also hit?

    Also, I just looked up Lowell’s home/road splits and they’re even more pathetic than I suspected. .319 at home, .268 on the road. Just as I thought he is wholly average away from Fenway. And since the Yankees don’t play 81 games a year at Fenway, how could anyone possibly argue that it would have been prudent to let A-Rod go and pick up Lowell?”

    Wow, my bad, disregard this, I read the numbers backwards. I only start drinking this early on holidays, I swear! :)

  748. Larry

    Egads, Stuart, we are in agreement. Pujols is better. year in and year out he is better. By that, I don’t mean every single year. I mean clearly as a whole since Rodriguez has been a Yankee. If he had been in this lineup since 2004, he would already have multiple 150 RBI seasons.

    That doesn’t mean Rodriguez isn’t great, though.

  749. Snowman

    Well, Girardi is clearly in over his head. I thought he was a good choice, but he is not yet ready to manage the Yankees.
    A change is needed fast…..

  750. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Veras-if you can somehow get out of this…

  751. Fredo Corleone

    “Also, I just looked up Lowell’s home/road splits and they’re even more pathetic than I suspected. .319 at home, .268 on the road.”

    Look again. Lowell’s .319 ON THE ROAD and .268 in Boston this year.

  752. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Veras always comes through.

  753. Ron

    “on,

    The Yankees are trying to cut back on spending, that’s a pretty well known fact. Hal’s being tighter with the purse strings than George was, and ultimately it’s why he suided with Cashman against getting Santana.

    To win as a team, the money needs to be spent wisely. No one would argue that Lowell is better than A-Rod. But I was one of the few who wouldn’t have minded letting A-Rod walk at the end of last year (though I was glad he came back) and channeling that money in to getting Santana.

    Either way, it’s done now, but with the luxury tax and the new ownership, payroll has indeed become an issue for the Yankees, and we have to acknowledge it, and spend wisely and accordingly.”

    The also didn’t want to commit a massive amount of money to a high-risk player (all pitchers are high risk, especially as they age, and especially those with as many innings on their arm as Santana), after that worked out so swimmingly with Jason Giambi in 2001.

    Remember the Abreu situation? They took on 14 mil in the middle of the season without blinking, because Gillick was giving him away and he was a good fit on a short contract.

  754. YankeeJosh

    BBB,

    You have those stats mixed up. Lowell’s been better on the ROAD this year. .268 at Fenway, .319 on the road. His slugging is marginally higher at Fenway, .526 to .506

    http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/playerSplits?categoryId=85939

  755. Fran

    Good thing Molina was behind the plate for that play!

  756. Angel {insert random statement plus multiple !!!!!'s here}

    “A complete turnaround of the two franchises since 2004.”

    That explains the turnaround in fanbases too.

  757. Sawyer

    It’s official. We are now witnessing “The Beginning of the End of Dynasty”.

  758. SJ44

    Another nice job by Veras. Its a shame its a pitching staff full of 4-5 inning, ineffective starters because the bullpen is actually pretty good.

    At least the bullpen is a starting point toward rebuilding. That is, if they don’t get smoked covering for the awful starting pitching the rest of the season.

    Veras, Ramirez, Robertson, Cox and Melancon in front of Mo are all arms worth keeping. If they could ever find a real lefty specialist, that’s a damn good ‘pen. All young (with the exception of Mo) and contract controlled to boot.

  759. ohh Cano not again!

    this guys is always singing at Ys

  760. Ron

    “Egads, Stuart, we are in agreement. Pujols is better. year in and year out he is better. By that, I don’t mean every single year. I mean clearly as a whole since Rodriguez has been a Yankee. If he had been in this lineup since 2004, he would already have multiple 150 RBI seasons.

    That doesn’t mean Rodriguez isn’t great, though.”

    Actually, given that the quality of both pitching and hitting in the NL is vastly inferior, that’s not really a sound assumption.

    Pujols plays a less valuable position on the field. Plays it well, yes. But sluggers at 1st grow on trees. Sluggers like A-Rod at third are very, very rare. This golden age of third basemen is unprecedented in ML history.

  761. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    So, you are arguing that Lowell’s value is essentially created by his teammates. A-Rod has less value because no one drives him in. Or rather, they drive him in less often…which is why A-Rod’s higher OPS makes him the vastly superior player.
    Great logic

    Seriously, do you work for Fox News or karl Rove. Try reading and doing less spinning.

    First, the argument was not about ARod being driven in, it was about RBI’s, those come from ARod, not counted for him when he scores. That is called a run.

    Second, I did not say that Lowell has greater value than ARod, I said, ARod’s OPS being higher than Lowell’s is not a stat you can use for RBI production whenLowell has more opportunities to drive in runs WITHOUT having to get on base – little thing called a Sac Fly, ground out with run scoring. ARod does not have as many opportunities because there is no one on base.

    Factor is Captain DP hitting in front of him and Bobby “afraid of a single” Abreu, ARod usually comes to the plate with no one on base or when he does, he is not driving them in as often as Lowell -that would be why Lowell has more than ARod.

  762. Larry

    Sampling size? It’s half the season. The sampling size of the entire 2004 season where he hit .248 with RISP or 2005 where he was .290 when he hit .320 overall?

    Enlighten us, almighty one. How many ABs before we judge? 100? 200? 300? 600? Players reputations are made in postseasons that consist of 50 ABs.

  763. ohh Cano not again!

    i thought that ended in 2000

  764. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Rock on Veras! Give that child a cookie

  765. BBB

    This forum really needs an edit button. Damn beer induced dyslexia!

  766. MrMulligan (Xavier Nady in Pinstripes))

    Now is the time to tie this biatch…

  767. SJ44

    Yeah, its the manager’s fault is old and ineffective roster is old and ineffective. Great call.

  768. stuart

    Veras absolutely has been great.. he is or should be the 8th inning guy no questions asked.. So my question is since Veras is 27 and looks real good, why the hell don’t the ytrade Kyle??

    They can get something for kyle, save some bucks, and get rid of a mental midget….Why not…Again they have many good young pen arms they have a surplus so get rid of some…..

    again on the ARod arguement the point is that we even have it, shows alot about him… Again his need or desire to be the highest paid player tells you all about arod you need to know… 32 and zippos titles, mantle like 7 titles, end the friggin story. .sacrfice for the team is not in the yankee vocabulary of this team….

    the yanks won 118 games with brosius at 3B….that is mind boggling…

  769. Ron

    I love how this “turnaround” involved a playoff appearance each year…except for the Red Sox in 2006, who were dropped to 3rd place.

    They’ve won two World Series. 2004 was…well, the Yankees shouldn’t have been able to lose that series. And given how the Cardinals just stunk it up, that would have been #27. Last year? They had a good team, and got amazing performances out of Matsuzaka and Lester.

  770. DFox

    Countless inferior lineups have been able to handle Okajima this season. Let’s see if the Yankees can just like the other teams.

  771. BBB

    Yeah really, how is any of this Girardi’s fault? I swear some people just like to e-whine to hear the sound of their own angry keystrokes.

  772. MrMulligan (Xavier Nady in Pinstripes)

    Do the ole dawgs (Abreu, Posada, ‘Stache, Jetes) have any “fire” left?

  773. Ron

    600 ABs is about a season. And players have “down years.”

    You friggin’ morons. You just anger me. Remember A-Rod’s 9th inning heroics last year? He was a real choker, wasn’t he.

    You don’t deserve to be fans of this team.

  774. Kevin

    Despite Rasner’s last few starts, he did give the Yankees quite a few quality starts when he came up. I think Karstens can have the same effect, maybe give the team 6 or 7 quality starts. Clearly, Cashman does not want to make a huge deal for a starting pitcher, so we are going to have to survive with minor leaguers pitching in the 4th/5th spot. Kennedy will be ready in the next week or so and if we need Hughes he could be ready in August. If he’s not, McCutcheon or Aceves might have to make a few starts. But if the Yankees are still in contention at the end of August, they will make every effort to bring Wang back for that final push for the playoffs. I’m not saying it will work, but if Cashman is going to keep being stuborn and won’t make a deal, then I’d rather see any of those pitchers in place of Sidney Ponson….

    I also can’t stand the Yankees fans who live and die with every game. When the matchups came out for this series, this is the one everyone thought they would lose. They have managed to stay in the game and still have a shot to win. If they do come back and win, I will laugh at everyone who declared the game over in the third inning.

  775. filthy slider

    Time for Rassner to go back to AAA.
    He may be a 4A player but he can’t beat good teams with his stuff.

  776. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    My rally cap is on. Time to cut the crap and win this game.
    Nice Melky.

  777. MrMulligan (Xavier Nady in Pinstripes)

    Melky starting the RALLY…

  778. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    See if this helps.

    Lowell – RISP – hitting .288/OPS .850

    ARod – RISP – hitting .304/OPS .961

    Clearly ARod is better. But 18 million better when there are so many holes in the line up.

    With 2 outs and RISP

    Lowell – .261/.866
    ARod – .273/.894

    From a “value” perspective, I think my 18 million difference would get more value by adding other pieces.

    But just so you don’t cramp your finger by going from Great Logic to Moron or Idiot or some other fantastic well thought out articulate response. Overall, ARod definitely brings more value than Lowell. But what good is having a brand new car if you can’t afford to put gas in there to drive.

  779. Ron

    It’s just astounding that fans cannot grasp that because the basis of winning baseball games is scoring more runs than the other guy, the people that get on base and do more with their hits give them the most chances to score and thus have the most value.

    It’s really not that hard.

  780. Larry

    Are we judging third baseman historically or since Rodriguez played there? Scott Rolon was over 1000 in 2004, I believe. Cabrera just moved this year. David Wright, Chipper Jones. Ramirez is usually around .900. There have been a bunch of good hitting third baseman since Rodriguez started there.

    There are a number of factors involved in comparing the players. Pujols’ greatly inferior lineup among them.

  781. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Oh great. Gardner up.

  782. BBB

    Well-said at 3:51 Ron.

    I bet people here would be drooling over how much they missed A-Rod and wanted him back if he had actually moved on last year after his opt out. It is maddening. Some people just won’t appreciate him until he is gone I guess.

  783. Bob(the original)

    I bet they get zero runs out of this.

  784. Ron

    I’m not going to argue that Lowell is a more cost-effective option. But Lowell was re-signed well before A-Rod came back. The Yankees didn’t have a chance to get him.

  785. nyyfaninlaaland

    With Damon possibly on the shelf for at least a couple of days, how about all here call a truce – I know it’s gonna be hard to stop the instigating and idiocy – and we all pull for BOTH Melky and Gardner. Let’s just try it for the rest of this game, see if it works. Melky just gota hit, let’s hopwe gardner can match.

  786. Kill-Schill(ing)

    Don’t you bunt here to avoid the DP. Molina can’t run.

