Both doom and gloom
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on May 07, 2009 
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The Yankees have the nicest clubhouse in the game. It cleared out tonight like somebody tossed in a stink bomb.
A four-game losing streak will do that to a team. The Yankees have eight losses in their last 12 and already have fallen 5.5 games out in the AL East assuming the Blue Jays hold on.
Joe Girardi said before the game that he wasn’t worried about his job. But at the pace his team his on, somebody in Tampa is going to start asking questions soon. The Yankees built a $1.5 billion stadium and dropped another $210 million on the payroll. This isn’t what they expected. It’s hard to sell those pricey seats when the team stinks.
“We’re going to be OK,” Mariano Rivera said. “It’ll turn around.”
A.J. Burnett boldly said the Yankees “would be ridiculous” once they start playing well. Meanwhile, he and CC Sabathia are 3-3 with a 5.05 ERA. The Tycoon Twins have been part of the problem, not the solution.
But you can’t blame Burnett for being confident. All the Yankees do is talk about how good they will be. There needs to be talk about how good they are. The Yankees have played .539 baseball since the start of last season.
Yes, there are injuries. But the Yankees also are 4 for 32 with runners in scoring position the last four games. They can’t find a reliever worth trusting. The aggressive style of play Girardi promised back when he was hired doesn’t exist.
Even the usually sunny Mark Teixeira was sour tonight.
“We found another way to lose,” he said.
And he’s only been in pinstripes for five weeks.
Even the usually sunny Mark Teixeira was sour tonight.
“We found another way to lose,” he said.
That’s a horrible thing to say.
Must win tomorrow
Biggest game of the year
Hey – Teix just being honest.
We are like the Mets now and find ways to lose
Petition to call up Brett Tomko.
the 2009 yankees thus far are quite possibly the worst awesome baseball team of all time.
Mr. Goodkat
He has an oblique strain but will be up soon according to Kepner.
I was at the game, what an awesomely pathetic way to lose.
Its getting late Early.
“We found another way to lose,” he said.
Nice comment from someone hitting under .200, with only 15 RBI’s and hasn’t done anything all season. Maybe if Mr. Gloomy can hit a sac fly they wouldn’t of lost.
The only thing good about Brett Tomko is his wife. If the answer to the Yankees pitching question is Brett Tomko, Girardi might as well get a tanto from Matsui and open up his innards at tomorrow’s pregame press conference.
Great job Pete. You are in a league of your own among beat writers nationally. I am a huge Twins fan, but your blog is a MUST stop several times a day.
Thanks much.
When will it be time to start blaming Brian Cashman? Yankee pitching has been less than stellar for several years now. Cashman does not seem to have an eye for pitching. With all that money this team has to “throw around,” why is it that they have one of the worst bullpens in the game? Couldn’t Cashman have found a way to go out and get one or two solid relievers? Marte isn’t it – and we saw last year that he wasn’t going to be it. Veras, Ramirez, etc. – they are more harm than good. And that means that guys like Coke are going to be pitching nearly every day. And what happens then? Tonight happens. A zinger over the fence by Pena. Because Girardi lacks confidence in most of the pen, a select few are overused. It’s a recipe for disaster. Certainly Girardi hasn’t been fantastic but Pete’s right – much of this can’t be blamed on him – yet he’s likely the first fall guy. It’s time for this team to ‘show up.’ And I’m tired of the whole “historically bad April” excuse. If I told my boss that I am “historically bad in April,” do you think it would earn me a month long pass? “Hey look, I’m not going to be any good to you in April….May, June, I’m solid, but April – don’t count on me.” I’d be shown the door faster than a Mariano Rivera cutter. Teixeira – show up – .211 is not getting it done. CC – show up – an ERA near 5 is not what the Yankees signed you for. Earn your money. Wanna know why the Stadium is empty? Who wants to go see a team that continues to find ways to lose?
LMAO @ people calling for garbage like Brett Tomko like he is the answer for anything. They need to clean house.
I’m down on the team as much as anyone, but comparing us to the Mets is uncalled for.
The whole “it’s a long season” and “Wait till X, Y and Z come back” is nice, but it doesn’t mask the fact that the team is having major troubles coming together and winning.
I see a team that is talented and trying hard and maybe trying too hard. Something is happening to players when they come here. Every moment is becoming more pressurized than the rest.
I understand it, but then I don’t understand it. I think the fans in NY can be some of the best and most supportive and all they want to see the team do is win and try hard.
The Yankees are still trying hard and no one can take that away from them…but they need to start winning. They’ve had so many opportunities to win these games it’s getting sad watching them fail.
You almost expect them to fail with a runner on in a key situation.
You almost expect the bullpen to let down. It’s like we have an entire bullpen of Farnsworth when the fans would groan when they’d announce him warming in the pen.
The only answer is to keep playing, but this team feels short (especially in the lineup) and spent right now.
When the pitching is good, the hitters disappear. When the hitting is good the pitchers can’t hold the lead.
That’s not a playoff team.
Arod has a big chance to win NY over big time by coming back and injecting life into these guys and helping them win.
I hope he’s up to the task. I want to believe he is.
They need something to pick them up. They’re giving away too many games right now they should be winning.
Forget the offense and bullpen…
What the hell are they going to do about the empty seats? That should be the first priority
hey guys as good as Tex three double was… his line is even better….
