Game 91: Rays at Yankees
-
- July
- 9
YANKEES (48-42)
Gardner LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
‘Stache 1B
Posada DH
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Molina C
Ponson RHP
RAYS (55-34)
Iwamura 2B
Crawford LF
Upton CF
Pena 1B
Longoria 3B
Floyd DH
Navarro C
Hinske RF
Brignac SS
Jackson RHP
Sidney Ponson (5-1, 4.19) vs. the Tampa Bay hitters.
Edwin Jackson (5-6, 4.08) vs. the New York hitters.
Notes: Thanks to Mike Dougherty for calling in the lineup. … Don’t be too deceived by Sir Sidney’s record. He has a 5.44 ERA in his last six starts (46.1 innings, 65 hits, 19 walks, .887 OPS against). He faced the Rays on May 26 and allowed five runs on 12 hits over five innings. Joe Girardi said yesterday, however, that Ponson “is one of our starters” and didn’t necessarily need to pitch well today to keep his spot. … The Yankees are 4-4 on their homestand, which ends today.
In case you missed it (and shame on you if you did) the Yankees will be giving away fake mustaches today in support of Jason Giambi’s All-Star candidacy. You have until tomorrow at 5 p.m. to vote. Click the widget over to the right.
SOMETHING’S GOING ON AROUND HERE: This marks the fifth straight game Jose Molina has caught. Jorge Posada hasn’t caught since Thursday. Girardi claimed yesterday that Posada’s shoulder is fine and improving and that he just wants Molina in the lineup.
Molina is a terrific catcher and controlling Tampa’s running game is a good idea. With Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui out, DH’ing Posada makes sense. But it’s getting a little hard to believe that Posada is fine given that he hasn’t been behind the plate for six days.
Back later with updates.
UPDATE 12:36 p.m.: Girardi acknowledged that as usual, Molina will catch Mike Mussina tomorrow. So that will be a full week for Posada not catching. If he doesn’t catch on Friday, we’ll know something is up.
Meanwhile, one of the Steinbrenner brothers held a closed-door meeting with Girardi and Brian Cashman this morning. But - surprise! - it was Hal Steinbrenner.
Said Girardi: “We have these bi-weekly talks when we’re at home, and we just stated how we’re doing and what we’re doing. There’s nothing magical in that room. We just talk about the club and all the players.
“Hal’s been the gentleman that’s come down with Brian, and we’ve had nice talks. I think we did it two weeks ago in the office. Maybe it was three weeks ago, but we try to do it on a regular basis. Sometimes I’ll go upstairs if Hal’s out of town we’ll do it on a conference call.
“It’s very much a discussion. He’s great. I’ve enjoyed it. We just talk about our club and how we’re doing and things we need to do to improve.
I don’t know if it was Hal’s idea or Cash’s idea, but it’s something that’s kind of taken place since spring training.”
Hmm, very interesting. So much for the idea that Hank is running baseball and Hal the business side. It would seem that Hal is quite involved with the baseball.
UPDATE, 12:43 p.m.: Hideki Matsui is heading to Tampa later today or tomorrow to continue his rehab. Brian Bruney will move up to Trenton this weekend and needs at least one more game before he’s activated. Looks like we could see him after the break. Does that spell the end for LaTroy Hawkins or would they option out Giese or Robertson?
UPDATE ON DON MATTINGLY: Word out of sunny California is that Donnie Baseball will join the Dodgers as their hitting coach after the break. That was originally the plan before some family issues forced a change.
Oh, and the Dodgers are a game out of first despite assorted injuries and underachievers. Seems Joe Torre knows how to manage.
(3 … 2…. 1… Cue the Torre haters. “The division stinks. It has nothing to do with him.” Of course. We know, it’s a complete coincidence that’s been happening since 1996. It’ll drive people crazy if the Dodgers make the playoffs.)
UPDATE ON BOB SHEPPARD: The Star-Ledger is reporting that Mr. Sheppard will not work the All-Star game. That is a shame.
Enjoy the game.
UPDATE, 1:23 p.m.: Fittingly, Giambi drives in a run. So go vote for him.
UPDATE, 1:53 p.m.: Sir Sidney is dealing. Dave Eiland said yesterday that they had ironed out a mechanical issue that was leaving his pitches flat. It seems to have worked.
UPDATE, 3:13 p.m.: Given that Sidney Ponson and Jose Veras have held the mighty Rays to one run over seven innings, the Yankees might want to score a run or two here, no?
Meanwhile the Rays have one run in 16 innings in this series.
UPDATE, 3:53 p.m.: Well, 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth. Win the game and hit the road. That’s the plan.
UPDATE, 3:57 p.m.: Cano can’t bunt. Does this makes sense?
UPDATE, 3:59 p.m.: Hey, look at that, Cano finally got a bunt down. Now it’s in the hands of Melky and Molina. Or Melky and Betemit.
UPDATE, 4:08 p.m.: The Yankees 1 for 10 with RISP. Just brutal. But that’s what they do. Now Posada is out and the bench is Betemit and Moeller.
UPDATE, 4:16 p.m.: It would seem Mo has solved that little issue of not pitching lights out in non-save situations. I predict Brett Gardner will ground out to second but be awarded first because he is such a grinder and so scrappy. Then he will steal second, third and home to win the game.
UPDATE, 4:28 p.m.: Slumping Bobby Abreu has done it, driving in the Captain with a double. Another impressively pitched game for the Yankees.
That’s a grand total of one run on nine hits in 19 innings for the Rays in two games in the Bronx. They advanced four runners past second in the series.
See you in September.
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on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 at 9:52 am by Peter Abraham.
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Meachem better smarten up coaching third!!! If that punk keeps sending Posada from second on a base hit im gonna smack him!
http://thefinalseason.blogspot.com/
Doesn’t necessarily need to pitch well today to keep his spot? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. McCutchen is knocking on the door at AAA–ditto Karstens until he got bombed in his last start.
Why should Sidney be entitled to a rotation spot? Ditto for Rasner–shouldn’t they have to pitch well to keep their jobs? I don’t understand this bluster that comes from Girardi pretty regularly when pressed on under-performing back-of-the-rotation pitchers.
Andrew, relax. Its just Girardi posturing. Of course Ponson is on thin ice.
Andrew - “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Just wait awhile, Andrew. If you hang around the comments section long enough, someone will top it.
Should I be worried that I find myself scrolling down to look at Kim Jones with a mustache every time I go to the web page?
Both Ponson and Rasner have one more start before the All-Star break so there’s no reason on earth to put added pressure on them. Joba, Pettite, Mussina in some order will be the first three after the break so there’s time to find replacement(s) if needed.