  787. ohh Cano not again!

    “angry keystroks” would be an awsome band name

  788. MrMulligan (Xavier Nady in Pinstripes)

    The Gun continuing the RALLY…

  789. Ron

    This would be really sweet…

  790. Ron

    Damn Jose…if only you weren’t so slow they’d be loaded!

  791. shaman1993

    4 leter word for Girardi……

    BUNT….

    Why the hell wasn’t Gardner even attempting to move te runners into scoring postion? Now a DP ends the Rally and Capt DP is up

  792. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    How many other teams have runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out and get no runs in? Thank God for the slip. We’ve have a GD DPO. Though one might be on its way right now unless Gardner shows he can do something right and steals 2nd.

  793. DYNASTY IS DESTINY!

    Happy 4th of July to all!

    It’s time for a comeback!

    Let’s Go Yanks!

  794. DFox

    Oy, just no double play please Jeter.

  795. Ron

    Jeter, I’m practically on my knees. Base hit. NO DPs!

  796. Kill-Schill(ing)

    Interesting, what do you do here? Cokajima is slow to the plate; Gardner should be able to steal.

  797. Yankee Trader

    Jeter up 2 on 1 out. It’s time for this part of the lineup to earn its money.

  798. beezr

    Jeter’s getting ready to serve up another GIDP.

  799. yankeenate

    and the gardner posters are????????

  800. M. Francessa PTRS 08

    Are you guys actually discussing Mike Lowell and Alex Rodriguez and who’s the wiser choice last offseason?

    Even if A-rod is somewhat soft or less than “Clutch” as he was when he hit 9 9th inning homeruns like he did last year I still think the argument is beyond ridiculous.

    The fact is that a player like Alex belongs in New York if for no other reason than he’s the biggest fish in the biggest pond and will break every record in baseball and go down a great yankee I have to believe that eventually over the next 10 years he’ll hit some big homeruns in the post season and world series if for no other reason than for the sheer number of chances he’ll amass in pinstripes.

    You cant argue the revenue the man will draw during the Bonds chase will be ridiculous even if he becomes a circus in the process ala Bonds did in SF.

    The key is to surround him with other big fish that are situationally better “clutch” hitters and George’s Yankees payroll would have no hesitation in spending what was necessary to make such a scenario possible.

    I worry however about Hal and Hank and their rumored financial restraint our owner (George) was what made this team the power house it’s been by spending what ever was necessary even if not always writing the checks to the right players his heart and was always in the right place and winning not money was always priority number one.

    If we were to maintain our 200 million dollar payroll and cut the dead weight coming off the books make the Texiera and CC aquisitions maybe even add another bat to replace abreu I think we can afford to have a declining Jeter and situationally challenged Alex and still fare quite well for the next decade and beyond.

    If Cashman and Hal have a hard on to become a 130 million dollar payroll club I’m affraid we’re in for a very big rude awakening as Yankee fans.

  801. MrMulligan (Xavier Nady in Pinstripes)

    Kudos to Gardner for getting that slow poke Molina off the bases…time for a RALLY.

  802. Ron

    You have 6 outs until you get to Pappelbon. Giving up one is stupid.

    And Gardner damn near got one through.

    Stop whining and root for the team.

  803. MrMulligan (Xavier Nady in Pinstripes)

    We need a GAPPER, Cap’n

  804. Ron

    Here we go!

    C’mon Bobby!

  805. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    Ok Ron, I am F-Tard.

    I guess I thought I was watching Soccer. Sorry just don’t grasp this silly little American game.

  806. Jeff NJ

    thats a start Jeter

  807. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Bases loaded, one out. Most teams plate runs…

  808. Fredo Corleone

    “You have 6 outs until you get to Pappelbon”

    Might only have 3. Papelbon hasn’t pitched in days.

    BTW, Jeter just got 4 strikes and still managed to walk.

  809. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    I just saw my mistake. When I got my Green Card, i thought it came with an automatic Yankee fan club card. But that was just the business card of the social worker assigned to me.

  810. MrMulligan (Xavier Nady in Pinstripes)

    Big spot for Abreu…gotta love seeing Okajima implode.

  811. tim boat

    if jeter doesnt GIDP you KNOW Abreu will. 1 last night and a near DP before that which he barely beat out.

  812. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    At least Bobby’s got a good eye.

  813. Larry

    Rodriguez has been here 4 1/2 years and 2007 means he’s been a great clutch player? I know players have down years.
    2 of the worst of Rodriguez’s career have been here. Counting this season, it’s 3 out of 5 with RISP.

    This is without mentioning his playoff performances. As always, it’s all relative.
    Rodriguez is not hurting the team, he is a big asset. But the standards are higher.
    No other Yankee is talked about in the superlatives that this guy is.

    Fortunately or unfortunately, I have to go now. This will have to continue another time, Mister Kellerman.

  814. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    The killer is that Okajema has been awful this year.

  815. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Oh man-A grand slam from Alex would be real nice right now

  816. MrMulligan (Xavier Nady in Pinstripes)

    ABREU : WTF?

  817. Un - natural

    GS would be nice

  818. j

    why cant he just hit the ball?

  819. Fredo Corleone

    Bobby Abreu and meaningful AB’s just don’t mix.

  820. Joe from Long Island

    That’s what I was afraid of with Abreu.

  821. Ron

    Max Kellerman is the only baseball analyst I’ve ever listened to that I haven’t ended up wanting to bash over the head at one point or another. He actually knows what he is talking about.

  822. was

    Raining at the Stadium. hmmm. big surprise.

  823. JB

    Am I the only one who thinks Okajima is very overrated?

    Papelbon is the only guy in that pen who I would trust. And the Yankees have hit him pretty well too.

  824. tim boat

    A-Rod up to strike out, that’s if he doesn’t make out on the first pitch because you KNOW he’s swinging at the first pitch.

  825. stuart

    clowns if arod does not ever win a WS he will not go down as a great yankee, no friggin way..

    again clowns let’s argue over gardner or melky instead of talking about Abreu and his pathetic yr…He makes $16, and his production has been poor.. he is hitting 278, with 53 rbi’s but hey let’s talk about arod the big fish in the big pount and stats..

    I have only 1 stat I care about and that is W’s…..

    the rest is BS…..

  826. ohh Cano not again!

    lol plane full of kennedys lolol sad but funny

  827. Kill-Schill(ing)

    If A-Rod hits a HR here, I promise to listen to Madonna all weekend.

  828. was

    Iwo Jima always gets out jams. Happy birthday USA!

  829. BBB

    Abreu is the first big name that needs to be shopped imo. Damon should stay. He is part of the solution, not the problem. Can’t say the same for Bobby and I’ve seen him do this same crap on 2 teams now.

  830. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    I would ask if this could suck anymore but I’m afraid of the answer.

  831. Fredo Corleone

    Looked like that pitch slipped out of Delcarmen’s hand. It’s rainin’ hard.

  832. was

    Arod strikes out. Book it.

  833. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Ugh.

    Please don’t let this be happening.

  834. tim boat

    Holy moly! He didn’t swing at the first pitch!!!

  835. shaman1993

    What a waste of an inning…Then again, it shouldn’t surprise me that they put the first two on, loaded the bases, and then got NOTHING…..AGAIN. Second time, today, they left they bases BLOATED

  836. Yankee Trader

    Abreu- you didn’t do your job.
    If the Yankees come back to win this game, it’ll be because they got lucky. I like Girardi, but there was no excuse to leave Rasner in for the 5th inning, let alone after he let the 1st batter reach base.

  837. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    Bases loaded… ARod up.

    So there you go.

  838. j

    our 2008 yanks, a bunch of people who cannot hit

  839. BBB

    Well I think that was our best chance

  840. Terry in NH

    JUNK TEAM !!!!

  841. ohh Cano not again!

    wow

  842. Fran

    The Yanks don’t score. Abreu’s at bat was not good. He needs to drive in at least 1 run there.

  843. bodhisattva

    They’ve “never been the same” since 2004 is right, but it has nothing to do with the ALCS.

    They started to rebuild the farm system, because they were an old team even then, with no pitching, which is WHY they blew that series: they didn’t become flawed AS A RESULT of losing that series: they were an aging team without any prospects, and they began to correct that, something Cashman was trying to get George to see the light on.

    Tying their “demise” to 2004 is the most hackish, columnist cliched-type reductionism. LOL. The loss was a product of, not a cause of, and if Posada throws to the correct side of second base, for all that, they survive that series.

    They’re in between eras now, trying to bridge the gap. Guess what? You people may just have to learn to hold your **** and WAIT for a team like the early 90s one; I waited 18 years between WS championships. Doesn’t mean everything in between is an unqualified failure.

    Some on this board are strictly ruled by their emotions, their “thinking” is governed by a sportswriter’s attention span, which is governed by a need to sell papers.

    Fine, if you choose to root that way. Nobody ever said you had to be an expert to open your mouth, or even a thoughtful baseball fan. But don’t make me laugh, trying to pass your knee-jerk insecurities and dark fantasies off as “realism.”

    It’s always the most sweeping, negative people who clearly have never bothered to go see any of these farm prospects in person, who scream for us to deal our prospects. BLEEP YOU. We’re not doing it. You can’t evaluate anything that hasn’t yet happened, because you have no vision, and never have a sober thing to say; it’s all ranting and black bile. You’ve never been good at anything, so you have no patience for anything good to happen.

    Honestly, if we win the WS, will you even experience anything that isn’t hollow?

    UGGGhhh.. I’d lose for 10 years if we could rid ourselves of the likes of you.

  844. Un - natural

    Manny Lenny Manny

    Go Yankees !

  845. tim boat

    seriously. why couldn’t we have just let A-Rod walk in the offseason, that way there’d be no expectations for this team and this season wouldn’t be nearly as frustrating.

  846. Good Night Yankees

    and that inning defines the 2008 Yankees…bases juiced and only one out, down by 3 late in the game and Abreu and A-Rod both show us how much they define the work CHOKER !

  847. was

    Just close the stadium now to avoid further humiliation.

  848. Joe from Long Island

    I don’t know what to day anymore.

    Bases loaded, 3 and 4 hitters up…and they can’t get it done.

    In this season, there is nothing more to say.

  849. ohh Cano not again!

    man this year is ruough lol

  850. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  851. yankeenate

    nice team meeting last night. i can tell how much effect it has had on the players today. what can a manager possibly say to his team today. i….officially….hate this team.

    i better go…i’m beginning to sound like person i don’t like to read on this blog.

  852. Ron

    What the hell can you do? It’s not a matter of motivation, or even bad ABs today.

    It’s just not working. They aren’t hitting.

  853. Wendy M

    Another choke in a big spot by AFRAUD.

  854. Hank

    A-CHOKE

  855. SJ44

    At least they battled today and didn’t give up. That’s the good news.