Wait for Francessa to lose it tomorrow with Jobber to the pen and how we needed Manny. Gotta say I half agree with him.
With the way that the team is playing right now no one is going to pay $200-$1,250 to see them play. Unless of course the tickets are already bought. So the seats will stay empty.
The only thing there is going to be are more empty seats.
To win this division, or at least having a shot at the Wild Card- the Yankees will have to win 90-95 games. That’s a stretch for a 13-14 team in the AL East. We’ve lost every way we can. One run in extra innings, big blowouts, a chronically bad middle relief corps, bad starts, and lack of hitting. On top of that, the new ballpark looks like a bust. It annoys me to see pictures of Yankees/Red Sox games at the Stadium with rows of empty seats. Instead of blaming Cashman and Giardi, I wonder of Hal Steinbrenner is up to the job of owning this team. I have a feeling that they are holding on for as long as Big Stein remains on this earth.
The empty seats a problem? Even the true fans will stop coming if the team keep o finding ways to lose. They need to WIN, the seats will solve itself when that happens.
And Tex is free-falling down my list. He can’t even hit a fly ball when needed? Pathetic…
I blame Girardi again. Why couldn’t Mo pitch a 2nd inning? That had to be better than using another guy he uses every night to pitch the tenth. Not to mention how tense he is.
A Rod should stay away as long as he can get away with.
I love baseball, but there is much I still don’t understand. MO can go more than one inning, and he hadn’t been used in like 5 days (or whatever is was), so, why the %^%^& didn’t he come out to pitch in the 10th????? With so much uncertainty in the bullpen, and MO looking slick in the 9th, why why why why why wouldn’t he pitch the 10th? Once more, I know very little, but it seems to me that Girardi babies his pitchers, it seems like his approach to managing is very precious. Is this fair?
Al,
I totally agree with anyone who thought/said we should get Manny.
He changes a lineup and would have taught some of these guys not to tense up when the runner is on base and the pitcher is at a disadvantage.
I know all the reasons why they didn’t try for him, but I never agreed with them.
I don’t agree with Joba in the pen. He’s an ace in the making. We spend 20+ million a year or trade the farm to get that. We have it now.
It’s the GM’s job to fix the pen, not Joba’s.
Hal has no interest in this team… He’ll probably sell it to James Dolan soon.
Although I don’t care at all for his announcing ability, best wishes and speedy recovery from his setback after surgery for lung cancer. He’s having a rough go with an infection and pneumonia. Make it a good fight, Mr. Remy. Nobody needs to go through that ordeal.
http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/n.....8;c_id=bos
lol
the team is falling apart and you’re worried about the empty seats?
the ballpark is only going to be less filled as this team continues to slide.
we come back from the homestand under .500, they’ll be 10,000 people tops in the ballpark for the series against the Twins at home.
We have no idea who is making the baseball decisions for this franchise or if there is any way to hold the inept GM accountable for this garbage on the field. Thats the question that needs to be answered first.
*roadtrip, not homestand
“Even the usually sunny Mark Teixeira was sour tonight.
“We found another way to lose,” he said.”
Great line from one of the team ‘leaders’.
Wow this team is crumbling. They don’t even believe in themselves anymore.
Under .500 after almost 30 games
A-Rod on the DL
Bruney on the DL
Worst bullpen ERA in baseball
29th ranked starters ERA in baseball
CC is 1-3
Nady on the DL
No bench
Wang is in the minors
Teix is the worst hitter on the 25 man roster
Posada on the DL again
0-5 vs. Boston
Thousands of empty seats every night
Could you have even imagined a worse start to the season? This is like something out of a movie.
It looks like the Sox are beatable. Who knew???
Dolan will never own the yanks. The steinbrenner family hates him.
1. Molina is not a starting catcher…ever…anywhere…never
2. The team needs a shot of youth. Someone Swish can hang with. Someone with a “Bash Brother” mentality from the movie The Mighty Ducks
3. Please bring these guys up to the bullpen : Ian Kennedy, Brett Tomko and Christian Garcia
4. Please DFA these guys : Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez and Jon Albaladejo
5. If there is a God, and if he loves us, he will help Mark T break out of this god forsaken slump
end rant.
Pete, be careful! Don’t point out the team’s problems! Otherwise, some guy will accuse you of living in your parent’s basement, and call you a negative a-hole!
I don’t think AJ was so much part of the problem tonight. He’s been good to acceptable in all but one start. Tonight, he was just left in an inning too long because Girardi doesn’t trust his pen, and really, who could blame him.
But you’re right. This team needs to find a way to come together, and fast, or ownership is going to start making big changes, and since it’s next to impossible to do with the on-the-field personnel, it’ll be the off-the-field guys that take the hit.
The Yankees are THREE games back from the Red Sox.
This season has included 3 starts from Wang that made it pretty much impossible to win. Mariano giving up a game winning home run to Jason Bay. PLAYING EVERY GAME SO FAR WITHOUT ALEX RODRIGUEZ, AKA THE BEST PLAYER IN BASEBALL.
The Yankees will win the division.
any answers on why rivera didn’t pitch the 10th?
It’s too early to pass judgment on Burnett and Sabathia, but Cashman has made some bad non-Mussina acquisitions.
Kevin Brown
Denny Neagle
Sterling Hitchcock
Jeff Weaver
Randy Johnson
Jaret Wright
Carl Pavano
Jose Contreras
Javier Vasquez
Girardi’s methods may be questionable but this is a decade of bad pitching acquisitions. Cashman has some blame here.