I will worry about Posada IF he doesn’t catch tomorrow… Pittsburgh is not a big time running team. Molina’s presence behind the plate is a nicew weapon against teams that want to run.
(how’s that CM?)
“I don’t understand this bluster that comes from Girardi pretty regularly when pressed on under-performing back-of-the-rotation pitchers.”
What should he say? That Ponson is pitching to keep his spot?
It’s no big deal that he said Ponson is one of his starters. Tonight Ponson is one of his starters. He said that Ponson didn’t necessarily need to pitch well which is coach 101 speak for if he gets hammered he’s gone.
The Red Sox and Rays have some fast runners on their teams. Given Jorge’s troubles throwing out runners as it is, these two teams would have been really tough on him. He would be tested far more than Molina gets tested.
Agree that tomorrow will be more telling.
The best lineup for right now is Jeter SS, Abreu RF, Rodriguez 3B, Giambi 1B, Posada DH, Cano 2B, Melky CF, Molina C, Gardner LF (or I guess gardner at leadoff). With Damon and Matsui out we can keep good defense at C while making sure Posada gets his at bats. It also makes sure Posada doesn’t use his shoulder too much.
Regarding the pitching. I think that we will see some type of move after the all-star break. Whether it be a callup (McCutchen pls) or a trade.
I don’t think Posada will catch tomorrow because Molina is pitching. I hope he catches Joba on Friday. I think Joba does better with Jorge.
It does not seem alarming at all that Molina is catching his fifth straight. We all know that Posada is getting surgery in the offseason (at the latest). I think that each time he hurls the ball to second base it puts more strain on his shoulder as well. Given that these last five have been against the Rays and Sox (each of which has a solid running game) I think that in addition to stopping their running games, it is also to protect Posada’s arm from the strain he would have making so many throws.
Would be great to pick up a W today. Harden was traded yesterday, hope we are going to make a move soon. The last two games, Red Sox win and Tampa win its all about starting pitching that keeps them close and in the game
Hopefully Cashman will pick up two quality guys to send us on our way
Are you allowed to bring a full broom for a two game sweep, or does it need to be a dust pan broom? Ha, jk. Rays are overrated anyways.
And by “Molina is pitching” I of course mean, Mussina. Please don’t let Molina pitch.
I am glad that Molina is behind the plate since the Rays are a running team.
Tomorrow night Mussina is pitching and Molina has been catching Moose lately. It will be interesting to see if that continues tomorrow or if Posada is behind the plate.
You’re gonna smack Meacham upside the head if he makes a mistake, and HE’S the punk?
Molina’s now filling in a pitching spot? Who’da thunk the Yankees would have to pitch Molina?
People read far too much into what Girardi, Cashman, and Hank say. We should all know by now that most of their statements to the press should not be taken literally. If the Yankees find a replacement for Ponson they will jettison him from the rotation in a heartbeat.
We should also consider that maybe Girardi thinks that his words will have a positive effect on Ponson. Who knows. But if nothing else, Girardi’s words don’t hold the team back in any way.
As for Posada, considering he’s locked up for 4 years, Molina is such a good defensive catcher, and the DH spot is wide open, it makes perfect sense to put Molina behind the plate for as long as possible. We can’t afford to take any chances with Posada’s health.
Cashman is going to pick up more than 2 quality guys. Unfortunately for fans who want to change the team a lot, they’re names are going to be Damon, Matsui, and Hughes.
I sure do miss Bowa coaching 3rd.
For those of you voting to add the ‘Stache to the A.L. All-Star Team, keep in mind as you pick your N.L. choice that Corey Hart is currently first ahead of David Wright. I’ve been voting for Hart with the G-Man to keep Wright out.
Molina would be a BEAST pitcher. I mean, he can throw strikes to second base so why can’t he do it from the mound???
“I’ve been voting for Hart with the G-Man to keep Wright out.”
Wright is having a MUCH better season than Hart. Are you voting for Hart strictly because you hate the Mets?
DLev
Frail Phil has yet to prove that he is a quality guy. Potential yes, proven? No.
And at least he is not the psychological bowl of jelly that IPK has turned into.
“I’ve been voting for Hart with the G-Man to keep Wright out”
That is weak. I HATE the Mets, but I respect Wright. He has almost than 20 RBIs more than any player on the Yankees.
I think that right now the Yankees line-up is stronger with Molina behind the plate and having Posada DH. With Damon and Matsui on the DL, the DH spot is open anyway and give the Yanks the strongest defensive and offensive line-ups.
And with Mussina pitching tomorrow night I would expect Molina to catch again since he has been working really well with Mussina this season.
Ponson is definitely on the spot today especially after we beat Kazmir. I think the Yankees would have considered Karst3ens but the dude is as inconsistent as lump oatmeal. Another quality start and McCuthen is seriously considered. He looked rgeat the other night in the late innings.
so I guess harden wouldnt have cost us nearly as much as people here seemed to believe. would have loved to have gotten him.
Ray, Yes.
bdog, you can call it “weak.” I really don’t like the Mets, and I don’t want to hear about Wright being an all-star from my Met fan friends.
i agree tint…
Anyone see Kennedy’s line from yesterday?
4.0 5 2 2 3 4 0
The three walks really stands out to me.
So, its OK to vote for Giambi because he is a Yankee, but not OK to vote against the NY rival team member?
Yeah, that makes sense.
Andrew:
Karstens was “knocking on the door”? Thank god you’re not the GM. He allows 1.5 HR/9 IP. That’s because he’s not very good. It’s really telling that his two worst outings of the year have come against teams he recently faced.
He faced Pawtucket on May 20, and pitched decently with a bit of bad luck. Six days later, he allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks in 3.2 IP.
He shut down Toledo on June 22, scattering two hits and a walk in 6.2 IP. On July 7, he drew the Mud Hens again, and allowed 6 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks in 5.1 IP.
He very easy to figure out. And because he’s not overpowering, it’s a bad combination.
Wright is probably the only thing left on the Mets that I like. I’ve been giving my votes to the G-Man and David Wright.
Yeah, Meh!, I guess I misjudged the mood of the room. Most of my Yankee fan friends hate the Mets.
Or, people just like to attack posters.
One or the other.
Of course Posada’s not fine. I’m sure he can catch but do we really want his noodle arm in there until surgery? It is no surprise that Molina is in there against Boston and Tampa Bay who will try to steal.
Rest Posada’s arm as much as you can while Matsui is out. Because when Matsui is back he will be the full time DH and Posada won’t have much time there.
“Wright is probably the only thing left on the Mets that I like. I’ve been giving my votes to the G-Man and David Wright.”