    The bad news, they can’t overcome a AAA starting pitcher falling apart again and their season long futility with RISP.

    That’s the thing about this team. If they showed up and played this hard everyday, instead of once every 15 or 20 games, they would win more games.

    Unfortunately, its not the way they play this year, which is why the results aren’t there.

    Better AB’s today, better focus. Not better results.

    However, you can’t expect better results when you don’t grind like this everyday.

    Who knows, maybe they will start grinding more after today. Longshot, given the guys on this roster but, miracles can happen.

  856. stuart

    yeah let’s talk about the big fishies coming thru for a change..

    it literally is head sratching….the lack of balls from the likes of abreu, giambi, arod and so on is literally staggering..

    they should be called the PAPER LIONS.. On paper they look good and tough but no in reality they are losers..

    Fransecca poster, AROD one of the great s what are you smoking? You can never been cosnidered great when you win nothing.. You will say Mattingly, whom was very good but is not a 1st ballot HOF guy so forget about rotisiier and fantasy crap at $270 mill he is not great, not even close……

    let’s argue over Melky vs gardner because our middle of the lineup is so good…..

    you fans are borderline retarted if you do not see this….

  857. Lou in Socal

    How can anyone play like this wearing the pinstripes? It seems like it would be too hard to try and play this bad!

  858. myrtlebeachfan

    Wow.

    Wow.

    Wow.

    I can’t stand watching this team. Rain or no rain, Arod, drive the ball. Hit it the other way if you have to. You’re the strongest player i’ve seen, just do it.

    sigh.

  859. bodhisattva

    ^^^meant 96-2000, obviously, and throw in 2001, just because we lost a Game 7 doesn’t mean we didn’t have a great year.

  860. Joe from Long Island

    bodhisavaa…

    you said it.

  861. joe

    girardi needs to do something about the lineup. move people around. shake things up. cause jeter abreu and arod in that order has done nothing except for the occasional breakout game 1 every 10 days. And i don’t mean take 3 of your best hitters out and throw in junk players like he did against perez.

  862. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    yankeenate don’t go. That person only shows up when there’s a bad situation, mouths off, and then waits for the next bad situation.

    Maybe things will get better. Stick around.

  863. j

    bronxbomber this is what i mean, there always seems to be a slight bias against the yanks in the strike zone

  864. BBB

    “You can never been cosnidered great when you win nothing.. ”

    Yeah, like that Dan Marino guy for example. He really sucks.

  865. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    Kay just said it perfectly. Guys that get paid to produce are not producing.

    2-3-4 hitters – $50 million choke job.

  866. Ron

    “seriously. why couldn’t we have just let A-Rod walk in the offseason, that way there’d be no expectations for this team and this season wouldn’t be nearly as frustrating.”

    I’d laugh if this didn’t encapsulate the mindset of the average Yankees fan. It’s pathetic. Almost as pathetic as the bats.

  867. bodhisattva

    HOW CAN ANYONE PLAY LIKE THIS??? Baseball is pitching, dummy, we had none today. The guy gave up a 3-run JACK. LEARN LEARN LEARN THE GAME.

  868. Carmine

    A-Rod did get the first inning double. Statistically, even the best can’t come through all the time. I think Abreu deserves to shoulder more of this.

  869. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    That’s the thing about this team. If they showed up and played this hard everyday, instead of once every 15 or 20 games, they would win more games.

    BINGO.

    But being without Matsui AND Damon isn’t a real good thing. Hopefully Damon won’t be out too long. Gardner leading off sure as hell isn’t the answer!

    Maybe they’ll lead Cano off. If Melky were hitting he’d be the obvious one.

  870. Ron

    You know, the only peripheral they don’t show is the one that makes Farnsworth bad: his sky-high HR rate.

  871. Lou in Socal

    2008 Yankees, No Heart, No Pride, Nobody on that team cares.
    55,000 fans show up every night and they play like they don’t give a crap!

  872. tim boat

    Yankees waving the white flag by sending Farnsworth out.

    Just call the game now with the rain, save us this torture.

  873. SJ44

    If Arod walks, the Yankees are the Royals.

    He did after all drive in 2 of the 3 runs today.

    Its not just Arod. The entire team hasn’t hit with RISP all season.

  874. Wendy M

    I wonder if there will be another “meeting” today. It proved so helpful. LOL.

  875. Lou in Socal

    The fans expect them to win every game more than they do themselves

  876. Terry in NH

    How is this team above .500?? I’ve watched a ton of games over the past 4 years and at least those teams showed grit, desire and heart.. Even when they were 14 out last year they came back. I don’t see that thise yeat. They either have players having really bad years or players that are on the decline. There is no consistency either. Jeter is absolutely atrocious this year and he is a key part of this lineup.. I don’t know! Very hard to take right now!

  877. tim boat

    maybe if we’re lucky Farnsworth slips and pulls a groin muscle.

  878. BBB

    Yeah, I agree Carmine. Abreu has been awful lately and it isn’t a coincidence, imo. The guy is declining and he’s always been soft. The more pressure there is on his team to play well, the worse he plays. Same thing in Philly. When opposing pitchers know he is an easy out, they can just save their out pitches for A-Rod. Giambi needs to bat 3rd.

  879. Chet

    $220+ million train wreck. Most overpiad pansies in the game….Jeter included. I think the day Varitek punched Pay-Rod in the mouth in 2004 was the end.
    Chet

  880. ohh Cano not again!

    hopefully the as break will clear some heads

  881. stuart

    BBB Marino did not play on a team with a 40% larger budget then any other team..

    Yankee fans let’s be honest we have all the advantages of money but it does not matter.. Marino did not have a team of all stars…

  882. j

    i bet that error is due his bad atbat

  883. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    I can’t get too upset with Arod. Playing in that crap isn’t going to help out at all.

  884. Hank

    Damn you kabbalah!

  885. Ron

    Sadly, “grit, desire, and heart,” are not nearly as important as scoring more runs than the other guy. The Yankees are still working on the latter.

  886. Carmine

    If Damon is hurt for any extended period of time, that’d be bad. He got hurt doing what he does best and that’s playing hard. I just think he’s a really good guy to have on your team.

    In other news, Barry Bonds is willing to play for league minimum. In other other news, Barry Bonds is third all time in OPS+ behind Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.

    Those were two completely unrelated statements……..

  887. DYNASTY IS DESTINY!

    Giving an error on a play like that in this kind of weather is ridiculous in my opinion…what do you guys think?

  888. Terry in NH

    Wow, they came out to cover the field after ARod’s blunder(not his fault though, tough play), but the umps should have never started this inning. Now the Sox have a guy on 2nd and 0 out.. freakin unbelievable!

  889. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Dynasty agree.

  890. Ron

    Bonds also won’t be able to help for weeks. He needs to get into baseball shape. By that time, Matsui is back.

    Signing Bonds might have made sense earlier. Now, it’s too late to make a big impact.

  891. snowman

    Carmine: Hey, A-Rod hit a three run homer with the Yanks up by 100 runs last Thursday–who says he isnt clutch.

  892. lil' m

    RISP: back with a vengeance. SJ44: you’re right – not looking good for 2008. Ownership (Hank ‘n Hal) and management (CashMoney et al.) know it. They clearly have a plan that’s beginning to bear fruit in the bullpen (Edwar, Veras, Robertson, Ohlendorf) and the starting rotation (Joba). They’ll do what they can within reason to stay competitive this year (not exactly panning out to date) but they’re not going off-course at the expense of the future. The current decline isn’t anyone’s idea of a fun party, but it’s worth taking a step backwards (no PS) to take many steps forward. In the meantime, still love ‘em even if I don’t care much for their act right now. And I’m still looking forward to see how Joba handles this team on Sunday.

  893. yankeenate

    mark – Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    thanks man…i can’t leave. i’m committed to them good, bad, ugly, and days like today :) )

  894. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    HEY PETE!

  895. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    HEY PETE!

  896. bodhisattva

    GOOD NEWS: After the All-Star Break, we ACTUALLY HAVE SOME DAYS OFF in July. That means we don’t have to always go through five starters. We may be able to skip some people, which, along with the rest and a little recalibrating, should provide a boost and better outlook.

  897. Eddie Lee Whitson

    SJ44- True that A-rod drove in 2 of the 3, but he is supposed to be THE guy!

  898. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    Oops.

    Hey Pete. Can you find out from Girardi whether Moeller will be catching games?

    Thanks.

  899. Jeff NJ

    Well being that my wife, my dog and my three week old son are all napping, best if I try and get one in now too.

  900. Eddie Lee Whitson

    i know the economy is bad, but i guess $27.5 million just doesn’t get you much these days

  901. BBB

    “Yankee fans let’s be honest we have all the advantages of money but it does not matter.. Marino did not have a team of all stars”

    Stuart: And A-Rod does have a team of all stars right now? No, he has a team of mostly declining, past-prime former all stars. Big, big difference. Sadly, the financial advantage doesn’t much matter, and in fact even does more harm than help, when the Yankees use it to give all these guys big, unmovable contracts with no trade clauses. Hopefully, this is something that will stop happening as some of the mercenaries continue to come off the books in the next few years.

  902. stuart

    the only palyers that can make the sux middle relief are the yankees meat of the order……..

    SPORTSFANS this team sucks and I have watch many likeable sucky yankee teams but this team cannot be any less liekable…I guess if you think guys stealing there paycheck is likeable then this team is the best, else they are very unlikeable… really is afraud likeable??/Yes he plays hard and cares, but arod stands for me first..

    abreu likeable?/again seems like a classy guy but when is the last time he put his body on the line?

    Jeter? Class agqin but when has he ever made a real comment after a game.. WIll he have the nerve or class to tell managment that he needs to move down in the order for the good of the team? I doubt it..

    We can go on all day.

    Jorge is likeable, but injured and has been a very good hitting catcher forever but never exactly been a team carrier.. again he loves being a yankee especially at $13 mill a yr.

    Molikeable. 1 because he is great and still is but 2 because he is a honest stand up guy…yeah if hestunk would he be as likeable no but he talks straight win or lose..

    again the Paper lions are at it today.. When the yanks use to suck I could deal with it quite easily mainly because the were bereft of talent but now these team YUCK>>>>>

  903. ComeOn2009

    I have to stop watching this team for a while.

    All it does is put me in a foul mood.

    At some point you just have to accept that this is what they are and stop hoping it’ll change. You just keep getting disappointed and frustrated over and over again.

  904. bodhisattva

    Ron,

    exactly, when people use words like ‘desire’ ‘grit’ and ‘heart’, I tune out. It’s like reading purple prose from Mike Lupica.

  905. Joe from Long Island

    lil’m – I actually like your spirit.

    They are what they are this year. Accept it, and plan for the future. And don’t forget to enjoy this year, despite the disappointment. After all, it’s still baseball. It beats thinking about work.