Too early to pass judgement on the “tycoon twins” but Cashman has picked some real pitching duds over the years. He deserves some of the blame.
I too wonder when people will see how horrible a GM Cashman really is. He has done nothing to improve the bull-pen but why did Joe take out Mo? Plus how major would Swisher’s bat have been had he stayed in the game. Did anyone notice how Tampa’s SS got to balls Jeter is never in the proximity to? Once Alex is back will Pena see more time at the SS position? Hey did anyone notice how Kay was saying..that Joba loved how Molina called a game? I think the pitchers are more comfortable with Jose than Jorge…
“The aggressive style of play Girardi promised back when he was hired doesn’t exist.”
Well put, Pete!
This team is all about, wait for the three-run homer. They have to be the most UN-entertaining team to watch. They tighten up with risp and consistently put zeroes on the board when it matters most. The Sox, Rays, Angels, Dodgers, and many more teams would have found a way to win this game in the bottom half of the ninth. Or at least tie it up in the tenth.
Gonna be a long season for us fans, and an even longer season for the players. Only a matter of time that AJ and/or CC are put on the DL to serve as a “Cash’s” smokescreen for their less than impressive performances.
These are one of those times where the Yankees business-like approach to the game does them no good. We need some damn idiots on this squad to get it going.
I think Tex will break out of the slump when Arod is batting cleanup.
As for the pen, I think re-shuffling the deck is a good idea. We’ve seen in the past how changing relievers can somehow spark a bullpen.
The mix is off out there. Someone needs to be made an example of to the rest of the guys that this team is not going to give them the 5 star treatment for a 1 star performance.
The rest of the hitters? I have no idea. I can’t blame Girardi or Long because these guys are letting cookies go over the middle of the plate or they are fouling off pitches they should hit.
I feel bad for Girardi because I think the walls will start closing in on him quickly if these guys don’t get over their mental blocks.
I can’t believe how this team has turned into a team where either everyone hits or no one hits.
This team should be the kind of team that has a different hero every night, but it doesn’t work out that way.
I truly thought Swisher and Texiera would make the difference and get rid of the old stench. This team struggled to hit in crucial situations under Torre and now Girardi.
I don’t think it’s the manager.
“any answers on why rivera didn’t pitch the 10th?”
Because he’s coming off shoulder surgery pitching in cold rainy weather. He’s 39 years old and doesn’t need to risk his entire season on May 6th game. Phil Coke has been pitching great.
The face of the LoHud comments section:
http://tinyurl.com/6kul3u
When the Yankees pull themselves out of their beds Wednesday morning, the calendar will read May 7. They will 5.5 games behind the 1st-place Blue Jays and 3.5 behind the Red Sox.
They are in this position despite losing four straight relatively-competitive games vs very good teams (1 vs Angels, 2 vs Red Sox and 1 vs Rays). They are in this position while their stubborn ticket office scrambles to find way to fix their mistake and fill empty seats around the field for home games in their new palace of a Stadium. They will be one (1) game under .500 despite not playing with one of the game’s premier offensive players and one of their most-consistent starters wasn’t ready for the start of the season and gave three games away before being sent to the DL.
Bottom line – this is not the end of the world, because it could be so much worse.
Does it hurt, to lose the way they have… Of course. Tonight, Mark Teixeira looked to have earned his pinstripes, clearing the bases to tie the game in the 8th inning in the pouring rain (a nightly occurrence this past month). Only to see the bullpen give up a homer in the 10th and then the new 1st baseman failed to lift a fly ball with 1 out and a man on 3rd base.
What we DON’T need is negativity. After the game, the LoHud Blog reported that Teixeira said “We found another way to lose.”
And that’s just depressing to hear.
Listen, fellow Yankee fans. Get your damn heads up. We are exactly 16.7% through the season. That’s 135 games left to make up those negligible deficits mentioned above… while key players like A-Rod, Chien-Ming Wang, Xavier Nady and Brian Bruney will all be coming back to the team within a few weeks.
Think big picture: we are 27 games into an era that will prominently feature CC Sabathia, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Teixeira, A.J. Burnett and others. You have a beautiful ballpark that you can be proud to sit in a couple times a year if you are lucky.
Things are GOOD, these are not bad times.
This woe-is-me attitude, looking for someone to blame, waiting for the other shoe to drop is a sad, pathetic way to go through fan-hood. The Red Sox did it for the better part of a century and most of us made fun of them for it.
Don’t fall into the trap! Get your heads up for God’s sake, cheer them on and the good vibes WILL resonate on the field.
Yankees had a tough loss today…but it was encouraging to see Tex have one big hit and the bullpen do a nice job (minus pena HR)
http://baseballpictures.tumblr.com/
No 27 don’t try to tal kto these people. From Pete on down there are so many dopes on this site it is staggering.
sportsfans read the posts, it is laughable if it was not so pathetic..
can you believe they are all ready 5.5 games out.. OH MY GOD IT IS OVER.
THEN VANDERLAY with a few doosies.. wow to win 90 games they will ahve to play good baseball!!!REALLY.. OH my g-d..
again read the posts they range from rubbish, to pathetic, to out and out insane………
i think JEFF NJ wins the stupidity award tonight if they lose on the road swing they will have 10, 000 fans at the next games… are you really that much of a imbecile?????????
they lead the league in attendance MORONS.. With insanely priced tickets they still lead the league in attendance had 42,000 for the rays tonight………………
Teixeira has gotten a big pass on both what he’s done and what he’s said. Nice double tonight but when this team has needed him to step up with the bat and as a leader in the clubhouse he gives you, “we found another way to lose”.