Out of spite toward the Mets I have been voting for Lee lol
Since when is Kennedy a psychological “bowl of jelly”? Whatever the hell that means. He finishes USC, and gets called up to the Yankees. He pitches well in a couple of games (matching a pattern established by thousands of no-account pitchers).
This year, he has control problems and because of them, doesn’t pitch effectively.
This would not be out of the ordinary unless delusional Yankee fans had anointed him the savior on the basis of 30 good IP last year.
He was born in 1984. Give him another 18 months before you pass final, panicked judgment.
“so I guess harden wouldnt have cost us nearly as much as people here seemed to believe. would have loved to have gotten him.”
i figure a comparable package would have included IPK, with either Gardner or Melky, Alberto Gonzalez, and a low level A-baller with some marginal upside.
if it were IPK, Melky, Gonzalez, and a PTBNL, would you have pulled the trigger?
“This would not be out of the ordinary unless delusional Yankee fans had anointed him the savior on the basis of 30 good IP last year.”
hadn’t, btw
Karstens is still at AAA because hes a AAA pitcher. With all the Yankees pitching issues anyone at AAA that is not in the bigs is either not ready (needs more experience) or not good enough
Russell, Hart is first, Wright is second, so the most effective way to direct your spite is to vote for Hart.
Besides, how can you vote against the “Sunglasses at Night” guy?
Hey, why not vote for Wright? Support your fellow team the Mutts, err, Mets!
News on the original ’stache…
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3479584
I thought the fake votes of confidence were saved for the front office towards managers, not managers towards players. Apparently Coach Speak 101 isn’t still offered at most colleges and universities, especially when it involves frequently saying one thing and doing another a day later (which will happen if Ponson gets torched this afternoon, followed by his DFA/demotion to the bullpen).
That said, I think the idea of words having a positive effect on Ponson sounds nice and very Zen on Girardi’s part, but I also don’t think it’s going to effect how many hits Sidney gives up (probably too many) and how much confidence the other players will have in his ability to keep Tampa from scoring runs (probably very little).
It’s not looking too much into what he’s saying, it’s just, why lie? If you, me and everyone knows it’s B.S. that he’s “one of our starters and will be”, then don’t say it.
i figure a comparable package would have included IPK, with either Gardner or Melky, Alberto Gonzalez, and a low level A-baller with some marginal upside.”
No way. Gallagher > IPK and the rest of the Yanks AA/AAA starters. Younger too. Long way down from Joba/Hugghes to the AA/AAA gang. Gallagher fits in between.
Turn two…well IPK and Gonzalez I would have given up in a heartbeat for harden…I wouldnt include Melky because we dont have any outfielders left after him. If Johnny was healthy, done deal.
“if it were IPK, Melky, Gonzalez, and a PTBNL, would you have pulled the trigger?”
If I’m Beane? No
If I’m Cash??? Yes a million different ways.
meybe de joe girardi tis thinkin dat the ponson be having trade values an hes gots de hold the valuables ups
Andrew:
Uh, the same reason that you downplay injuries. Because if you want to make a personnel move externally, you want to convey as little desperation as possible. If you decide that you need Damaso Marte, Neal Huntington may start negotiations on the basis that he needs Austin Jackson. If you’re “just browsing,” Huntington might decide that Claggett is all he really wants. Hypothetically. And some GMs are dumber than others, so mileage varies.
But once again, another reason I’m glad you’re not the GM.
“That said, I think the idea of words having a positive effect on Ponson sounds nice and very Zen on Girardi’s part, but I also don’t think it’s going to effect how many hits Sidney gives up (probably too many) and how much confidence the other players will have in his ability to keep Tampa from scoring runs (probably very little).”
I’d agree if the ‘Jedi mind trick’ that Girardi has performed on Farnsworth wasn’t showing such good results. It is hard to argue that the happy talk hasn’t worked on Krazy Kyle.
and they got a very serviceable chad gaudin in the deal as well.
“No way. Gallagher > IPK and the rest of the Yanks AA/AAA starters. Younger too. Long way down from Joba/Hugghes to the AA/AAA gang. Gallagher fits in between.”
maybe fits in between, but they are practically the same pitcher. both really are 4/5 guys that can ascend to a #3 guy if he reaches his full potential.
i was just noting a comparable package, as far as the yankees would be concerned. they couldve sweetened the pot a bit by including a 4th player better than the low-A catcher the cubs threw Oakland’s way.
John_Halfz
The only panic is from IPK himself and his loss of nerve, and also your somewhat hysterical response.
I am not trying to hate on the Mets-hating, but one of the things I love about being a Yankees fan is not having to hate other teams players, but just their fans.
B/c the Yankees have had some real good teams the past 14 years, I do not really feel the need to hate on another team for having good players. For example, let them have their Wright, we still have A Rod.
Nothing is more pathetic to me than Boston fans still clinging to their Yankee-hating ways. They have won two WS series and still resort to hating the Yankees more than enjoying their own team. I buddy of mine was at the Sox-Rays game last week, and he said that at the game the Rays swept the Sox, the Sox fans were chanting ‘Yankees suck’ on the way out. I mean how pathetic is that? They continually plug (bad publicity is still publicity) our team due to a culture of losing they are so used to.
I will never wear any shirt that has the word Boston or Red Sox on it because I do not even want to acknowledge them.
Anyways, I understand not voting for Wright, but Corey Hart? At least vote for Burell or Lee. They are having much better seasons than Hart.
“and they got a very serviceable chad gaudin in the deal as well.”
apparently, according to Olney, Gaudin was Harden insurance to ensure the Cubs they wouldnt be at a total loss if Harden went down.
Beane had no incentive to trade Harden to the Yankees unless he got a package that was extremely better than what he got from the Cubs.
Why would he trade Harden to a team that’s fighting with his club for the wildcard?
Harden’s still too risky for my liking. He has to prove to me that he can pitch for a year without any more arm problems before I take a look at him.
dere es a rehson whys the girardi yapping workeed wit krazy kyley… hes be karazy doncha no?
John_Halfz: The reason I said he’s knocking on the door was because I was under the assumption that they were calling up whoever was the hottest hand at Scranton when the need dictated it–which Karstens was recently during a 6-start stretch where he pitched well, “up until recently (7/7) when he got bombed (5.1 8H 6ER)”. I understand he’s not very good, but I also believe that the back end of the rotation will be a revolving door for the rest of the year until someone steps up, and I think that Karstens still might get at least one shot.
Also, I’m glad I’m not the GM either.
Turn Two:
Kennedy possesses neither Gallagher’s stuff nor upside. Not a huge gap. But there’s a gap. Don’t see Melky/Gardner comparable to Murton/Patterson either…….unless the ability to hit doesn’t matter to the A’s.
Doreen
“Wright is probably the only thing left on the Mets that I like. I’ve been giving my votes to the G-Man and David Wright.”