  906. bodhisattva

    20 feet into the hole on a wet field – basically an impossible play, and they give ARod an error. At home. Nice.

  907. BBB

    As far as the leadoff conundrum if Damon is in fact going to be out a while (hoping and praying he won’t be) I’d recall Christian and let him try his hand at it before putting Melky or, worse, Cano there. Now that Robbie is finally hitting well and consistently, I dont want anything to mess up his mojo. Gardner probably has a higher ceiling than Christian, but Christian is more ready than him now to step into an important spot in the lineup and produce. With him leading off and Gardner batting 9th, you have game breaking speed when the lineup turns over mid inning.

    However, let’s not close the book on the Melkster just yet either. Notice how much better he’s been hitting since he got benched the other day? Maybe it will wake him up for good like it seems to have done for Cano in Houston. And if he’s hitting, he’s a very servicable leadoff hitter.

  908. SJ44

    Arod may be “The Man”, but he can’t be the only man.

    He drove in 2 today. What did the rest of the lineup do?

    Its more than just one guy. Its the entire team.

    With Rasner pitching today, 3 in the first inning, followed by nothing after that, isn’t going to get the job done.

    To their credit, the effort was there today. Last night’s effort was deplorable.

    But, its going to take more than just one day of effort to bring results.

    So far this year, this team has not shown the ability to sustain effort and consistency. Until they do, they are what they are.

    Yes, after the break, there will be some days off. However, skipping pitchers, when you have two older arms like Pettitte and Moose, (as well as a young pup like Joba) is risky business.

    In a perfect world, they have to find better alternatives to the starting rotation than Rasner and Ponson.

    Sadly, that’s easier said than done due to injuries and ineffectiveness in the farm system.

  909. stuart

    they should sign Bonds. His character and me first attitudee would fit in grat on this team…
    give me a break…

    BBB is a total Arod groupie….IS Arod surrounded by older players on the decline? Yes he is but the guy is the supposed best player in the game….He is hitting 240 with RISP…240 with RISP, is that good in your book???

    why are baseball fans mesmerized by #’s???

    Arod is not likeable and probably a vain arrogant bad guy…… The good news is I need to watch his phony act for 9 more yrs. as he climbs up the HR chart to passthe ultimate teerrible guy and me first player a guy named Bonds who many delinquents on this site would like to be part of the Yankees.

    Man peole do not undersand the pride these losers should have in plaing for the yanks in front of 50000 every gme and treated like kings by management with the best of everything from facilites on down….

  910. BBB

    Also, while theyre certainly not the reason we’re losing, the umps haven’t exactly done much to help us, or to hurt the sux, today. Can’t catch a break even at home…

  911. Mike Mineo

    TRIVIA QUESTION: can someone name a more ineffective #3 hitter than Bobby Abreu on a team that has a reasonable chance of finishing .500 or above this season?

    yanks will obviously be sellers at the deadline, or at least they should be. he should be the first to go. it would be foolish to re-sign him anyways. trade him away and pay about 80% of his remaining contract and you may grab a decent prospect

  912. Angel {insert random statement plus multiple !!!!!'s here}

    Inane, incoherent drivel.

    Its like being surrounded by pre-2004 Red Sox fans.

  913. Joe from Long Island

    Well, I think we’re going to see some more of Jeff Karstens. For a variety of injury reasons (remember that broken leg courtesy of Julio Lugo), Jeff has not had a prolonged shot at the rotation. Not that he’s a stud, but he might be a better 4-5 option than what we’ve seen from Sir Sidney and Rasner (after reading that interview on the It’s All About the Money site, I’m a fan of his).

    Maybe a deal for Jarrod Washburn? He’s lefty, and he’s always seemed to pitch well when facing us, but his overrrall numbers don’t seem too good – but then, that’s probably why he might be available as a 4-5 starter.

    I still wonder who among the current roster Cash sees as a keeper. Damon, Giambi, Matsui, Abreu….A lot of crucial decisions will be made in the next few weeks before the trading deadline. I just wish us fans could have the inside scoop.

  914. Doris From Rego Park

    Why is everyone so surprised by the score? Did you all of a sudden think they were going to come out and score 10 runs becuase girardi gave a closed door speach? they could dig up knute rockne for speach and it wouldnt matter with this group of players.

  915. j

    dont expect the game to start anytime soon, it is still raining

  916. Eddie Lee Whitson

    I agree that the rest of the team still isn’t contributing, but i still think that if you want to be THE guy, you have to carry the team at times and to put a feeble swing like that is poor. Is asking A-rod to have 4 RBI’s too much. Not asking for that every day, but in these types of situations, at least hit the ball hard somewhere.

    As for pitching options, we can always see what Sam Militello, Jeff Johnson or Scott Kamieniecki are doing these days.

  917. Kill-Schill(ing)

    Hey, any clue on the length of this delay?

    They can’t call the game until late tonight, correct?

    I assume they’ll try to play it first, won’t they?

  918. j

    they cannot call the game because the red sox are batting. They can only suspend it.

  919. j

    if they did not start the inning then they could have called it. It is the same scenario as baltimore last year

  920. BBB

    “BBB is a total Arod groupie”

    Blasphemy. I’m a JB Cox groupie and no one else! But I will take it as a compliment since there are certainly way worse things to be accused of than being a huge fan of the best player in the game.

    Like SJ said in the post above yours. Thus far today, A-Rod has been the Yankees’ top offensive contributor. How bout looking towards some of the other guys on the team to pull their weight rather than crying every time A-Rod makes an out? You can’t expect him to get a hit every time he comes up, as that simply violates the nature of baseball. What you CAN expect is for Bobby Abreu to actually challenge pitchers every so often so A-Rod can get better pitches to hit. Unfortunately, Bobby isn’t doing that. Or expect Giambi to bat 3rd, since he actually does make pitchers work. Unfortunately, Girardi isn’t batting him there.

    But of course, this is all A-Rod’s fault. When he is gone you will be sorry you didn’t appreciate him. Fortunately for me, that day is many years in the future, so there’s still lots of time left for me to enjoy him. Sorry you can’t do the same.

    Oh, and to call him a bad guy is laughable. I didn’t read the article, but saw something on Yahoo this morning about time he spent with a young child with cancer. Visiting sick children?! What an unfathomable a-hole!

  921. Doris From Rego Park

    joe girardi is a better sushi chef than manager…

  922. Pov

    Sorry to say it but it’s a second division team playing a first division team. These guys don’t play like Yankees with the exception of a few. It’s going to take a long time for this team to be able to compete and win again. Cashman bascially gave us a squad that can’t stay healthy instead of being in the AL they should play in the DL.

  923. chazzh

    Actually- RE: Abreu- keep him – get the compensation picks (probably 2 of them) and make your own prospects.

  924. Doris From Rego Park

    BBB- why bother? these pepole love to kill arod but will defend jeter till the cows come home

  925. BBB

    “TRIVIA QUESTION: can someone name a more ineffective #3 hitter than Bobby Abreu on a team that has a reasonable chance of finishing .500 or above this season?”

    Hah, now I am actually sitting here pondering this. Who hits 3rd for the Tigers? Oakland?

  926. dr. westheimer

    yanks will turn it around in august and win their 27th! you heard it here first. go to sleep on it.

  927. Doris From Rego Park

    If Jeter were an NBA player, he would be a dynamite fit for the Knicks

  928. CanIGetAMooseCall

    The Yankees have three good starters? Who? Mussina, Joba, and Pettitte? That’s only two good starters. Pettitte is mediocre at best.

  929. Doris From Rego Park

    jow girardi seems like the kind of guy who eats his burger without the bun

  930. S.o.S.27

    Lets not blame this on the umps. When we lose,its we didnt get the breaks. Im not going to make excuses for this team. Jeter should have struck out on the last 2 pitches of the 6th. Abreu had a 2-1 count and perseded to pop up. Arod flaring at pitches 2 feet of the plate. My thinking is if this team isnt for real lets stop all the teasing and go on a freaking 10 game losing streak. Save us all the torture and misery. I have to admit. I cant immagine us not making the playoffs. But i knew some day it the day would come. If this is it. Lets start the unloading and rebuilding.

    As far as the red sox go. I hate to admit this,but they look like they have that mental edge that we used to have prior to the 04 callapse. It really does look like they look superior. No matter who’s pitching or taking the field. If we want to talk about breaks. Lets talk about all the injuries the sox have had and someone(rookie/veteran/or young player)has stepped up.

  931. j

    i would guess they play after 6pm

  932. SJ44

    I don’t know, it would be nice if the #3 hitter in the order actually drives in some runs in the clutch. That’s not asking too much.

    I get the fact that Arod makes the most money, has been in the headlines all week, and is expected to come through all the time.

    On a team with a 209 million dollar payroll, why is it all about Arod?

    How about Derek Jeter? Abreu? Giambi? Cano?

    At some point, when do the other guys step up and take responsibility, something Damon touched on last night?

    Its about being part of a TEAM. Not just 25 seperate corporations.

    Its why, regardless of the results today, the rest of the week, or the rest of this homestand, they have to find a way to begin breaking up this team. The whole culture around the team stinks and that has to change before they even think about being a post-season team.

    Much like the Red Sox in 2004 after the Yankee series when they knew they had to get rid of Nomar and change the culture of that team.

    First inning today, the bench is alive. The most its been alive all season. By the 7th inning, the woe is me look is back on all the bench because they didn’t score.

    Sorry but, that’s a bunch of nonsense to me.

    Pick up your teammate and do your share. Don’t always look for one or two guys to carry the load.

    You know why the offense stinks this year? Because there are too many built in excuses as to why the other guys can’t carry the load besides Arod.

    Jeter? No, he can’t do that, he’s the captain. His job is just to hit into GIDP’s.

    Giambi? Not with a .174 avg. w/RISP.

    Abreu? No, he isn’t that kind of player. Not that kind of player? Hitting #3 in the Yankees lineup?

    Cano? Oh, you can’t move him up in the order, he’s not ready for it. Really? Then why the hell did they pay him 7 million a year? To have a party when he finally gets to .250 on the 4th of July?

    You don’t hear any of the pass the buck talk from good teams. Guys on good teams grind every day and pick up their teammates. They don’t look for the other guy to do the job.

    That’s a big problem with this group and its manifested itself bigtime this year when the usual doormats (Tampa and Baltimore) are not around to give them 20-25 easy, slugfest wins as they had in the past.

    If there is anything I hope to see from this team in the second half, aside from being sellers at the deadline, is for the guys remaining on the team (and the one’s they may acquire) to take the attitude that EVERYONE, not just one or two guys, are the solutions to the problem.

    That would be a step in the right direction.