For all the Tomko fans,
“Tomko has been dealing with a minor oblique strain but is very much in the Yankees’ plans. “I’m sure you’re going to see him soon enough,” General Manager Brian Cashman said. “He’s doing everything he can do, and he’s a big choice for us.” …”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05.....s.html?hpw
Anyone blaming Girardi is an idiot.
You want someone to blame, try Cashman, the guy who put the team together.
Girardi is just trying to work with what he’s been given.
Jones take you a week to put together that post.. where’s your crayons??????????
BOB the original what? Imbecile spoiled moron yankee fan??
Just asking…
I can’t be mad at Cash for bringing in Tex, CC and AJ. C’mon people! However I am still mad about not getting Beltran and the Santana trade where I’m sure we could have gotten him for Melky/IPK and a low A prospect.
why didn’t rivera pitch the 10th?
Why are you sure we could have gotten Santana for that when nothing of the sort has ever been reported or even rumored? That’s flat out wrong.
If the Yankees won today we would be talking about Tex tomorrow but now they lost and that 3 run double does not mean much. Girardi will be the talk of the town tomorrow I am sure.
Welcome to the LohuD insane ward, where many are on suicide watch…..Blog values here have dropped quite a bit this season….Shame, used to be a nice site….
Cashman needs to go. Period. It begins and ends there. If this ownership lets him fire Girardi without taking the hit himself we know it’s going to be the 80s all over again.
Pedro Martinez looking for a bullpen spot? lol
“the Santana trade where I’m sure we could have gotten him for Melky/IPK and a low A prospect”
——–
this one is laughable
How long has Pete’s blog been running ads for strip clubs? He must miss Tampa. I usually use Firefox, so I don’t see ads. Using Google Chrome today and lookee at that ad for Lace and Stilettos.
Re the Yankees: Let’s not focus on the Blue Jay just yet. Remember that year when the Orioles got off to a red-hot start, and Mad Dog (supposedly a sports professional) was counting down their magic number from ONE HUNDRED?!? The orioles collapsed as expected, and the Yankees flew by them.
Focus on the Red Sox for now, and, if you must, the Rays.
Jeter looks increasingly feeble at the plate. He looks over matched more and more, and has trouble putting many mediocre fastballs in play. And the weak grounders are getting ridiculous. I know Jeter had his 2nd best season in 2006 while hitting something like 3.3 grounders for every fly ball (though he had his best season in 2009 hitting only 1.6), but he really should try to elevate the ball a bit, especially in YS.
Teixeira had two HRs and a 3-run, pressure double in the lat few days. Give the guy a break. Yes, I know he’s had some pretty bad ABs in big spots, but it’s only May 6.
Maybe I was bluffing on the IPK/Melky talk however Phil+Melky would have sealed the deal. Phil looks like he will be a decent major league pitcher, will he ever be Santana? No.
Al from bk
i think about the should have been santana trade almost everyday
its sad
any answers on why rivera didn’t pitch the 10th?
—————-
Mo is 39 years old and had shoulder surgery over the offseason and the weather was terrible.
He also threw quite a few pitches in the 9th by striking out the side.
Do you want to put a cap on the season by risking Mo’s health and losing him to an injury too?
Maybe I was bluffing on the IPK/Melky talk however Phil+Melky would have sealed the deal. Phil looks like he will be a decent major league pitcher, will he ever be Santana? No.
————
Yeah, then they wouldn’t have signed Sabathia. They wouldn’t have signed two pitchers making $140M+.
Hughes is going to be good for a long time and he’s still only 22 years old. He’ll be in the prime of his career when Santana is regressing and slowing down.
Al, better not to comment on the Santana non-trade.
Yanks will win 3 of the next 4.
Silence, Dave! Optimism is not allowed in this forum.
It’s much smarter to panic, scream for Cashman and Girardi to be fired – and then lower your head and run into a brick wall.
Pete, I just want to comment real quick on something you said in the last post. “The bleachers are chanting boston sucks, that makes sense.” I was in the bleachers tonight. There was a guy with red sox jersey causing all sorts of trouble. Then he kept talking to the cops trying to get people arrested for calling him an ***hole.
Seriously, why as a sox fan would you sit in the bleachers and expect anything less than that? The bleachers? Really? He’s either not smart, or he wanted it.
Speaking of the bleachers, the cops threatened to kick us out because everyone was stomping on the wet bleachers trying to make some noise for the team. Didn’t know that was against any rules.
“Yeah, then they wouldn’t have signed Sabathia. They wouldn’t have signed two pitchers making $140M+.”
Santana is obviously far superior to CC so that wouldn’t be an issue.
Tex been the biggest disappointment, hitting only 0.2, even worse than Giambi.
Each game he is going to cost Yankees & fans $21 million/162 = $129,630, for 8 years.
I really don’t understand why Cashman still can keep his job?
Yankees need a bailout.
Santana is obviously far superior to CC so that wouldn’t be an issue.
——–
Sure about that?
Santana pitches in the National League (in a pitcher’s paradise to boot) and doesn’t exactly have to face the firepower that Sabathia does on a daily basis.
