Comments on: Melky optioned; Sexson released

By: LJ

LJ — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:04:27 +0000

I like Damon as a hitter but with his weak arm, having him in CF is a serious liability. You have to remember that Melky has a respectable arm, and he makes a good number of outfield assists. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice some offense for defense – you look at the success of oakland a’s pitching over the years, and part of that has to do with the good defense that the ballclub seems to focus on over the years. One or two fewer outs a game can make a significant difference throughout the season. But, ultimately, I agree with Peter, who I normally agree with, that this is a good move and hopefully this will revamp our offense, putting some speed on the basepaths instead of watching Abreu get caught stealing.

By: LJ

LJ — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:00:26 +0000

E-man. You have a good point about Torre’s lineup changes. But to say that Giambi’s bat needs to wakeup is slightly inaccurate. He will not hit .300 again, but hitting for average is not a necessity for him. He drives in run, gets on base, and takes lots of pitches. I like having abreu and giambi surrounding a-rod because both are patient hitters that force pitchers to pitch to them, and with that added pressure on pitchers, the 3-4-5 spots on a good night should be a formidable front.

By: Anthony Murillo

Anthony Murillo — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:56:52 +0000

MELKY IS GONE! HELL YEAH!

By: Shawn M

Shawn M — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:32:53 +0000

RustyJohn
August 15th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Say what you will about Cashman, but he isnâ€™t afraid to make moves- for better or for worse.

So, if he has all this fearsome quality why in the world does he continue to call up Traber, when he has a far better option in Strickland. Lefty’s hit the ‘lefty specialist’ at a a .370 avg!!!!! Strickland is over a 140 points lower.

By: Angel {insert random statement plus multiple !!!!!'s here}

Angel {insert random statement plus multiple !!!!!'s here} — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:15:50 +0000

The comments on this thread were fairly predictable, lol.

By: Zod

Zod — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:49:46 +0000

Trisha and Yankee Trader

Thanks for your words of encouragement. The people here in Scranton apppreciate it. However, please do not send any more players to us until we have a chance to win the International League title. That is unless you want to give back Ransom and Gardner.

By: BillyBall

BillyBall — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:59:45 +0000

Back in spring training I watched Ransom, and I have to say, not only did he outplay Betemit, I felt he deserved to make the team over Betemit. He played excellent at short and has a strong arm. He is athletic and may add a much needed spark off the bench. Hopefully when Matsui comes up they trade Betemit for anything!

As far Gardner, Chad Jennings has excellent read on him saying how he learned from his short time in the majors and how he would change his approach the next time up and be more aggressive. Anything is better than Melky.

As far as Cano, well if anyone on here listened to Michael Kay earlier, Larry Bowa was on his show. Interestingly Larry Bowa said he never wanted to leave the Yankees and if Girardi asked him he would have stayed as 3rd base coach. He was told by Yankee officials that they were gonna make a complete overhaul and that is when Torre called him and he went to LA. He says he misses NY Yankee baseball tremendously and he most of all misses the fans. He also said it was too laid back in LA. He than said Cano is not a good talent but a great talent but he needs constant prodding to keep his attitude and work ethic in check. Bowa than stated that he has talked with Cano 4 times over the course of the season and he told him he has to keep working hard and get his head in the game. Either Girardi hires Bowa in the off season or we should consider trading Cano to LA for Kemp and a pitcher! Something to consider.

Lastly do not blame Cashman or Girardi for this pathetic team effort. Girardi wears his emotions on his sleeves and Cashman work ethic is second to none. Cashman made some excellent moves to put this team in position to strike down the stretch. Some on this web blog question why he went into this season with 2 rookies on the staff and it makes me laugh. 2 rookies on a 5 man staff is not unheard of and should we blame him that both failed. Know one can say prior to the season that both would have done as bad as they have. If you asked fans before the season about Hughes projection I’m sure most fans would have said at the very least he will win 10 games. The 2008 Yankee staff was projected to be better than the 2007 staff and the 2006 staff which was pathetic with the likes of Aaron Small and that others clown that got released by the Astros. Also we do not know how Girardi handles his players behind closed doors, from what I heard he is constantly on Cano and Melky to get there heads into the game. I think adding Bowa in the off season would be worth it so he can concentrate on coaching and let the bulldog do the dirty work.

By: LathamJoe

LathamJoe — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:54:12 +0000

I disagree, Guiseppe. It was never strong but not as weak as it was after 2003 when his shoulder probelms worsened. Bernie, with his speed , was able to cut balls off in the gap and keep extra bases to a tolerable level.
However, after the shoulder injuries base runners ran at will on his arm.
And you don’t think a strong arm is important against teams like Tampa Bay and the Angels??
Then why would the Yankees make “defensive replacements” for Bernie and Damon in late innings?

By: Yankee Trader

Yankee Trader — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:49:22 +0000

Against a lefty pitcher is this the lineup?

Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
A-Rod 3B
Nady LF
Giambi DH
Cano 2B or Ransom
Betemit 1B
I-Rod/Molina C

By: Joeysdadjoe

Joeysdadjoe — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:46:23 +0000

Im glad Sexson is gone.Guy had a lot of holes in his swing.Giambi needs to play.Ransom is here because AGon is gone.I know very little about him but its worth a look.I’m expecting a flex lineup based on the opponent,opposing pitcher etc.