  933. canocabrera

    Well, that Yankees on Deck sure was interesting

  934. Jorge Steinbrenner

    Andy Pettitte mediocre….thanks for proving you weren’t around the past 12 years….

    anyways, though, we’re still not at the All-Star break but, again, and I feel like a broken record when I say this, but this feels like a much more pronounced version of the team we saw for the first half of last year. we certainly are not one or two players away, and this current configuration of players is simply not going to get it done in the short or long term. i’m not saying the changes need to be absolutely sweeping, but the new culture cannot end with the new manager. it’s time to reinvent this team for the long term, go with youth everywhere we can, and see where we can move towards building our next dynasty.

    in other words, i think we’re sellers at the deadline.

  935. yankee lover

    # 3 hitter. I think of Abreau as a number 5 or 6 hitter, but since Girardi does EXACTLY what Torre did with the lineup its the same. AROD should bat 3rd, so he gets up in the first inning.

  936. j

    sj44 i liked that cano comment

  937. Jorge Steinbrenner

    Stuart – there a lot of likeable guys on this team. Joba Chamberlain could run for mayor of NYC and win right now.

    Every rookie we bring up seems to have our support. A lot of our veterans remain as likeable as can be. I cannot ever see myself not loving Derek, Mariano, Andy, and Jorge to the core, no matter how they’re doing. Hideki Matsui, when healthy, is a horse.

    A-Rod will always be easy to respect, hard to love. Abreu’s a likeable enough guy you never grow attached to. Melky and Robbie are likeable as a concept, not so much in execution. Giambi, while a nice guy, will always be the symbol to me of when the wheels started falling off this team.

  938. S.o.S.27

    SJ,
    So we become sellers. Who would you get rid of? Its not like we have players with great contracts. Damon and Matsui are hurt. Jeter isnt going anywhere. Cano has too much up side. Melky cant get us a mop up guy. Abreu is the only one that is moveable.

  939. MoBoy(aka McLovin)

    We need a trade.This team can’t rebuild in any other way.When the team penned A-Rod for $27 million.They weren’t rebuilding.

    The problem is Cash’s free agents (the pitchers mainly) have been a bust.You need free agents no matter how young your team is.But ours are either hurt or are overrated like most of our farm.

  940. TIME 4#27

    The last time i checked a team is rated by wins not effort.

  941. Big Joe

    Thought I’d visit and throw out this little quote from Captain Jeter.

    “You have no choice but to go out there and play,” team captain Derek Jeter said. “If there were easy answers we would fix it right away.”

    I have to say I don’t like it at all. It is a listless hopeless message. I think its the way you go out there. This team is going through the motions. I like what he’s done for us but there is no heart in his tone, words or work right now.

    I fear we need to blow this team up and hold back no one. Could they still win this year? Yes but its not probable and besides for what? We’ve been in this malaise first half of seasons since “the Fall of the Yankee Dynasty”. It’s time for real change. I actually think its time for a real solid 2-3 year plan to build around young pitching. I am not even sure Jeter should remain. I know you all think I am a moron but his 20+ GIDPs per year and deteriorating Defense makes him an average to slightly above player. You can’t put him at first after Big G leaves either.

    Its time to start over and it does not feel right seeing the stadium go out like this.

  942. Jorge Steinbrenner

    I always love the episode of Yankees on Deck. the Mariano/Jorge stuff is just classic and the kind of stuff that keeps you loving some of these guys.

    he forgot to say he knew how to count to five in english…just great stuff…

  943. YankeeJosh

    SJ,

    I’d be interested in hearing who you’d want to keep and who you’d want to see go? For me, type of player is a big thing. Guys like Damon bust it even when they’re slumping and can work good at bats, so, he’s one I’d keep. Cano I’ve long been willing to deal if the deal was right. For my tastes, he doesn’t put enough quality at bats together.

  944. bodhisattva

    Of course Cano is “ready” for the 3 spot. He drove in 97 runs last season batting SEVENTH.

    See my earlier post: Cano, who will hit .400 this month, hitting in front of ARod makes sense.

  945. j

    perhaps we have a 1978 comeback here lol.

  946. bodhisattva

    Jorge Steinbrenner

    “Melky and Robbie are likeable as a concept, not so much in execution. ”

    Can you do me a favor? Can you please do an analysis of each player?

    Can you do that for me?

  947. Ron

    The Yankees are counting on A-Rod to be the foundation of this offense for years to come. That’s why they re-signed him. So somebody can get Joba, Kennedy, and Hughes the runs they need.

  948. Terry in NH

    “Ron,

    exactly, when people use words like ‘desire’ ‘grit’ and ‘heart’, I tune out. It’s like reading purple prose from Mike Lupica.”

    Ron, after watching that 7-0 game last night on NESN. That team looked as flat as I have ever seen them. Lack of desire. Grit is bearing down when you have men on base. That is not happening.

  949. BBB

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Abreu is the first one that needs to go. He is so emblematic of everything that’s wrong with the team. The same is probably true of Giambi, but it’s hard to be AS mad at him because I do get the feeling that when Giambi is up at bat, he’s thinking about getting a hit, not about the guy behind him. Maybe this is an unfair assumption about Abreu, but seriously half the time it seems like his AB’s are half assed. Probably assuming A-Rod will get it done if he doesn’t. Bad attitude.

    And actually, as much as I hate to say it since he is my favorite player, ditto for Jeter. His AB’s are half assed too. But he is a Yankee for the long haul, like it or not. Abreu is a problem that can actually be fixed, so fix it. Shop him aggressively at the deadline. I am so sick of him it isn’t even funny. He needs to go and Damon needs to stay. This team needs more Johnny Damon.

  950. Big Joe

    YankeeJosh,

    I don’t know what his price will be but Giambi would be a good “keeper” at the right price because he still sees pitches and can knock some in. He’d have to take a big cut commensurate with other DHs in the twilight. The issue is we still have Matsui on the payroll and he is only a DH so one of those two must go.

  951. Ron

    I’m not sure it’s possible to find a case where a team loses 7-0 and looks anything but flat. Even the run-and-gun Angels would look flat.

  952. YankeeJosh

    Big Joe,

    I’ve come around on Giambi. He’d make a good DH candidate if the price is right, but the team still needs a real capable defensive firstbaseman imo.

  953. Ron

    Yes, let’s dump Giambi and his .950 OPS because he has some bad luck with RISP.

    You guys are pathetic.

  954. bodhisattva

    We can comfortably skip the Rasner/Giese/Ponson group once around after the break. When we start getting loaded up again at the end of the month, we bring up Aceves, if he’s healthy. The Yankees were planning to promote him, any way, and with Rasner’s recent failures, and Giese obviously best suited to long relief, it seems all the more likely.

    He is a better option than either of those guys.

  955. S.o.S.27

    BBB,
    I agree with you that Abreu looks like he wants to pass the baton to Arod with runners in scoring position. But will they dare unload him even though Arod has said publically that Abreu helps him by seeing alot of pitches. There after Arod usually swings at the crappy outside pitch in the dirt. But if there is anyone pulling their weight this year is Alex. Who im really shocked at is Jeter. He just doesnt look like he has that intensity and grit like he had in previous years. Is it the injuries or age taking its toll?

  956. 89

    Everyone on this blog looks to blame someone.. after a while you just begin to realize it’s the team as a whole, and not a particular player.

    The Red Sox are just a better cohesive team — they all grind it out and pick each other up. I can’t remember the last time I felt that way about the Yankees.

    Pitching also helps — Masterson and Colon to plug a rotation is probably better than Ponson/Rasner/Geiss.

    when you lose your ace, and projected #4 starter…and first guy to fill in(Kennedy)..things go bad- what can you do.

  957. BBB {trade Abreu, clone Damon}

    Anyone know what time they are expected to resume?

  958. Ron

    “Who im really shocked at is Jeter. He just doesnt look like he has that intensity and grit like he had in previous years. Is it the injuries or age taking its toll?”

    It’s called a decline phase, Mr. Lupica.

  959. Whiff (Cano's bat)

    Well, unfortunately for the Yankees, the game will played.

    Would have been better off calling the game giving it to Boston rather than running the Yankees through 6 more uneventful outs.

    Prediction. Yankees will get no hits over the last 2 innings. 1-2-3. What a day.

  960. Fran

    The game will resume at 5:45 per Pete

  961. John Grosner

    The Yankees need to start hitting with runner’s in scoring position. It is unacceptable to have the bases juiced with less than two out and not be able to push a run across the plate.

    Let’s keep our fingers crossed about Damon. A seperated shoulder for Johnny could land him on the DL. We could see a lot more of Brett Gardner over the next 15 days!

    Check out my blog:

    161andriver.mlblogs.com

  962. Big Joe

    Ron, I think there is no one on this team that is untouchable but I agree that at the right price (say around 8-10mm)Giambi should stay, but I don’t think its a point that is not debatable.

    I think the Yanks need more of the spirit of Damon, Giambi and Posada. I don’t think Abreu fits at all.

    The question to me is Jeter. His error last night really set the tone for that game. It was sloppy sleepwalking.

  963. John Grosner

    When is the game starting Peter? It’s not raining here on the UES.

  964. Bronxbyte

    If not for this being the final year of the old Stadium, and fans wanting one last look, the 2nd half of the season would show large gaps of no-shows in the stands.
    Relatively speaking, there’s been no major rants of disappointment from the Steinbrenners but there will be noise of epic proportions at season’s end with no excuses accepted for no major rebuilding done early and often during the offseason.
    Don’t expect sentimental contracts to be offered to Giambi, Mussina, and even Andy Pettitte for the 2009 season.
    Jeter will be told in no uncertain terms to take his captaincy far more seriously than he’s shown in recent seasons.

  965. Jeremy

    It’s great seeing how many people have metaphysical theories on what’s wrong with the team. Girardi changes the lineup too much, or he doesn’t shake things up enough. The team lacks heart. The veterans don’t care. The young players don’t care.

    Here are the problems, and they’re very simple:
    Our rotation is two replacement level pitchers, two old pitchers, and a phenom with just a handful of starts under his belt.
    Jeter, Cano, and Melky have been below (or far below)-average hitters.
    Posada and ARod lost significant time due to injuries and now we lost Matsui.

    Please note that Madonna has nothing to do with any of these reasons.

  966. BBB {trade Abreu, clone Damon}

    “But will they dare unload him even though Arod has said publically that Abreu helps him by seeing alot of pitches.”

    SoS: Yeah, A-Rod has said that many times and I think it was a big part of their picking up Abreu’s option this past winter. But, while it was a true statement at times last year, it hasn’t been the case most or all of this year. He is walking less and seeing fewer pitches. I wouldn’t be shocked if the honeymoon is over for A-Rod, but of course he’s not gonna say it publicly. Put Giambi and his regularly occurring 10 pitch AB’s in front of A-Rod for the rest of this season, and then Big Tex next year, and I bet he forgets all about Abreu quick, fast and in a hurry.