When Sabathia did have that opportunity last year – he was the best pitcher in baseball and single-handedly carried his team to the postseason for the first time since 1982.
How did the Mets do last year?
“How did the Mets do last year?”
They missed the playoffs, despite Johan’s heroic September because the pen couldn’t hold any of his leads. No question Johan is more worthy of the big money than CC until he proves me otherwise.
giuseppe dude
CC isnt even on santanas level … lets be real stats dont lie
Santana would be struggling here also. Manny would be struggling also. And probably be a pain. More so than A-Rod. Not that A-Rod was a pain. But Manny will get away with it cuz it’s Manny being Manny.
Tex has been mediocre but saying he’s as bad as Giambi is wrong because Tex can field a position well.
I think everyone should go to bed and get some rest. All of you are nuts.
Who had the more heroic September?
Probably the guy who put his team on his back and pitched them into October.
The Warren Spahn Award does not lie.
They missed the playoffs, despite Johan’s heroic September because the pen couldn’t hold any of his leads.
————
Sabathia was unbelievable last September as well. How many times did he pitch on three days rest?
The Brewers’ bullpen was awful last season too – certainly no better than the Mets’ pen.
So Sabathia did the job by himself pitched at least 8 innings a total of twelve times.
Sabathia had nine complete games last year.
giuseppe dude
CC isnt even on santanas level … lets be real stats dont lie
————–
Santana benefits by pitching in the NL and in an enormous pitcher’s ballpark.
His numbers with Minnesota the second half of 2007 suggested he wasn’t going to be that same unhittable Johan when he won those Cy Young Awards had he stayed in the AL.
dude what are you talking about…. check all of his career stats and compare them to CC’s
not even close
for instance CC’s last season was the 1st time he had under a 3 era
santana did it like 3 times in the AL alone lol
some of you guys are straight up idiots
SANTANA IS THE BEST PITCHER IN BASEBALL
HANDS DOWN.. i dont know why you people are arguing just check the career numbers for godsakes they played in the same division lol
I just woke up and see that the yankees lost…again!how did burnett look?
So girardi is to blame for this season so far because rivera was not on the mound in the tenth? Please guys – he is pushing 40 and we NEED him this season. I dont agree with the move but i dont think it made zero sense either. God forbid rivera pitches the tenth and gets injured and then, what? Then, the pen would REALLY be in trouble. Can you imagine that disaster? And I love the people here who blame girardi constantly but never say a word about cashman. Ummm … cash is the ONE who decided that this pen was full of options this season so we didnt need another arm at all.
I doubt he even looked at the FA all that much for a reliever because there were certainly BARGAINS to be had this off season. A farnsworthless – like guy would not be coming in at 16 mil and 3 years in 2008, I can tell you that much. So dont give me that we cant overpay for reliever crap because we would have – look at how cheap some of those FAs were like abreu. Why would a reliever be any different? So cash says we have TONS of options in house and i think that was in a quote of his and now, girardi has about three guys he can trust out of 12. Yes, i think another reliever pickup this off season would have been a good call and dont see cash couldnt have foreseen this because even I saw the possibility that the pen could easily not be as effective as last season.
burnett looked pretty solid but the yanks have COMPLETELY lost the ability to hit in the clutch – we are 1 for out last 500 with RISP i think. Our last decent at bat with RISP was when torre was still managing. Thas how terrible these guys have been in the clutch recently. I just expect them not to score when men are on second or third even with one out, we only have a one in a million shot that the guy actually gets home. We are probably more likely to hit a homer without anyone on second or third than to get a single with a man on second or third. nOW THAT is pathetic.
This team was a series of question marks in the pre-season. 27 games in, and there’s much more to be concerned about at this point.
You’d think with all that $$$ that was thrown at Sabathia he would have shown up in training camp somewhat in shape. Here we are nearly three months after pitchers and catcher reported and he still looks quite overweight and huffing and puffing.
Too much importance was placed on Burnett, a pitcher of great talent and noted inconsistency. Injury-prone, too. Well, let’s see if he steps up.
Wang’s foot injury was apparently not completely healed. His motion was compromised from the get-go, and it remains to be seen if/when he’ll be ready.
Chamberlain and Hughes have demonstrated some of their promise, but, being young pitchers, you have to give them time to develop.
Relief corps looked iffy at the end of Spring Training. It’s proved to be pretty disastrous so far.
Losing A-Roid and Nady and now Posada doesn’t help, but, there were concerns about how 3B and C would work out long before those guys went down.
The team is underperforming offensively at four positions and the team is allowing .6 unearned runs a game. Difficult to win under those circumstances.
Just an absolute nightmare to the start of the season so far, everything that could have gone wrong did, absolutely evrything. From slow starts to absolutely pathetic numbers with RISP.
This team has left a platoon of runners on base. The number 3 hitter can’t lift a fly ball into the outfield to score a run. The performance of the pen is just shocking. I am actually missing the days when the Yanks had Farnsworth trotting out there for the 8th. The pen has cost this team a number of games. Starters are being left in too long because there is no trust in any reliever to get a crucial out.
However somehow they are a game under .500, with a little help on the way. They need to start winning some games soon. Andy has to step up tomorrow and be the stopper.
Then it’s off to Baltimore and if the Yanks can’t get on a roll there then they might be in some real trouble.
We really miss Torre.
This ballclub is old, slow and no team spirits at all.