Great minds think alike, me too
“I understand he’s not very good, but I also believe that the back end of the rotation will be a revolving door for the rest of the year until someone steps up”
True - it is going to “Open Mound Night” every fifth day for the foreseeable future. I wonder if the Wanger can come back by September and solidify things.
I hope Giambi gets to the All-Star but I would still get rid of him next year.And either Mussina and Pettitte.
“Kennedy possesses neither Gallagher’s stuff nor upside. Not a huge gap. But there’s a gap. Don’t see Melky/Gardner comparable to Murton/Patterson either…….unless the ability to hit doesn’t matter to the A’s.”
again, not saying its an exact match for match going down each player. i was just throwing a similar package of players: you have a young, serviceable back of the rotation guy, 4th OF, utility IF, and a low level prospect.
It was Pete who said that Karstens was knocking.
Kid’s got heart, but if he’s knocking. Turn off the lights and pretend no one’s home. You’ll see the other kid first, McKutchen? Or not. He’s not on the 40 man. Why is Chase Wright still on there?
bdog,
I only voted for Hart because he’s winning. Clearly, Wright, Burrell and Lee are more deserving. But if the idea is to block Wright, than Hart is the vote.
As for our larger point, I 100 percent agree. I am an Islander fan, and I hate it when fans at Islander games do the “Rangers suck” chant (if the Rangers aren’t there). It only proves that I root for a second-class team, since we’re thinking about the Rangers when they’re not even there. (It’s only small consolation that the Ranger fans chant Potvin sucks when the Isles aren’t in MSG.)
And your 100 percent right about Sox fans hating the Yanks. They’re the champs. Be bigger. It’s funny, I don’t even really hate the Sox, because when I was growing up in the 1970s, we always beat the Sox. It was the Orioles that always beat us. I grew up hating the O’s, not the Sox, who I felt a bit sorry for.
But, because of everything you wrote, that is why I hate the Mets so much. Their fans are like the Sox fans you describe, only 10 times worse. And I know it will upset them if Wright doesn’t make it (and Wagner, who they have a love-hate relationship with is their only All-Star). So, I would enjoy the Met fans being upset over Wright’s snub.
I have nothing against Wright. In facat, I know this is a very, very unpopular opinion on the board, but if some mythical world existed in which the Mets offered me the chance to trade Wright for A Rod straight up, I’d do it.
John, this time, I don’t even understand what you’re talking about. I don’t think what Joe Girardi says about Sidney Ponson or Darrell Rasner has anything to do with making some great trade that you’re alluding to. It’s an internal thing, not an external thing–a trade for a lefty reliever is completely irrelevant in talking about Ponson/Rasner and replacing them with people at AAA.
Apparently, you have really stepped up from this blog and taken the reins re: player personnel moves in the Bronx. Glad to hear it, you seem extremely qualified.
yea i would be all for dropping giambi with the money he expects, however there arent many options out there unless we get teixeira (+ cc is a lot of money). Then again we could stick jorge at 1st and pick up a big time outfielder.
I’m glad to know that my response in re: Kennedy was “hysterical.” I do not recall summoning such passion or emotion. Yankees fans have a terrible history of proclaiming every home-grown talent to be the next HOFer. And overestimating the abilities of marginal players.
It was general consensus on this board that Shelley Duncan (old, broken-down Shelley) would be a strong candidate for a starting job this year.
Brett Gardner is the fastest player since Chuck Carr and Vince Coleman had a son together and his presence will vault the Yankees into competitive hyperdrive.
Bubba Crosby and Andy Phillips were credible MLB hitters who only needed “a shot.”
So, yeah. The realistic view is that Kennedy might be a pretty good pitcher. But expectations were super inflated last year on the basis of a tiny sample set.
Sorry for being hysterical.
eyes ben hatrifying the mets fur a longs time
woont eve gone vote fur un o dere players eveer
Andrew:
The Yankees might as well convey satisfaction with the roster as is. You’d be pretty dumb to think that they don’t need help. But anything that serves the impression that the Yankees are frantically working a revolving door of mediocre pitchers will be picked up on by opposing front offices.
btw, Andrew, I chose a hypothetical player at a random position.
bdog,
I wrote a long reply to your email, but the site seems to have eaten it.
Short story: I agree with everything you wrote about the Sox. I want Wright not to make it as a slam on Met fans, not on Wright himself. And, clearly, Burrell, Lee and Wright are more deserving than Hart. I’m only voting for Hart because he’s in first and the guy keeping Wright out.
sorry,
email = post
Doing two things at once. Never a good idea for me …
Sorry,
email = post
I’m doing two things at once. Never a good idea for me.
“It was general consensus on this board that Shelley Duncan (old, broken-down Shelley) would be a strong candidate for a starting job this year.
Brett Gardner is the fastest player since Chuck Carr and Vince Coleman had a son together and his presence will vault the Yankees into competitive hyperdrive.
Bubba Crosby and Andy Phillips were credible MLB hitters who only needed “a shot.””
Overstate much?
wrights bees wronge
mitches bees doublemint
Andrew:
I have no desire to be a general manager. If I were, the Yankees infield would have E. Wilson and Sojo up the middle, and Fasano behind the dish.
Could you imagine Big G at 1st and Fasano behind the plate on the same field? talk about your ’satche overload.
Mitch, I hear you. No biggie, just giving my side. I am a closet David Wright fan, but I hate the Mets - well not really, just there fans. Last September was truly a great time to have any friends who are Mets fans.
The ransom for CC was said to be Hughes and Jackson the Yankees kindly said no, never did any such attempt for Rich Harden happen. How many times have we said don’t expect any big moves Rich Harden has yet to finish a season healthy, your not investing prospects for him , if anything you wait for FA and net AJ Burnett who is less injury prone then Harden. Anyway Hughes is said to return later this season so for you he stinks fans live w/ it.
As for the Gardner reapers can the kid get more than 50 AB before anything is hated on him. I said this last night you don’t reward 3 K’s and not knowing how to do a sac bunt as I look at this lineup Girardi thinks the same way. I’m glad for that.
bdog,
I roadtripped to the season-ending O’s-Yanks series in Baltimore last year, and after the Marlins put up a big crooked number in the first inning of the last game of the year, all the Yanks fans were laughing. It was fun.
BTW, Hart was actually leading the voting as of yesterday. ITS ALL YOUR FAULT MITCH. Haha, jk.
I think the National League should be allowed to have all of those players in the game b/c they are going to need all of the help they can get.
Mitch,
Yeah, when Glavine was yanked in the first inning I think I cried I was laughing so hard. Even Dontrelle Willis could (and did) win that game!