    And yeah, Jeter has been really tough to watch. Not quite as painful as Bernie’s decline, but close. Although, while Derek isn’t in his prime any longer, I think a lot of it has to do with him being hurt. He hasn’t been the same since he got hit in the hand w/that Daniel Cabrera pitch. Not that he was having a phenomenal season before that, but better than this.

    He also played through several injuries last year. It’s been said before but I think someone needs to stand up to him and impress upon him that his playing hurt is killing the team. I don’t think he’s gone soft, I just think his ego is too big (like many players of his overall caliber) to realize that at his age, battling through injury, while admirable, is no longer helpful.

  967. V

    Right now there is a 4 year old boy/girl out there that thinks the Red Sox of Boston completely own the Yankees of New York.

    How the time have changed…

  968. MrMulligan (Xavier Nady in Pinstripes)

    BIGGEST PROBLEM?

    Abreu 34
    Jeter 34
    Damon 34
    Matsui 34
    Giambi 37
    Posada 36 (soon to be 37)
    Pettitte 36
    Mussina 39

    Blow this team up…they’re just too damn OLD!

  969. CaptainsCorner

    I really hope that Cashman and Girardi have a meeting with psycho Arod and tell him if he wants to romance all of NY that is fine but when there is a game..show up and be ready to play. It obviously isn’t just his fault but I am sick and tried of watching him be useless in big spots. He gets paid to put this team on his back and get big hits and he has done nothing.Just like in the 7th I knew that he wouldn’t get the ball out of the infield. Also Yanks better not bring Abreu back. When the team is doing good he goes with the flow otherwise he does nothing.

  970. scoreboard

    Rays up 3-0.

  971. Raggety Arm

    Man, is it just me or does it seem like this team is making outs about 73% of the time.
    Everyone please relax. You’re going to have a stroke.

  972. Pov

    Hey Pete, whats the Yank’s percentage in getting the runner in from third base with less than 2 outs? Can’t be very good I’d suspect.

  973. Big Joe

    Jeremy, Some of what you wrote is right but the line on Posada and Arod does not explain the most recent lousy play. I can take losing but lose like the Rays did last year where you knew there was life and a promise for the future. This team made the Rangers staff look like world beaters for 21 innings. Injuries is never an excuse because every team has them. I mean the Bosox are without Ortiz and have other losses (DiceK) and the Rays keep losing guys (Pena, Kazmir and others) Injuries are not an excuse that works

  974. Hank

    Booooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

  975. TIME 4 JETER 2 RETIRE

    If this is the besy effort the yankees can give,OMG!!

  976. sunny615

    well, I’m back and it looks like so is the anemic offense. sigh. I really dislike the umps trying to play through the rain only to be wrong about it

    every

    single

    time.

    And if the official score keeper keeps in an error on arod, I’d like to see him run out on the field and run and slide across it and stop before his face hits the dugout. loser.

  977. Hammerin' Hank

    I wish some of these players were here in Tampa right now. I would punch them dead in the face. Because I’m Hammerin’ Hank.

  978. The Fallen Phoenix

    Yeah, that A-Rod was useless in a big spot in the 1st inning against the Red Sox’s ace.

  979. Big Joe

    Hammerin’ Hank

    I am in Tampa too. These bandwagon Rays fans are killing me. Heckofa run they are making through. Maybe Bartlett going on the DL will slow them a bit.

  980. Big Joe

    “big spot in the 1st inning” – bit of an oxymoron there, no? I tend to think Big Spots come in the latter innings but for this team I guess all run producing spots are big spots.

  981. The Fallen Phoenix

    Not an oxymoron at all. Every inning matters. Think about Youkilis’ hit in the 3rd — you don’t think that was a bad spot? So far, that’s looking like the big turning point of the game.

  982. The Fallen Phoenix

    *Big spot, not bad spot.

  983. BBB {trade Abreu, clone Damon}

    All else aside, Molina is pwning behind the plate today.

  984. Hank

    MrMulligan-

    I’m sure they’ll be better next year. they just need an extra year of seasoning.

  985. Jeremy

    Big Joe, there are no excuses, but injuries are always a factor and the loss of Posada and ARod cost us wins. You can’t go from two of the best hitters at their positions to two weak-hitting backups and not see a big decline in offense.

    If Matsui and Damon (who I forgot to mention) are on the shelf for a long time, it’s obviously going to hurt us.

    You’re right, of course, that injuries can’t explain the recent terrible play, or why the Yankees seemed to have struggled all year with RISP or against any mediocre young pitcher they had never seen before. I think that hitting with RISP is the sort of thing that evens out over the year if there are enough big bats on the team, and we will see plenty of games where the Yankees come up with clutch hits. The problem is that crummy pitching from Rasner, Ponson, Giese, Karstens, Igawa, or Replacement Pitcher X is going to put too many games out of reach, Cano and Melky (and Jeter to a lesser extent) are serious drains on the offense, and many players are old and injury prone.

  986. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    can we please get some runs here?

  987. Big Joe

    Jeremy

    Agree injuries are a factor to a degree. I just think they really even out when you look at the AL East this year. Each of the top 3 teams have had their fair share. The Rays seem way more resilient and eager to overcome them.

  988. V

    The Yankees got Carl Pavano. The Red Sox got Josh Beckett. How cruel can life be?

  989. DFox

    Nice job by Posada to help out the pedestrian reliever who couldn’t throw strikes.

  990. Hank

    Jorge only has 3 HR this season. Talk about a regression – that’s a collapse.

  991. Kill-Schill(ing)

    Was that a strike Jorge swung at?

  992. shaman1993

    That, right there, is the BIGGEST problem with this team…Delcarmen has walked Giambi and Posada is AHEAD 3-1 in the count and has another stike to work with, but decides to aswing before he HAS to. The guy has a reputaion of not being able to find the plate with a seeing eye dog and we WASTE an AB when we NEED baserunners

  993. Jeremy

    Some fans will manufacture any reason they can think of to criticize ARod (or their target of choice). The criticism that he only drives in run in meaningless situations must be stale, because now we’ve moved on to “he drives in runs too early.” Huh? Scoring runs early takes away the possibility of there being “big spots” or memorable comebacks late.

    This is the hitting corollary to the Joba debate.

  994. Big Joe

    bizarre (can this be right) ESPN stats say Yanks are hitting .266 with RISP and 2 outs which is .040 higher than our opponents. But the big Shocker….Bobby Abreu is leading the team with a .457 average in those situations. Is that even possible?

  995. Kill-Schill(ing)

    All I can say is that if Molina gets up this inning and Girardi doesn’t pinch-hit for him, I’m going to scream so loud you’ll hear me at the Stadium.

  996. DFox

    He swung at a strike, but when you’re slumping what’s wrong with having a full count? I doubt Delcarmen was going to throw two strikes in a row.

  997. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Argh

  998. shaman1993

    And the we have Mr “I have NOT met a FIRST pitch I can not swing at”, ground into a DP…This team is HORRID…NICE meeting last night Girardi

  999. BBB {trade Abreu, clone Damon}

    Once again we completely roll over for a middling pitcher there. Yuck.

    at this point I have to just expect stuff like this. always hope for something good of course, but it’s become too frustrating to assume they’ll produce.

  1000. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Joe yelling at them yesterday really changed things…
    :(

  1001. SJ44

    That half inning illustrates why I want this team broken up.

    Great AB by Giambi for a leadoff walk.

    Posada works the count to 3-1, needing to reach base to bring the tying run to the plate, and he swings at ball 4 to fly out. A stupid and selfish AB. Why not take the pitch, even if its a strike, and force Delcarmen to throw another strike?

    Then Cano, as is his want, swings at the first pitch, a changeup away, rolls over it and hits into a DP. A typical Yankee half inning this season.

    An inning that starts promising ends because fundamental hitting principles are ignored.

    That’s why its a team that’s going nowhere.

    Ironically, the bullpen has been excellent this year and the offense has become the worst in the AL. Who would have ever imagined that coming into the season?

  1002. Hammerin' Hank

    I wish Joe Girardi was down here in Tampa right now. I would punch him dead in the face. Because I’m Hammerin’ Hank.

  1003. Bronx Jeers

    Abreu did an awesome job avoiding the wall on that catch!!! Wow!!

  1004. Jeremy

    The key to beating the Yankees is to throw bad pitches. We’ve seen this countless times now.

    Big Joe,
    You’re right that every team suffers from injuries. But not all injuries have the same impact. The Sox definitely took a hit from their injuries. Who knows how large their lead would be if they had a healthy and effective Ortiz all season?

    I just don’t see any injuries to Rays players that have the impact on their team that losing Posada, ARod, Matsui, or Damon had or will have on the Yankees.

  1005. Vrsce

    Losing is painful.

  1006. Dan

    SJ44,

    They’re in a funk.

    This is no indicator on how good the team really is. I know we’re all frustrated. But to point to plays like that and say you want the team broken up is a little short sighted. I think that if they get some more pitching in here, they’ll be ok. The offense will turn around.

  1007. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Papsmear time

  1008. The Pilot

    Yanks have the 6th best offsense in the AL, slightly above average:

    http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/aggregate?sort=runs&split=0&group=7&season=2008&seasonType=2&statType=batting&type=reg

  1009. Y's Guy - real fans stand up!

    ok im back in time for the big rally

    Let’s Go Yankees!!!!!

  1010. Jeremy

    Posada just came off an historically great season for a catcher. I can give him a pass for a lot more than one (admittedly frustrating) at bat.

    Not to mention that we just signed him for 4 years.

  1011. tim boat

    Cabrera shows bunt on a 1-0 pitch in the 9th.

    Where was that a few nights ago genius?

    I quit. Just like this team has.

  1012. shaman1993

    How many times can Melky pop up, without putting into play?

  1013. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Melky made him work..

  1014. Jeremy

    The Yankees have roughly average offense and pitching, which would explain their continuous regression to .500.

  1015. Vrsce

    Jeremy
    Give him a pass, he deserves it, just don’t expect to win.
    So pay it forward, long term contract in payment for the past. great, but no more winning. can’t have both. Is that clear?

  1016. tim boat

    Now that Damon is hurt, there goes his trade value. Absolutely nothing can or has gone right this season.

  1017. Snowman

    If Hank had half the cojones of George, Giradi would
    be history and a footnote in the Yankee biography. Never
    hire a boy to do a man’s job.

  1018. Neded a Favor

    Hey Yanks!

    After the Sox sweep you. Could you try to take a game or two from the Rays so thye Sox can get back into first place?

    Thanks in advance. Won’t hold my breadth though

    Love

    Sox Nation

  1019. sunny615

    oh well… i guess it’s time for another meeting… :-(

  1020. shaman1993

    I give up…This whole, damn game, turned on three innings…4th, bases loaded two out, no runs, the 7th, bases loaded one out and no runs brought in, the 8th, man on first none out and Posada doesn’t MAKE Delcarmen throw two stikes in a rown with a 3-1 count and then Cano swings at the first DAMN pitch, AGAIN, and

    THHHHHHHEEEEE YANKEES LOASE….AGAIN

    Or should I say they, once again, beat themselves?