The new stadium seems to be cursed too. Simply hopeless.
The internet is bad for baseball.
“no team spirits at all.”
I agree, they need to get pissed off at the way they are playing and try to get it together. There is no shame in losing but not every night. And Tex is right, they found another way to lose. He said what everyone thinks.
Abandon all hope ye who enter here.
Reading comments like these really make me question the overall intelligence and sanity of people.
Team has problems, bench and bullpen mainly, and those are fixable, but to raise the white flag after 28 games? Baffling.
And oh yeah, any one who says they miss Torre are the same schmucks that wanted him gone after their exits in the 2004,2005,2006,AND 2007 seasons. So spare me your misguided pining for the good old days.
Every time the conversation turns to how much money the Yankees spent on free agents it gives credence to those who whine that the Yankees “bought themselves the pennant”. Enough. You can’t buy a championship. For crissakes, didn’t anybody learn anything from what happened in the 90′s?
As inept as the team has been, I don’t believe they dont have heart. They mount comebacks, but just cant finish the deal. Too often it’s due to the replacements for the guys on the DL. Last night, Pena’s error cost Burnett to thrown about 10 more pitches. Pena then made a play on a ball that he should have let roll foul. The runner stole second, was bunted to 3rd and score on a sac fly. A Rod more than likely lets that ball roll foul.
The 2 biggest at bats Tuesday night were by Jose Molina. He failed both times.
What the Yankees cant fix is the souless building they play in. Witrh its moat that separates the premium seats from the real fans, the new ballpark is more of a shrine to excess than it is a ballpark.
the problem is our bullpen is horrible with no help in sight.
we need to trade for a bullpen arm.
why not throw joba in the pen & call it a day?
he will be the future closer wich is a good thing.
i wan’t him as a starter but right now we are losing it because of our pen.
we should of traded for a good young starter.
we all talked about grienke before he became the best pitcher in baseball.cueto,volquez,gallardo,etc…
we probably could of gotten him for a few good prospects.
all we did is sign 3 high priced fa & called it quits.
yes we did keep our prospects but most of these prospects do not pan out so when you have a chance you have to better your team.
my only 2 problems are not upgrading cf & not getting bullpen help or one starting pitcher to replace joba in the rotation so he can go too the pen.
one starter & one rp.
next year we need a catcher & should dh posada.
can you imagine how bad we would be if melky didn;t get hot?
something has to be done about the bench & pen now.
The picture isn’t any prettier from 3,000 miles away. It’s time for Cashman to fire Girardi, Eiland, and Kevin Long and then he should resign. This team spent $210M dollars in payroll and they’re going to hang it all on “well A’Rod hasn’t played yet”? They shouldn’t need ARod. They shouldn’t need Manny. But what they have is awful managing on a nightly basis and until Girardi hits the bricks, the Yanks will continue to hit the skids. I say heads roll by June 1st.
in the offseason they should rip all the barriers down that divide people.
the yankees pushed the true fans who live & die with every pitch far away.
when pete showed the pic & commented about the real fans being near the foul pole with no way to get close it broke my heart.
i am so angry at the yankees for treating fans like second hand citizens.better bathrooms for sections that pay more,concrete walls around the more expensive sections.
is this baghdad or america?
it is a huge risk to change a simple business model that worked for years.
put a good team on the field & make it feel like everybody is part of it.up close & personal.
the yankees did the opposite & the people are speaking & putting enormous pressure on the yankees to fix it.
i think yer right.
no way with that much money spent we continue like this.
how ironic with torre doing great in la.
13 straight home wins.
who should be manager?
Who should be manager? I say they should go grovelling to Donnie Ballgame and hope he forgives them for snubbing him and hiring Girardi.
this team is like a huge corporate business performing for all the wrong reasons.
they have to win because of the stadium,contracts,etc.. instead of for the love of the game.
there is less pressure on youk,becket,etc because they are paid a lot less than tex,cc,burnett.
youk is as good as tex but getting a little more than a third of the money.
this team needs to be told by girardi to forget about everything and go out & have fun.
we simply cant waste pitching efforts like last night.
trade for a catcher & a few bullpen guys.
Celebrate a win. Ignore a loss.
The team with the clearest intention, the most passion for The Game, and the strongest belief in themselves will be the most successful.
Go Yankees!
Relax, have fun.
the feel of this team is all wrong with girardi.
he lies,dances around questions.
this team needs an older calmer manager like torre.
and for crying out loud will it hurt sabathia to throw a complete game shutout against some team in his lifetime???
santanna gives you 8 or 9 innings almost every night out of no run,one run or 2 run ball.
Disheartening loss last night. But, I loved that last AB by Ramiro Pena where he tried to slap the ball past Longoria. He didn’t get the call, but he showed me that he has a clue on what he should be doing at the plate in that situation.
I’m glad A-Rod is coming back, but part of me is going to miss watching this kid play. I’m sure the Yankees like Pena too, and I’m interested to see who goes out when A-Rod returns. Do the Yankees send Berroa down and keep Pena on the bench to play defense, pinch hit and pinch run, or keep Berroa and send Pena down so he gets more playing time.
Teixeira DID say, “We found another way to lose.”
BUT he also said, “There’s a lot of season left” to turn it around.
And he also said all it would take is for everyone to do just a little better.
He said he needed to hit a fly ball. He needed to do his job a little better.