Just saw the Posada out at home play on the replay of the game. I wonder it was Gabe gross out in right NOT johnny Gomes. With a 5-0 lead might it be a case of not really knowing what kind of arm he has, give it a try, worst case scenario you are still up 5-0 and have now seen how Gross throws so you can know that for the future??
This is from the NYTimes blog - it is time to bring Bernie back into the fold:
At the baseball writer’s dinner on Sunday, one of Williams’s friends told Cashman that Williams would like to speak with him this week. Williams has had a chilly relationship with the Yankees since they decided not to re-sign him last season. Cashman said that he would like to talk to Williams, too.
Since this is the final year of Yankee Stadium, the Yankees will probably consider honoring Williams with his own day. Williams has not officially said that he is retired, but he has already completed songs for a second album.
If the Yankees make a deal for a big name the farm will be devoid of throughbreds. Yes there is a ton of pitching depth but those types of players don’t net a Harden or CC. There are bigs bats at AAA, Ajax is really it at AA, and Tampa has nothing. Charleston is a long away from the bigs.
At some point Girardi has to decide to use Chad Moeller in spotted times so he doesn’t get rusty sitting on pine.
With Jorge’s ailing flipper, Moeller’s roster spot has to be justified.
*no big bats at AAA
Meanwhile Fatcessa can’t stop hitting the refresh button
bdog,
I didn’t vote for Hart until AFTER he was in first! So, I’m not solely to blame for him winning so far … LOL
I like Meachem’s aggressive style at 3B. I mean, lets face, we are one of the worst teams in the league with RISP. If some is at 3B they are likely going to stay there. That is unless Jeter is at the dish - leading the team with a whopping .330 w/ RISP.
Lefty,
Most managers won’t DH the second catcher if there is no third catcher. So, even if Moeller doesn’t play a game at all, his roster position is justified as allowing Jorge to DH.
But I agree with you. You can’t bury guys on the bench and then expect them to perform. You have to find a way to get them a game.
Don’t hate on Meachem. He’s a little rusty with guys even crossing third.
gayle you are correct. Gomes was not in rf in the 8th.
Meachum is a bad 3rd base coach.
good morning all…. anyone know when they’re going to update the voting again?? GO BIG G!!
“.215 average, 16% CS = AL ALL STAR!!”
I love it!
retire 51!!!
“good morning all…. anyone know when they’re going to update the voting again?? GO BIG G!!”
according to MLB.com this morning, Longoria still held a slight lead over Jermaine Dye, who was 2nd, and the Big G, who was third.
330 with risp isnt good enough for you?
Pete, any corroboration of the blurb in Page Six this morning about John Sterling’s manhandling of the press buffet? Apparently he eschews utensils. As long as he isn’t dragging Charley over the cold cuts, to paraphrase Bouton, I think you’re OK, but would be interested in more tales from the press box.
There are bigs bats at AAA, Ajax is really it at AA, and Tampa has nothing. Charleston is a long away from the bigs.
And this is why I say don’t expect any big moves. The mindset is at we’re the 5th deepest farmsystem in the ML, yes this is true but the ML ready prospects are not at the amount we would like it to be. You don’t deal a haul of prospects unless you have prospects waiting to be promoted in your system, another words once Jackson is gone who replaces him in AA ? and instead of having your next CF in your system your forced to go FA for another money contract for a player that usually doesn’t live up to it. These are the type of deals the Yankees can’t continue to make, your filling the system just because it’s 3/4 full doesn’t mean you go into selling it off, you fill it for your benefit and then when you have depth in AA and AAA that’s when you listen to offers.
Sterling is a buffoon, is anyone surprised by that story?
Meachum is a bad 3rd base coach.
No he isn’t.
Totally agree Brandon. The bats in low-A don’t get you squat. Minor league baseball.com has a preview of the US outfielders for your enjoyment:)
“330 with risp isnt good enough for you?”
Well, he was over .400 for most of the season last year, but no, .330 is plenty good. Now if only the rest of the team could hit that…
text message voting is too easy, especially when addressed to the same # 10 times and i keep hitting resend. few hundred votes today, already.
the worst part is deleting the responses, but i’m getting better at that too.
Minor league baseball.com has a preview of the US outfielders for your enjoyment:)
This year I’m not cheering for the JV USA team.
this according to mlb regarding the voting: In the American League, the three leaders, Longoria, Jermaine Dye of the White Sox and Jason Giambi of the Yankees, all have more than two million votes each and are separated by just over 10 percent.
saucy -
Do you delete the as a block, or individually?
mixed feelings on Meachum. i think he’s agressive sending runners home, but is that always a bad thing? and has he questionably sent anyone in a critical situation? close and in the 9th?
thanks turn2 and migames - I think with Saucy voting about 2 million times via text and the efforts of everyone else on this blog alone, the Stache might have a comfortable lead already
Doreen, it’s a blackberry pearl and only allows me to delete them one at a time (i think). but i went into the settings and was able to turn off the “confirm delete” option. and i realized i could use the backspace as delete, so now it’s just one click to get rid of each.
mixed feelings on Meachum. i think he’s agressive sending runners home, but is that always a bad thing? and has he questionably sent anyone in a critical situation? close and in the 9th?
we’ve won many games because of Meach’s greenlight at 3B, I think people need to stop lieing to thierselves he’s actually doing a very good job there.
saucy–
you can delete them en mass
hold down the alt key and move the clicker and it will highlight all of them then click to delete
if anyone has an iPhone that would be the best for voting - it shows text messages as an IM conversation so you just keep sending A2 and the thank you for voting just pops up above and u never have to delete it…. too bad i can’t use mine where i am
Brandon, I can just imagine the cries here if we had an overly cautious 3B coach, only sending runners if he’s 99.999% sure they’ll make it.
sending Jorge last night? i felt like he must have had dinner reservations watching that
“we’ve won many games because of Meach’s greenlight at 3B, I think people need to stop lieing to thierselves he’s actually doing a very good job there.”
Nobody notices a good job by a 3rd base coach - only the screw-ups. When a player scores they always credit the athlete, but if he is out it is the coach’s fault.
It isn’t fair - but that is the way it seems.
It’s a scam, major league baseball will not let the Big G win this. Every vote for Dye and Longoria are also taking votes away from Jason. It’s rigged.
thanks gayle
now there’s 0% chance i get work done now. at least until my battery dies. already planning a trip home at lunchtime to pick up the charger…
We should all realize, as someone noted, that Posada isn’t close to 100% and wont be until he gets surgery. He just doesn’t want to bail-out on the year. Why do you think Moeller is still here? The Yanks know that Posada’s shoulder is iffy, at best, and frankly, he has looked pretty bad throwing the ball. If he’s behind the plate, he may be a liability. Injuries to Matsui/Damon should keep him in the DH spot, despite his probable protesting.