  1021. SJ44

    Dan,

    87 games isn’t a funk. This has been a season long malaise.

    Hitting .240 w/RISP and the offense has been erratic all year. On pace to score almost 200 runs less than last year. That ain’t good.

    After today, they are 10 out of first and fading quick in the WC. Time has run out for “things to get better”.

    They don’t get better unless you make them better.

    You make this team better IMO by breaking it up as much as you can during the season, barring a miracle turnaround in the next 2-3 weeks.

    The rest of the remake can come in the off-season.

    You can interpret stats a number of different ways. They aren’t the 6th best offense in the AL if you take out two series. The one in Houston and the first home series in Seattle.

    If you take out those 6 games, they are 10th in offense in the AL. For 209 million? That’s an embarrassment.

  1022. DFox

    Oy Jeter was probably praying that Gardner didn’t get on.

  1023. tim boat

    here comes captain ground out. joy.

  1024. Big Tuna

    WOW! The Yanks should really pat themselves on the back. They scored 3 in the first inning and didn’t score for the rest of the game and made their pitching staff work. They shouldn’t hang their heads, they played way too hard and Johnny got hurt. You just have to tip your hat to the other team again. I hope they do the opposite of 98 and lose 100+ and win 50 that would be better than .500. I hate what this team has allowed itself to become…..losers who don’t care….

  1025. Jeremy

    The Yankees did not sign Posada for 4 years because they wanted to. They gave him the years because they had to. The alternatives were terrible and Posada got a great deal as a result.

  1026. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    please Jeter…

  1027. Jeremy

    I thought Crisp made the play. Crazy.

  1028. Vrsce

    SJ44

    I remember when you proposed memorial day as the point at which the team should be judged. Then Mussina, damon and Giambi were all performing badly. They have come around, however the rest of the team (except Rivera) is sub par. they are going nowhere, no chemistry and all too involved in the past.
    So you are right, change it, or wallow in yesterday,

  1029. DYNASTY IS DESTINY!

    WOW!

  1030. pete

    hahahaha. thats what you get papelbon for buzzing jeter. lol

  1031. Dan

    SJ44,

    I was talking specifically about this recent stretch of games…where they cannot score any runs. If you look at the season total the Yankees haven’t scored as many runs as you’d like, but they haven’t done too badly.

  1032. Marc from Portland Maine

    That was a head shot to Jeter! Where’s the outrage on that from MLB?

  1033. ohh Cano not again!

    ill take it…was cought but ill take it!

  1034. tim boat

    no way Melky would even have been in position to make a play like that. another difference between the Yankees and the Red Sox.

  1035. Snowman

    Why are you guys giving Cashman such a free pass?

    Who needs Santana? Hughes and Kennedy and Melky have been such contributors this year. After all ,we have Ponson and
    and Rasner. we have no possible need for a stopper.

    Good job Cashman.

  1036. Good Night Yankees

    “I suspect the Yankees will fall back on “we gave it a great effort, today was better, etc.” after the game. But a team with a $205 million payroll shouldn’t take much solace – if any – in trying hard. You can find 25 guys in the parking lot who will try hard.”
    .
    Amen to that, Peter….and I have to run, but no matter what happens at the end of the game….give PugNose and F/U for me, OK ?

  1037. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    please bobby..

  1038. tim boat

    Abreu the big softee for the easy third out.

  1039. Jeremy

    Anticlimax!

  1040. tim boat

    I hate you Abreu.

  1041. DYNASTY IS DESTINY!

    UGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

  1042. Sawyer

    Go Rays !!!

  1043. j

    always a tease

  1044. Hellboy

    BTw, where I live, it has been a beautiful day all day. No a cloud in the sky. New York city sucks, officially rainier than Seattle.

  1045. Astoria John

    Michael Kay needs to stop sipping juice from the junk of John Sterling, his overly excited HR calls on pop ups are now on his long list of crimes against Yankee fans. You are on notice Michael Kay, you are on notice.

  1046. ohh Cano not again!

    and i was looking foward to this season lolol

  1047. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    argh…

  1048. melky Jr.

    R.I.P. NY YANKEES

  1049. Big Joe

    Abreu….5 Runners left on base today.

  1050. Tampa Bay Rays

    :evil: :) :evil: :) :evil: :) :evil: :) :evil: :) :evil: :)

  1051. tim boat

    Seriously Snowman. Cashman has skated by way too long. Jaret Wright and Carl Pavano? Those were idiot signings even before either one of them took the mound. Trading Ted Lily. Bringing in Johnny Damon, Latroy Hawkins, Kyle Farnsworth. Not moving guys like Horne, Kennedy, and Tabata while they still had some value. Tabata and Horne will never play a game in the majors for the Yankees, the window is closed on Horne and Tabata’s value is plummeting. And let’s not forget his best move ever, Kei Igawa (it sickens me just to type or read that name)

  1052. Jeremy

    Here’s the real tragedy:

    The Yankees have absolutely wasted game after game of great relief pitching, all from the pen that would supposedly implode without Joba.

  1053. Big Tuna

    Abreu…..chock yourself….not with my hand numb nuts!!!

  1054. MikeKU

    This team sucks. Trade the fat for some kids.

  1055. yankee lover

    Last night Girardi had a meeting with his team. Tonight he should have it with himself. In the last two games, (and many others) he has left the starter in long enough to let it get away. Last night Petitte let up 7? and today Rasner gave up all 6. Its arguable that Rasner is better than anything other than Hakwins in the pen. When boston tied it at three Rasner should have been gone. He has done nothing to deserve the continuation. He blew a threerun lead.
    Secondly, If the Yankees keep bringing up these over inflated AAA guys, Hughes, Kennedy, Rasner, Christian, and now Gardener, and they get exposed for what they really are, and they all have been exposed, they are going to be worthless for trade. Gardner has 1 hit, off a AAA pitcher making his first ML appearance.
    Damon, Matsui, Giambi, the players many people on this blog talk about moving, are not the problem, all are hitting the crap out of the ball. The bullpen, even without Joba has been pretty good. They needed two quality starters last winter, they needed two quality starters in April, and they still need two quality starters now.
    The team cannot constanly be put in position to have to answer back with a 3 spot. Today, the offense scores 3 against perhaps the best starter in the game, and Rasner gives it right back plus 3 more. What do you want these guys to do? Girardi leaves him in to surrender the additional three

  1056. steve

    Effort was better but results were the same. Yanks had several scoring opportunities and did not deliver. Molina failed in one spot, and Abreu/Arod in another when we had bases loaded. Good teams do not leave scoring opportuniteis on the table. we always fail to deliver. This team nees a major overhaul. We are not getting better.Unless we win next 4 games, you can kiss this season good bye. We can easily be 12-13 games out by next thursday

  1057. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    We just better win these next 2 games…
    Stock up on the vodka people

  1058. Jeremy

    tim boat

    Trading Ted Lilly? Seriously? That’s one of the reasons Cashman is a bad GM?

  1059. j

    Even when we get a break, and a huge break at that we cant seem to captilize. on another note we hit some deep drives today, and if it was not for the stagnant air we would have put on a real fireworks display. i would guess that 3 or 4 of those balls would have been homeruns

  1060. BBB {trade Abreu, clone Damon}

    Fitting Abreu makes the last out. He’s been horrendous both today and in the recent past. He embodies this team’s offensive woes to the T.

    I guess Girardi’s meeting didnt help after all. Only ones to play well today were Damon while he was in, Giambi, Rodriguez and, ironically, Melky. He’s had 3 hits and much lengthier ABs since being benched. For the record, I think it’ll prove to be what woke him up and got him going again. Although, of course, Melky is not gonna be the difference in our season. Someone else has to do that. I would really like to see Jorge step up right now w/the bat, he hasn’t been playing well at all. Cano was doing better but he and Posada performed horribly in the 8th today. Two absolutely pathetic ABs. They got themselves out. Horrible.

  1061. KF #7

    did some quick research:

    What is an AC joint? The AC joint is the highest joint on your shoulder. It is at the junction of the scapula and the clavicle.

    What is an AC joint sprain? It’s not really a sprain, but a separation or dislocation. This happens during a traumatic event like being hit by a defender that is twice your size.

    How do you diagnose an AC joint sprain? There are 6 grades of AC joint sprains. The scale starts at one and goes to six. At one you have a simple sprain with some trauma to the ligaments, but no damage. At level two things start to get dicey with tearing of the ligaments. Levels 3 through 6 mean you have completely torn the ligaments and your shoulder is now disconnected from your body. This is bad.

    Here are some common symptoms of a sprained AC joint:

    * Bump on shoulder.
    * Pain in shoulder.
    * Restricted movement.
    * Pain on contact.

    How you treat a sprained AC joint? It depends on the severity of the sprain. Here is a good comparison:

    * Level 1 and Level 2: Rest, pain medication, an arm sling and mild physical therapy. Typically, it takes three to six weeks to be pain free and gain a full range of motion.

  1062. Vrsce

    They are not bad, they just are not good. They expect to win just by showing up, a mindset that can not be changed. They are more surprised by losing than we are. They actually do not understand why they are not winning.
    Wholesale changes must be made, or limp along in lala land.

  1063. grant ballfour

    its not brian cashmans fault. its theo epsteins, brians daddy!

  1064. BBB {trade Abreu, clone Damon}

    oh and…take Abreu out of the 3-hole already! Let the ’stache hit there.

    Also, I am officially convinced Chad Moeller killed Joe Girardi’s dog. Why is he on the roster and never catches Ras despite their success together? I know it seems like a small thing, but it baffles me.

  1065. DFox

    Abreu JUST missed that last pitch. People, it’s just a matter of time before this offense goes on a tear. Like it’s been said, Girardi left Rasner in too long. 4 runs should be good enough to win most games, especially when your bullpen is this good. With one more starter this team should be able to make a run.

  1066. lil' m

    For a team built on juggernaut offense and grinding out at bats to have the RISP issues the Yankees have all season is a very bad sign. If CMW were not injured, their rotation and their chances would be better. But the RISP failures would still put constant pressure on any Yankees starter not to give up more than one or two runs. This doesn’t even take into account injuries, underperformance, etc. As the captain said, consistently inconsistent.

  1067. 08 the year of the dog..... a ruff ruff year for dem yanks

    vodka and and some sleeping pills wake me up in o9

  1068. BBB {trade Abreu, clone Damon}

    lol, look at these bitchass e-smack talkers now. haha

    I’m off to go enjoy independence day, happy 4th everyone!