Not everyone gets to or chooses to watch the postgame. Printing the most inflammatory quote just feeds the need for some fans to find a scapegoat and vent their frustration.
Teixeira was not in a good mood. Do you blame him? Was anyone after that game in a good mood?
Possibly the worst thing that happened last night was after Teixeira’s bases-clearing double, they stopped the game for a half hour. Teixeira also said in his post-game that that clearly stopped the momentum of that inning. But he said the rain was coming down so hard, he couldn’t see.
The post-game was ever so much more than simply, “We found another way to lose.”
Coke said he wouldn’t take back the pitch to Pena, because it was a good pitch, pretty much exactly where he wanted it. He refused to tip his hat to Pena because he said he doesn’t like to do that, but he acknowledged that Pena has hit a lot of HRs so far. He said he believes he could make the same pitch tomorrow and Pena would not it hit.
I don’t think you can fault AJ – 3 runs is not a lot of runs to give up. It’s just not. And until the Pena HR, the pen did a good job last night.
You can’t use Mariano for a 2-inning save in May. Heck, people were going nuts that he was used for a 4-out save in Fenway, which was a save he blew. Coke’s been the most consistent after Mariano.
No, the offense (or lack thereof) is responsible for this loss. And though Ramiro Pena’s error did not lead to a run, it cost AJ an inning and in that sense was damaging.
AJ expressed confidence that the team would turn it around, start clicking. You know what? I do believe that. It doesn’t look so wonderful now. But they won’t stay this bad. The pendulum will swing.
Carlos Pena is having a monster season. He kills the Red Sox, too. The division is full of good young players. Even Baltimore has a few. They don’t all make the big bucks, but they show up to play.
Hang the crepe already. Do people here really think the Yankees are going to be this bad all season? Yikes.
The worrying will stop once Friday comes around and A-Rod is back in the line-up. Boy have we missed him.
Pete, were you trying to get some sort of rise out of Joe last night at the post game?
He needs to find a way to light a fire or he’s going to find himself back in a broadcast booth somewhere, next season, or sooner. I’m starting to have flashbacks of growing up during the 80′s and early 90′s, watching the Yankees…. find ways to lose.
just for fun: any guesses about who would replace girardi if he’s gone? (for the record: i doubt that’s even close to happening)
Mike Francesa couldn’t have said it any better.
Can’t see this continuing with the current Yankee rotation improving as the season progresses.
The pen needs to be fixed however, the days of Veras and Ramirez numbered.
pete said the bc are chanting boston sucks while the yankees are playing tampa.
it does not have to make sense to pete or anybody else.
this is what makes them unique.
i think it is great.
Yeah Girardi isn’t safe, he better watch himself but they need to fire Kevin Long right now he is the biggest problem. The team never hits when they need too, always looking for homeruns instead of singles, a flyball, groundball etc. He is the worst hitting coach and how is Hank so quiet, he will erupt soon.
what are our pen options outside of bringing tomko up??
name the 7 pen guys.
mo
melancon
coke
robertson
?
?
?
acevez?
tomko?
igawa?
joba?
wang?
hughes?
dunn?
we need to carry 12 pitchers & bring up a bench guy.
arod
jeter
cano
tex
molina
cervelli
damon
melky
swish
gardner
matsui
pena & one more bench guy.
why not trade for a catcher & bullpen arm?
This is a bad baseball team, I don’t know why they don’t play for Girardi, he has to go. This everything will be OK baloney is what I heard last year right up to the day they were eliminated from the playoffs.
Hang the crepe already. Do people here really think the Yankees are going to be this bad all season? Yikes.
__________________________________
Yes, don’t you remember last year? This is the exact same feeling, only coming a lot sooner. How did last year’s trip to the playoffs turn out? Oh that’s right, what trip. Before you know it the Yankees will have dug themselves into a hole too big to climb out. Especially since Toronto is not the 4th place team in the East anymore. we’ll probably be 10 games under .500 by the ASB. You can forget about the wild card let alone winning the division.
I actually think the lack of people behind home is a secondary, if not tertiary priority right now. They will have to adjust the pricing of those seats in years ahead, they really don’t have a choice.
But what if A-Rod comes back and HE stinks, it’s not like the rest of lineup would protect him right now. He’s belting bombs off AA pitching.
bru:
great idea. Any ideas who might be available and who we’d have to give up? Any? Any? Didn’t think so.
I also think Girardi should probably go, and here’s why: Last year he broke camp with no long reliever. Early in the year, the bullpen got overworked and it cost them games and caused real problems in April and May.
This year, what did he do? The same thing. What was the result? The same.
You just can’t assume that, early in the season, you’re not going to have a starter go down or just plain stink, and if you don’t have a guy who can eat four or five innings, then it falls on middle relievers do so. If that happens more than once, there goes your bullpen, cause it’s early in the season for those guys, too.
Girardi watched this happen last year. He did the same thing this year. Got the same result. This tells me that he’s either not paying attention, or doesn’t learn from his mistakes. Neither is good. In general, he seems to think he’s managing in the National League. He’s not.
Add to this the fact that he doesn’t seem to motivate anyone in particular, himself included. I mean, if you were Jorge or Jeter, could you really put it out of your mind that this guy used to be a back up, and now he’s your boss? Could you take the guy seriously, especially after having worked for Torre for so long?
yankees should try to trade kennedy +…(??) to get a bullpen guy or catcher
Meanwhile the Dodgers are 21-8 and 13-0 at home. Great personnel move Cash, great move.