The third-base coach and hitting coach are those most thankless jobs on the team. Kevin Long worked his ass off helping A-Rod get out of his funk and he gets no credit on here. A-Rod gets hot and it’s his talent and Long gets no credit. Guys don’t hit and Long’s head is on the chopping block. It’s insane.
Game number 91 already?
Wow.
Anyone depressed that Mattingly is going to be LA’s hitting coach? Not that I didn’t expect him to get out of coaching…it’s just too weird to see him in that uniform.
Posada deserves credit for nutting it up. Many other guys would have packed it in and had the surgery already. He doesn’t care that his throwing numbers are suffering. Think a catcher like Pudge would be doing the same in Jorge’s position?
“Anyone depressed that Mattingly is going to be LA’s hitting coach? Not that I didn’t expect him to get out of coaching…it’s just too weird to see him in that uniform.”
A couple weeks ago there was a mention that Kevin Long called Donny about Cano - Donny was happy to give Long some ideas which I thought was really cool.
If the big G gets into the ASG he should invite saucy to the game.
According to MLB.com 24,000,000 votes have been counted, and the top three have at least more than 2,000,000 that means that the bottom 2 have around 3,500,000 votes between them, that leaves 20,500,000 and if the leader has a slim lead over 2nd place and leads Giambi by 10 percent that means that the leader (langoria) has at least 7.6 million votes (35%) Dye 7.5 million (34%) and Giambi has 5.4 million (25%)….time to but our voting on steroids (no pun). He is down around 2 million votes.
JOn–
He was already named hitting coach when Torre went over there no suprise. It is just he had to take a leave at the beginning of the year when he had some family issues.
Good to know that those have been resolved enough that he can get back to doing what he loves to do
billy- how do you know kevin long worked his ass off getting arod out of his funk? For the sake of argument, lets assume he did. Does that mean he was a lazy bum with Cano through mid-june?
“Anyone depressed that Mattingly is going to be LA’s hitting coach? Not that I didn’t expect him to get out of coaching…it’s just too weird to see him in that uniform.”
Apparently Bug Eyes must be off the bottle enough for him to go cross country?
Last night should have been Posada’s catching night if any. Pettitte controls the running game better than any other pitcher in the league with his pick-off move.
Posada should have started last night to give Molina a break since he is behind the plate again today and most likely tomorrow with Mussina pitching.
Come this weekend, we’ve got Toronto and they have a pretty good runnning game as well with guys like Rios (who is always on base when he plays the Yankees with his 20 something consecutive hits against us) and Scutaro.
Honestly, I think Posada’s shoulder is a lot worse than we are led to believe. How stupid would the organization look signing a 36 year old to a 4 year deal and have him look useless in the very first year?
yeah I thought Giambi was 10% behind Dye, but still hoping they meant Dye and Giambi were both 10% behind
TL- I think I saw his wife on an episode of COPS last week
saucy it is holding down the cap button NOT alt button sorry about that
I vote for Hart because I hate the Mets and I want the NL team to have the worst roster possible given our realistic choices. You bet I voted for Griffey! lol
Again, Meachem is doing what he should be doing b/c our team clearly is not hitting with runners in scoring position. If we were the Twins, for example, and leading the AL in that stat, then I think he could (and should) be much more conservative sending runners from third. That is obviously not the case.
Hey Doris,
Go back and look what A-Rod said. He attributed his success greatly to Long’s work. There’s no assuming. It’s a fact. Talk with anyone associated with the team. Long did everything he could with Cano. Calling Donny shows that.
that was me using logical reasoning, its like the SAT or the GRE all over again….
At the halfway point of the Monster 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote, Milwaukee outfielder Corey Hart and Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria were holding slim leads while baseball fans were on the brink of destroying last year’s four-day record of 23.2 million votes in exclusive balloting on MLB.com.
In the American League, the three leaders, Longoria, Jermaine Dye of the White Sox and Jason Giambi of the Yankees, all have more than two million votes each and are separated by just over 10 percent.
Ever since seeing how he handled the questions in his interviews back when he was first having his arm problem, I’ve been assuming Posada’s throwing arm is smoked. So it’s no surprise if Molina will be behind the plate pretty much the rest of the year. Posada at DH makes sense since Giambi (for lack of better defensive option) will be at 1B most of the time.
Besides, Molina is a good defensive catcher with a good arm. Why not?
We’ll have to see if Posada might catch against teams that don’t run too much but as soon as word gets out that David Ortiz could steal as many bases as Jacoby Ellsbury off him, then Girardi has to get him out of there.
Even if it feels good again after taking a week off, whatever’s been hurting him will probably flare up once he starts throwing again.
Has anybody thought of a Yankees-Mets truce?
Might make sense to run a Giambi-Wright campaign and double their votes for the next day.
JR Yankees: “Pettitte controls the running game better than any other pitcher in the league with his pick-off move. ”
Yes, but Pettitte is very slow to the plate, so if a runner guesses right, he can walk to the next base. And the way the Rays run, they would have run wild on Pettitte/Posada.
Billy- understood. I dont doubt that he has helped arod. that being said, the yankees have been DREADFUL hitting w/RISP and its logical to look at Long.
Mike, you’re an appeaser. Ha ha.
I have been voting for the big G, and also adding a vote for Wright each time (after all, he does play for a New Yawk team!)
“We’ll have to see if Posada might catch against teams that don’t run too much but as soon as word gets out that David Ortiz could steal as many bases as Jacoby Ellsbury off him, then Girardi has to get him out of there.”
We can put Gardner at catcher and he can use his superhuman speed to run to 2nd base
“We can put Gardner at catcher and he can use his superhuman speed to run to 2nd base”
TKinDC, that might be one of the five funniest comments I’ve ever read on this blog.
I laughed at “‘Stache, 1B”
Anybody know where I can find stats of ER per games for catchers calling games ?
” that being said, the yankees have been DREADFUL hitting w/RISP and its logical to look at Long.”
You want A-Rod to regress? You could have Charlie Lau out there and it wouldn’t be much different. He can’t swing a bat for him the last time I checked. Doris you just proved my point about the hitting coach being the most thankless job. You understand that Long’s work helped A-Rod but no credit for him?
I just hope Ponson can keep us in the game and the bats are awake today..
Time to vote some more for the Big G
anyone know how to delete more than one text at a time on a blackberry pearl? I don’t think i have an ALT key..
I wish there was a way to count how many of the ’staches votes came from people on this blog…. probably around 60% lol
“I am not trying to hate on the Mets-hating, but one of the things I love about being a Yankees fan is not having to hate other teams players, but just their fans.”