  1069. Bronx Jeers

    Oh well, at least we got one good inning out of these guys. 1 game over 500 at home. Rasner is way past his expiration date. They’ll be lucky to win 1 of the next 4. Mediocrity isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

  1070. Deb

    “lower box seat phonies have fled the scene.”

    As one of those.. I take offense… I fly over from the UK every month for the last 8 years, spending huge amouts of money to sit in good seats because I love being here. So apparently, I’m a phoney? No actually, I was heading back to get ready to see the fireworks. Sorry Pete, I loved reading your insight to the Yankees, but this is one reader who has had enough of your snide insults. I bet a) you don’t care b) dont post this, but I won’t know either way, as I’m deleting this bookmark.

    Go Yankees… and see the true fans there at the stadium. I still believe

  1071. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    “People, it’s just a matter of time before this offense goes on a tear.”

    I really hope so DFox. I hope that this is just some wacky funk they are in. But these games are just getting more and more frustrating to watch. They had so many chances today and nothing.

    Maybe tomorrow the offense will start to turn things around and somehow they get a win tomorrow and Sunday. All we can do is watch and hope..

    :)

  1072. Fredo Corleone

    Your 4th place New York Yankees. Ugh!

  1073. Stacey

    I think its time to replace Rasner and bring up Karstens

  1074. tim boat

    Ted Lily has gone onto be a solid starter and was a Red Sox killer as an A. Plus he’s a lefty who showed flashes of dominance as a Yankee. Meanwhile he’s traded for headcase Weaver who was later spun off for the great Kevin Brown.

  1075. hughes wang small chacons

    “mark – HANK STEINBRENNER IS THE MAN

    I GUARANTEE you that you are going to see Yankees playing with passion today win or lose. If I’m wrong it’s time for me to turn in my Yankee fan membership and watch reality shows with my girlfriend.”

    …..not sure if you find the 5 hits today passionate enough or not, but where will be handing in your fan membership? i recommend Deadliest Catch, it’s a good one!

  1076. yankee lover

    I cant blame the offense today, they wentagainst Beckett and scored three runs, its Girardi leaving in the weak starter

  1077. Monkey Luva

    //Go Rays//

    Yeah, that’s a smart chant coming from a Yankees fan.

    Another game back for the Yanks!

    Don’t worry Rays Haters, in the end…the Red Sox will take care of everything and everyone in the AL East!!!!!!!

  1078. Aaron

    Great pitching by Edwar!

  1079. DFox

    S.A., that’s exactly my point. These games have been INCREDIBLY frustrating, there’s no denying that. But if the Yankees come out tomorrow and win, and then Joba has a dominant performance, all of a sudden things don’t look all that bad. And not to go too far out on a limb, but anything is possible, maybe the Yankees can win the next 2 and split, and maybe the Royals can pull themselves together and take a game or two from the Rays. Not exactly a miracle required for those things to happen. Greinke is a great pitcher and he should be able to handle the Rays tomorrow.

  1080. yankee lover

    Ted lilly??? He has almost a 5 ERA in the weaker hitting NL

  1081. Fan

    //Abreu JUST missed that last pitch.//

    And the umpire JUST missed the call on the Crisp catch. Game should have been over.

  1082. Gary

    Mediocrity breeds contempt. Time has passed this collection of malcontents by. There’s no hint of chemistry on this Yankee ?
    The funeral procession has started and the ownership is well aware of it.
    Girardi is trying to put square pegs in round holes.

  1083. tim boat

    Ted Lilly has been pretty solid up until this year. The Yankees sure could have used a guy like him the last few years but instead he was mowing down the Red Sox wearing an A’s jersey before signing with the Cubs.

  1084. S.A.- I still believe in this team, but can the offense stop being so offensive?

    Hopefully DFox..
    Instead of going back towards .500 they need to start pulling away from it. Tomorrow would a nice time to start winning on a consistent basis..
    :)

  1085. LC

    Hey Pete, I thought you were covering today’s game?

  1086. Mop-Up Man

    Pete’s probably on his way to midtown to snatch a few more celebrity photos, LC.

  1087. LC

    This team sucks. It’s plain. It’s simple.

  1088. WeMissPaulie

    Man, I’ve never seen so many effing crybabies on this blog, ever.

  1089. Peter Abraham

    Um, Deb:

    I was referring to those who left as phonies. Obviously not whose who stayed. Calm down.

  1090. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    I believe they played with passion. Unfortunate when things are hit to the deepest part of the field and then caught. The air was totally still at the Stadium so it took a lot for balls to carry out.

    If Johnny held onto that ball…

    I’m certainly willing to see what they have for the next two games. Bobby was totally unlucky in the 9th. The little faggot Crisp made a great catch.

    The last night we played the Rangers every ball they hit found its way right into a Yankee glove. Every ball we hit found its way onto the field – or over the wall. Games happen that way sometimes. We hit a lot of balls hard off Beckett. They just managed to catch them.

    Posada said that the team needed to get more runs for Rasner.

    I keep calling them wrong somehow so I will try for tomorrow and see if I can turn my own luck around. I say we hit Masterson and Moose holds them down. I definitely like our chances against Wakefield with Jova pitching.

    But we’re in a huge hole now. When teams play with confidence and with a swagger it builds on itself. Look at those damned Rays. When teams aren’t winning it shakes their confidence and its tough for them to manufacture that swagger and self confidence. I remember Torre saying that all the time. Losses definitely affect the team’s confidence.

    BBB, it amazes me that Pete can fill this blog with all tidbits of trivia but somehow can’t find time to ask Girardi about Moeller. I don’t think he’s afraid of Girardi. Maybe I can email Joel Sherman and ask if he’ll ask the question! Ha ha.

  1091. Sawyer

    More good news down on the farm for the Yanks….

    Top first: First pitch from Kei Igawa was a triple. Fourth pitch from Kei Igawa, also a triple. After back-to-back three-base hits, Syracuse also singled, walked and got a two-run double to take a 4-0 lead. Needless to say, not the best start for the K-man.

  1092. Rodney

    How much longer until Barry Bonds is fitted for pinstripes?

  1093. yankee lover

    I love Posada but sometimes he says dumb things. Did he really think that the Yankees could get more than 6 runs off Beckett? If so, hes not too smart. The offense spotted Girardi/Rasner 3 right away. Once Girardi knew he had a chance he should have put the short leash on Rasner. He had to assume he`d get very little after that. The Yankee pen pitched better than Beckett did today, and if they came in when it was 3-3 maybe the Yanks have a shot

  1094. Sawyer

    The Rays Win !!!!

  1095. mark - Play Moeller! Yankees can win it all with the players they have.

    yankeelover I think Posada is part of the problem. It’s obvious he isn’t playing at 100%. You can see it when he throws to get someone out trying to steal and you can definitely see it when he’s at the plate. Jorge is about as clutch as they come it tough situations and he can just about manage to get a bat on the ball!

    Rodney I think Bonds will be fit for stripes going in the other direction before he’s fit for pinstripes. I don’t think any team is going to touch him while he’s under indictment.

  1096. yankee lover

    Mark

    agree with your Posada assessment, I`m saying he says stupid things. The offense got 3 against Beckett, thats a gift, and a great effort. Girardi should have yanked Rasner, (and countless other starters) before the game got out of hand.
    Bonds? hes garbage

  1097. sw

    One of the biggest differences between Girardi and Torre seems to be management of starting pitching, Torre always had the quick hook, and Girardi shows much more faith in his starters. Today it was probably misguided, but I think his style has challenged guys like Mussina to step up, so it’s a mixed bag in terms of overall results.

  1098. Mop-Up Man

    Will this team actually win 85 games? I love how there are still people who actually believe this team is of playoff caliber. Aaron Small 2006 would actually make this rotation look better.

  1099. Yankee Jay

    Bottom line is this – you are not winning the WS with Sir Sidney and Rasner starting 2 out of every 5 games.

  1100. Yankee Jay

    Sj is right, time to blow this baby up and get something while you can for the guys with value (too bad that doesn’t include Damon anymore after a sprained AC joint).

    I’m not panicking, just facing the facts. World Series caliber teams don’t get dominated by ‘good’ pitchers. This team gets totally manhandled by no name guys on a regular basis.

  1101. Mop-Up Man

    Pete will consider all this to be “doom and gloom”, but I’ll have a much more positive outlook on this team if they give up trying to win this season and start selling. It’s kind of like when you and your woman decide to call it quits because it’s just not working: suddenly, you never got along better.

  1102. Larry

    I did some looking around to see if someone of what people seem to think is true is actually true.

    Patience at the plate. Bobby Abreu was third in the AL in pitches per plate appearance last season, he’s third this year. The actual number is down a little, 4.38 to 4.22. But Damon’s went from 4.30 to 4.02 and I don’t see anyone complaining. Which only serves to prove that this is about hitting. As long as you hit, first pitch swinging is fine.

    Anyway,Abreu, Giambi and Damon are in the top 20. Not one Red Sox player is. The Yankees have, I think, six players in the top 54. I couldn’t find team stats.

    People are looking for an explanation forgetting that this is what happens every time the offense struggles. They’re not patient enough, not taking enough pitches. Infuriated everytime an out is made on a first pitch.

    I saw a post complaining that Arod might make out on the first pitch with the bases loaded. With the bases loaded and a guy who hit 54 home runs last year, is that what people wanted? Take a pitch no matter where it was? Not me. I wanted him swinging at the first good pitch he saw. That is not the situation where you work the count. Not, IMO.

    I also looked at a bunch of individual player splits from last season. The disparities are alarming. The Yankees were an offensive juggernaut the second half of last season, not the first.

    Abreu was far worse off at this time last season. OPS in the low .700s, over .900 after the break. I think Cano went from .740 to .950. Damon .680ish to .800. Matsui .820ish to .890.

    Does that automatically mean the same thing will happen this year? Of course not, but there is precedence.

    The $64,000 question is what is decline and what is a blip, an aberration? Is Derek Jeter on the decline or is it a bad year? All I know is there were a helluva lot of people here, last season, talking about Damon’s declining skills. Nobody it talking about that now.

    For me, still too early to write the season off and start rebuilding. Doesn’t mean things look good because they sure don’t, but that same fire and energy people think they lack now, it was being said last year.

    Colorado, San Francisco and Baltimore were not that long before the break. Swept in Colorado(when they weren’t good), lost 2 of 3 in Frisco and 2 in Baltimore. Same thing. This team plays with no effort, no fire, no enthusiasm. They’re going through the motions.

    It’s why a lot of people aren’t ready to throw in the towel yet.

  1103. Mop-Up Man

    Speaking of which, anyone up for some beers and Yankee baseball in ‘09?

  1104. pete

    hey mr. fredo corleone: What do you think of Edwar Ramirez now huh?? all year long he has been the best consistent reliever next to mariano rivera all year long. that shows how much you know about baseball. your opinion on edwar was very wrong.

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