To think we had Carlos Pena in Triple A 2 years ago and just let him go for nothing. Our scouting department is ‘da pits’.
There is a culture of mediocrity and excuses that permeates the New York Yankees.
Every time the conversation turns to how much money the Yankees spent on free agents it gives credence to those who whine that the Yankees “bought themselves the pennant”. Enough. You can’t buy a championship. For crissakes, didn’t anybody learn anything from what happened in the 90’s?
I think that I figured out whats wrong with the Yankees. There is a $25,000 fine for any Yankee pitcher who throws a first pitch strike. At least Coke avoided the fine. The other problem is that the Yankee hitters beleive that all teams have a similar fine so they always take strike one. They might as well change the rules for the Yankee hitters and have them start with at least one strike before they come to the plate–sigh. Has anyone ever heard of the concept “be aggressive”? Sigh again
Wow Tex, really? I guess in this economy 180 Million can’t buy a little optimism?
“To think we had Carlos Pena in Triple A 2 years ago and just let him go for nothing.”
That stings bad. Dioner Navarro is another one that got away.
Part of the problem is the Manager. Girardi is a good baseball guy, and knows the game, but he has the personality of a turnip. Take spring training for example. He concocted all of these games, and trips to poolhalls, and miniature golf, to reach the players. A good manager can get their point across with a couple of words, and without bribing players to do their best. Btw, none of the spring training crapola worked. You have to ride your horses sometimes. That was the knock on Torre the past few years, he was coddling guys too much. Girardi needs to get a sense of urgency in his clubhouse, or else he’ll be sitting with the rest of the failed manager/broadcasters, who coulda, woulda, shoulda…
“To think we had Carlos Pena in Triple A 2 years ago and just let him go for nothing.”
That stings bad. Dioner Navarro is another one that got away.”
Don’t feel too bad on Pena, Boston let him go as well. Navarro is another story, since all we got back was Randy “The Ramrod” Johnson.
I have no problem with the Yankees firing Torre 2 years ago. You guys seem to forget that this team didn’t play for him either. The mistake was hiring Girardi, not firing Torre. They should have hired Mattingly, or a more experienced manager who could motivate the team if the didn’t want Mattingly.
Story of the year: Willie Randolph comes home to lead the Yanks to their 27th title.
great posts all. frequent reader. infrequent poster. bullpen is a disaster. farm system is incapable of seeding and when needed providing a stopgap for injuries. i understand the injuries but the 7-8-9 was melky,pena, molina. pee-you! awful.
this is not girardi’s fault but being there last night in 3rd row behind dugout you can sense and feel some things. and i cant help but sense girardi is too much of a contemporary for these guys to be the manager. there is no sense of the team playing for a boss or a real sense of urgency of performing for the skipper. i was not a torre fan but they all admired/respected him i think. there was a sense of obligation to play for the skipper and earn or keep your job. i repeat girardi is not the architect of this mess but i do not think he is the right guy. nothing really wrong in his x’s and o’s as they say but he just doesnt instill and inspire. the team looks dull and complacent. there is no doubt about that despite what burnett and others say. and i like these guys and believe they r real competitors. aj,cc,tex, swisher. but girardi is not the right guy to harness it. sit clse and observe the players and the dugout. this is a group on ruise control.
lastly. i understand cashman has his admirers and fans and has done some nice trades. peolpe talk about picking off the phillies but he has done a poor job inmo. picked off on humnerto snachez. salary dump or not. the posada contract was dumb. poor leverage or not. make a brave decision. i think the marte trade and deal is a joke. how do u re-up marte esp when he stunk while u had him? he rebuilt scouting and player evaluation. so the balme for thinking abaladajo, veras, etc, etc were cheap steals off the scrap heap who could excel in the al east is on him too. this org cant eval and develop players. and when they do have raw talent it seems they tweak it and reshape it into something far below its potential. cashman should be the first to blame.
and god forbid maybe the steinbrenners should just relinquish control. yea,yea, yea they spend for the fans and we love them for it. but that hasnt built a real winner and a durable, self reliant team. they had a chance to save this team and org and they blew it when they got suckered into taking arod back(not cashman fault). and dont think that 30 mill on arod isnt a reason why they didnt trade for santana when all they had to give up as hughes,melky, etc. that more than anything the past few yrs is the problem. t hey have been trying to make up for that poor decision ever since. stop running this teeam like a cable content company and rebuil a baseball franchise. i dont care about watching yankee classics and having the home run king on the team when he is 38. go back to baseball. you will sell tickets and generate revenue. probably more.
do not make the mistake of thinking that arod comes back and stretches out that lineup and erything will be ok. i hope he tears it up. i really do. and i hope i am wrong.
last , last point. i think these starters joba, burnett are holding back a bit b/c they fear getting hurt and not living up to expectationa and earning the bucks(in aj case). i respect that but let it it go.
MANNY RAMIREZ TESTED POSITIVE>
ESPN NEWS…yikes.
RedSox 2004, forever tainted! YES!
Can’t wait to hear about when Ortiz juiced!
Now people can lay off Arod a bit, at least he wasn’t caught Red handed like Manny!
This team is bloated with overpaid players. If they don’t have the internal hunger to excel, they get paid anyhow. In this instance, we have an apathetic team that spends more time thinking about how to spend their money than win games.