You don’t hate other teams players, you hate the fans, and you consider this a healthier, more mature response? Interesting concept you have there.
For the record, read any thread here on any night, pap, youk, beckett, schilling, pedroia… yankee fans hate these players. So please stop with the ‘we don’t hate the sox’ rhetoric. Nothing worse than hypocrisy.
I think someone said use the CAPS key Chris
I just hope Ponson can keep us in the game and the bats are awake today..
I just hope he remembers if he’s leaving a pitch over the plate direct it at LF not RF
Chris-
Click on the cap key
then click your trackwheel
and move it to all the messages you want to delete
then click trackwheel to delete
then hit delete
chris you should have an options button, when you are in your text window, than a delete all.
You folks might be setting your sights too high with Ponson today. It’s a day game; just hope that he sobers up enough to get to the ballpark on time.
Seems to me that the only way to judge a hitting coach, in the long run, is if hitters in general perform above expectations on that coach’s watch. Last year Posada and possibly A-Rod were the only hitters to exceed expectations, with Cano, Jeter, Damon and Melky doing worse. This year Giambi and Damon and maybe Matsui are up, while Cano, Jeter, Melky and Abreu are down.
I have no idea whether this means that Long is a good coach or not. There are a whole lot more reasons than the coach why someone does or does not hit. Was it Long’s fault that Cano couldn’t hit until a couple of weeks ago? Is it his hard work that has turned Cano around? All we can say, from the little we have to go on — mostly statistics — is that it looks like more Yankees are not responding to Long than those who have responded to him.
You folks might be setting your sights too high with Ponson today. It’s a day game; just hope that he sobers up enough to get to the ballpark on time.
Billy- not looking to fight with you. relax. And somehow, someway Arod managed to put up fairly decent numbers with seattle and texas. was his hitting coach there as well? i dont buy that for a second.
“yankee fans hate these players” - Speak for yourself pal.
If I hate a player it is because of the player, not the team. Maturity has nothing to do with this, but mind set instead. Someone says they hate Jeter, why, ‘b/c he is overrated’. So should they hate Jeter b/c his fans are ‘overrating him’ or the should they hate the fans who are overrating him? Last I checked it is not Jeter’s fault people think he is a superb player.
Bwt, the word hate is used quite lossely hear. But if it were to be used in a more literal sense I think it would be much more prudent to hate a fan (someone you actually know), than a player (someone you have never met). Then again, I am not quite sure what your definition of maturity is.
“just hope that he sobers up enough to get to the ballpark on time.”
Nick, that might not crack my top five like TKinDC’s Gardner comment, but that was very funny!
“You folks might be setting your sights too high with Ponson today. It’s a day game; just hope that he sobers up enough to get to the ballpark on time.”
I don’t know… David Wells was pretty banged up on the day of his perfect game.
got it, thanks Gayle. I didn’t realize I even had a caps key, I usually just hold down the letter to get it to caps.
DMan - I was going to say that same thing, then I realized that Wells was a great pitcher and Ponson well…. like Nick said, hopefully he makes it to the ball park
Actually, if Ponson comes in hammered he might be effectively wild.
As a follow up, it seems pointless for a fan to care more about their team then the game itself. I love the Yankees, but I love baseball even more. If you cannot respect another players talent just because they wear another uniform then baseball seems like a boring game to watch. Of course, if you don’t respect a player like Youk because he cries like a little girl (time after time again), then that makes a lot more sense.
Girardi is going to need to chhoose between Posada and Molina tomorrow. No DH being it’s an NL park.
I don’t know… David Wells was pretty banged up on the day of his perfect game
Except Wells could hold his liquor not so sure about Sidney
wow, just thought of a good nickname for Youck…. stupid terms and conditions, I’ll have to keep it to myself
If Dock Ellis can throw a no-hitter while on LSD, then anything’s possible
Hopefully there’s no bar at the hotel Fat Sid is staying at. If there is he might still be there. You think Hank or Hal would yank him out?
Brandon-you want CERA stats? I can’t find them per game..
Haha good points guys.
Oh well lets just hope he can hang in there for a few innings.
We’re gonna see a whole lot of base runners today with Ponson on the mound.
The only question is whether he gets really lucky (again) and mixes in a few GIDP in between all the walks and hits he’s going to surrender today.
“If Dock Ellis can throw a no-hitter while on LSD, then anything’s possible”
That might be one of the most underrated baseball achievements ever. How many batters did he hit in that game?
When Ponson is pitching just focus all of your energy on voting for the Stache - it will take the sting out of all the walks and baserunners
“In the American League, the three leaders, Longoria, Jermaine Dye of the White Sox and Jason Giambi of the Yankees, all have more than two million votes each and are separated by just over 10 percent.”
Migames I think your math is a little off.
If each of them have over 2mil votes and are separated by 10% that means that Longoria has something like 2.4 million and Giambi has something like 2.2 million.
200,000 is 10% of 2mil.
http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2008/07/bob_sheppard_not_able_to_be_at.html
Bob Sheppard, whose deep and unmistakable voice has announced the action at Yankee Stadium for 57 years, said yesterday that he is not feeling well enough to announce the upcoming All-Star Game in the Bronx.
Great post Nick…didn’t even think of that.
Mitch: Great point, however, if there was one night we had to choose for Posada to catch, I probably would have chosen last night.
Amazingly, he only hit 1 batter that game. He did issue 8 walks though.
Catching Molina and DH’ing Posada is an acceptable band-aid for a short time.
When and if Matsui comes back, the key to the whole season is whether Posada can catch 75% to 80% of the remaining games. If he can’t, the Yanks are dead.
If Matsui doesn’t come back and the Yanks can’t find a real replacement for him at DH and go back to using Posada at catcher, the Yanks are dead.
IMO, no way can the Yanks make the playoffs with Molina as the full time catcher for the rest of the season.
Why are car services so darn expensive??? UGH!! I am trying to book a service from Newark and it is near 100 bucks!!
raymagnetic ®™
mlb would like you to believe that, but they stated that there has been a total of 24 million votes. That means that of the 5, the top three have more than 2 millions, but it could be 2.1 million or 22million….
i would love to see footage of that game - was he freaking out on the mound?
I think that BOTH something may be up with Posada AND DHing him is the smartest thing with both Damon and Matsui out. if you’re going to be thin in one spot offensively, you might as well have someone in the lineup who helps you out defensively. We’re a better team with Posasda DHing and Molina catching than, say, Abreu or Giambi DHing and Betemit or Christian in the lineup.
I’d say Ponson on a shorter rope than Rasner, but what do I know…
“IMO, no way can the Yanks make the playoffs with Molina as the full time catcher for the rest of the season.”
Molina himself wouldn’t be the issue, though. It’d be the absence of other players that led to his being there every day. Jose Molina is a superlative defensive catcher.
Speaking of Bob Sheppard. I was watching a documentary of the Apollo missions and they showed a clip of Bob Sheppard announcing at Yankee Stadium that we had landed on the Moon. It was pretty unreal to hear him to that and it must have been a great day at the Stadium to actually hear him say that it was “Attention ladies and gentleman Apollo 11 has safely landed on the moon” then on the scoreboard they had “they have landed on the moon”
Great quote from Doc Ellis
“The ball was small sometimes, the ball was large sometimes, sometimes I saw the catcher, sometimes I didn’t. Sometimes I tried to stare the hitter down and throw while I was looking at him. I chewed my gum until it turned to powder. They say I had about three to four fielding chances. I remember diving out of the way of a ball I thought was a line drive. I jumped, but the ball wasn’t hit hard and never reached me.”
I hope Bruney is locked in like he was before he caught the yankee DL plague….
Jorge, Molina is a good defensive catcher, I agree, but his bat is not strong enough to play the position full time at a playoff level given our other problems.
“mlb would like you to believe that, but they stated that there has been a total of 24 million votes. That means that of the 5, the top three have more than 2 millions, but it could be 2.1 million or 22million….”
Right. But it said that the three are separated by 10%. That leads me to believe that there’s a 10% margin between Longoria and Giambi. Therefore if Longoria has 7 million votes Giambi would still have to have at least 6million votes.
Besides why would they say each of them has at least 2mil votes if each of them actually has at least 5mil votes?
Humberto Sanchez looks better than Bruney in the GCL.
IN terms of Bruney. I think we need to keep Giese, we need a long man unless Hawk has now been relegated to that rolw. Also Robertson has pitched pretty well I would like to see him stay.
“For the record, read any thread here on any night, pap, youk, beckett, schilling, pedroia… yankee fans hate these players. So please stop with the ‘we don’t hate the sox’ rhetoric. Nothing worse than hypocrisy.”
I have a ton of respect for Youk, Pedroia, and Beckett. Papelbon’s shtick annoys me, and he’s not the GREATEST CLOSER EVER like some folks on here like to say when they want to be down on the Yankees. Can’t say I “hate” him, though. The only guy on that list who approaches that level of dislike for me is Schilling, and it has nothing to do with what he does on the field, but more to do with how he used the 2004 Championship as a talking point for political campaigning right before the presidential election.
I dislike a certain portion of the Red Sox fanbase, just like I dislike a certain portion of the Met fanbase. I also have wonderful baseball conversations with other fans of both those teams.
Apparently he didn’t freak out enough for people to notice
And here’s Ellis’s account:
“I can only remember bits and pieces of the game. I was psyched. I had a feeling of euphoria. I was zeroed in on the (catcher’s) glove, but I didn’t hit the glove too much. I remember hitting a couple of batters and the bases were loaded two or three times. The ball was small sometimes, the ball was large sometimes, sometimes I saw the catcher, sometimes I didn’t. Sometimes I tried to stare the hitter down and throw while I was looking at him. I chewed my gum until it turned to powder. They say I had about three to four fielding chances. I remember diving out of the way of a ball I thought was a line drive. I jumped, but the ball wasn’t hit hard and never reached me.”
But Molina is not meant to be an everyday catcher.
My concern would be his health and I have no idea why they don’t give him a breather once in awhile when they’ve got a third catcher in Moeller collecting dust and cobwebs sitting on the bench.
They don’t have to use Moeller today against the Rays, but it might be a good idea to use him with Rasner on the mound since they worked together in Scranton early in the season and Rasner was pitching lights out.
Not saying Rasner will be lights out again, but it wouldn’t hurt to shake things up since Rasner hasn’t pitched well in over a month.
puhleeeeeeeze let bruney be the end of hawkins.
Like I said before the season even started….all of you will be wanting Hawkins off the team by the All-Star break…ba-bye LaTroy !
It would seem like a no-brained that they release Hawkins. It’s like “Who do we get rid of? Giese who has been a weapon out of the bullpen, Robertson who has been pretty good and will only get better, or the guy with a 5.94 era who is declining?”
Come on, they better do the right thing.
Is this A-Rod business any of our business?
That’s the question at:
http://faceoff.lohudblogs.com/
Robertson needs to stay up. He’s really the only viable option among the bullpen kids in the minors. JB Cox has been hyped for so long but his stuff has been less than mediocre.
being as though Giese has turned into the long man, and Robertson has shown some success at the MLB level since his promotion, i think we can all say good bye to LaTroy Hawkins after the break.
Read Ellis’s wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dock_Ellis
One of the most amazing things I found was when it talks about how he tried to hit the entire Reds lineup. But it is not that he tried to hit the lineup, but instead that he hit the first five batters and it was his own manager that pulled him, not the ump!!! Wow, how baseball has changed. He would be gone after hit two batters back-to-back today.
i’m rooting for the two big fat guys today- sidney and livan.
wow. espn has red sox at 71% chance of victory.
no love for livan.
i’ve just talked with my red sox friends on main st street on cape cod and their consensus is they they don’t know how the red sox will do against hernandez because they don’t know of any other pitcher as slow as livan.
there is however a warning issued on the mass pike for when manny is at bat.
Can we get anything for Hawkins on the trade market?? If the answer is yes perhaps you do not DFA him and just try and make a trade for something that may be a viable part
Flaherty should not repeat not have had that mustache anywhere near his face
no love for livan because he’s awful. More importantly - STACHE UPDATE AT 3:00. From MLB.COM:
The amazing volume of votes made it impossible to discount anyone whose name was not listed first in the latest voting updates announced at the halfway point on Tuesday. The next voting update is scheduled for roughly 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Winners will be announced on MLB.com shortly after the ballot closes Thursday.
In the AL, the three leaders — Longoria, Dye and Giambi — all had more than two million votes each and were separated by just more than 10 percent. They were followed by Brian Roberts of the Orioles and Jose Guillen of the Royals.
Yeah. Robertson should stay up. He’s looked decent. Giese over Hawkins, though not because he’s more talented.
Ohlendorf and Hawkins are the worst offenders.
Based on the fact that Girardi now only uses Hawkins in blowouts, one would think he is next to go. I wouldn’t be shocked if it was someone else though. The yankees have done dumber things… like continuously calling up billy traber.
cant believe he pitched while on acid. thats amazing. i took acid a few times in college (univ of colorado-boulder) and thought there was a small, african-american leprechaun named willis trying to douse me with house paint. no joke.
“Jorge, Molina is a good defensive catcher, I agree, but his bat is not strong enough to play the position full time at a playoff level given our other pr