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Catch as catch can

Peter Abraham
May
7

Since people are asking …

Jose Molina (left quad) appears headed for the DL based on what Joe Girardi said tonight.

Unless Brian Cashman can make an overnight trade, Kevin Cash and Chris Stewart are the catchers at Triple-A Scranton. I would think one of them will be summoned.

A 40-man roster move will have to be made. That could be Angel Berroa.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 7th, 2009 at 11:53 pm by Peter Abraham.
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142 Responses to “Catch as catch can”

  1. Aunt Becca-Optimist Prime

    This is ridiculous.

    I know teams get beat up, but over the past three seasons as a whole, has any team been as beat up as the Yankees?

    Okay, probably. I know I’m biases.

    But serious, two days after Posada goes down?

    Someone didn’t want the old Yankee Stadium to be torn down.

  2. Ed H.

    Activate Girardi. Or Yogi. Somebody!!!

    (As Casey said, “You’ve got to have a catcher or there will be a lot of passed balls.)

  3. m

    Pete,

    Terrible, terrible news. But there will be at least 2 moves tomorrow. Most likely DFA Berroa for Alex. And a catcher for Jose. Gonna miss his smile…and his gun.

    And we need fresh arms in the pen.

    Who heard Mo after the game? What did he say?

  4. Trevor

    Bye bye Angel. Too bad he won’t be taking the 3 Strooges with him.

  5. geO

    I say acquire Benjie Molina!

    I might get flamed but hell it’s worth it.

  6. Someone Else

    Unfortunately, teams don’t just give catchers with replacement level bats away for free.

    And I don’t think Cashman can get a catcher we’d actually want without including Hughes, Jackson, or Montero, and those are untouchables, pure and simple.

    He should try to see if he can get Miguel Montero without trading the farm, but I’m guessing he’s already inquired.

  7. S.A.--It's a marathon, not a sprint. Calm down.

    These is ridiculous.
    Keep everyone wrapped up in bubble wrap

  8. Someone Else

    “I say acquire Benjie Molina!

    I might get flamed but hell it’s worth it.”

    That would leave the Giants without a catcher. I don’t think they’d do that.

  9. Al from BK

    Pretty sad story. I will keep optimism that the black hole behind the plate will be eclipsed by A-Rods mighty bat. IDK I’m running out of ideas.

  10. Trevor

    This is why you can’t play Molina too many days in row. This happened to him last year, getting hurt. Only difference is it was a hamstring.

  11. Tex's Friend (Best 5 ever)

    isnt cash on the dl too?

  12. ElGuapo

    Curses anyone? This is just beyond normal, bordering on the surreal.

  13. Giuseppe Franco

    And I don’t think Cashman can get a catcher we’d actually want without including Hughes, Jackson, or Montero, and those are untouchables, pure and simple.

    ———–

    You never know. They got Pudge Rodriguez for Farnsworth last season.

    Granted, it was late July not early May – but still.

  14. Tex's Friend (Best 5 ever)

    we need a lot of 40 man moves.

    add some fielders, drop some pitchers, catcher, etc..

    bring up shelley, bring back alex, drop one of the 8 relievers (veras).

  15. Carpazi

    Pete, you’ve been quite the downer lately. We’ve got our team to do that for us, it doesn’t need to be compounded.

    The picture your painting of this organization, well it’s not so good. The “Evil Empire” is just a stupid nickname! Take a chill pill!

  16. m

    We’re not getting Benjie Molina. He’s their best offensive player. Had 2 more homeruns today.

    I’m going to miss Hosey. I think AJ will, too. :(

  17. Brian from PA

    when is someone gonna invent an artificial hamstring or something for these guys? jeez.

  18. vin

    I guess my Opening Day prediction for Trisha’s log was a bit over-ambitious. 99 wins?! I guess I was blinded by the great rotation, strong bullpen (based on ‘08 performance), deep bench, the new element of speed, contract years for Matsui and Damon, gold glove defense and great plate discipline from Tex…

    Oh hell, I’m sticking with that prediction!!!!

  19. Repoko

    Perfect opportunity to trade Veras and Edwar for a young catcher so we don’t DFA them and get nothing

    Work the phones, Cash.

  20. vin

    “Granted, it was late July not early May – but still.”

    That’s the toughest part about all these injuries. Seems like no one ever makes deals this early in the season. I wish this was happening in June or July. :/

  21. Bronx Jeers

    “At this point, even a manager change won’t do anything. There under so much pressure to win, it’s making them impotent.”
    ————————————————————————————-

    That’s exactly what sent Manny running to the wrong doctor.

    Look at him now. $8 mil lighter and his sack is still shrunken.

  22. derek

    Dear Mr. Cashman,

    I am a 27 y/o male from the Tri-State area, 5′11″ 210, with a limited injury history and an exception record in MLB 2k9. I caught and played 3rd Base in Little League, and feel the need to throw my hat in the ring for any opening you may have at this time.
    Please let me know about any positions you may have open as soon as possible, as I will have to arrange vacation time from work, and find someone else to perform my Schrutish duties in my department.
    Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

    Cordially,

    Your only catching prospect with body hair and w/out his virginity

    ps-win a g/d game, please.

  23. Sky 232

    Anyone else feel like crying after today;s game?

  24. Someone Else

    “You never know. They got Pudge Rodriguez for Farnsworth last season.

    Granted, it was late July not early May – but still.”

    Pudge was a salary dump, and hit about as well as Farnsworth pitched. And yeah, Late July is much different from May.

  25. pat

    m

    He was caught off guard that the media knew his arm wasn’t 100% so they told him Girardi told them.

    Said that’s not an excuse because he wouldn’t take the ball if he didn’t think he could do the job. Said he would get stronger with time.

    He seemed down but was saying all the right things.

  26. Ed H.

    Nobody is going to give us anything of value for Veras and Edwar. Would you?

  27. Jay

    Can’t believe we lost 5 in a row at home, 4 of them to division rivals.

    We’re reaching new levels of ineptitude. $200 million dollars and we’re hanging on for dear life and in desperate need of some life.

  28. Zolio

    Would anyone be in favor of reacquiring Pudge if he came cheaply for like Veras or someone?

  29. Someone Else

    There’s nothing dumber than people citing a payroll and assuming that guarantees a 162-0 record.

  30. DT

    “Anyone else feel like crying after today;s game?”

    Yes, but I think it’s just allergy season.

  31. m

    pat,

    Thanks for that. So what exactly is up? Girardi said arm strength not there? Does that have something to do with a light spring due to arm surgery? Is it something that needs rest?

    Mo needs to get right, not try to be a hero out there. Bruney did the same thing, and look what happened.

  32. Giuseppe Franco

    Pudge was a salary dump, and hit about as well as Farnsworth pitched. And yeah, Late July is much different from May.

    ————–

    Uh, yeah. I made that distinction. Early May is different than late July.

    And it doesn’t matter how he produced after coming over – the Yanks needed a catcher and they got one.

    We can’t predict how any of these guys are going to turn out.

  33. Christina

    Say no to Pudge, is my motto. Ivan Rodriguez hasn’t been good since he stopped using steroids.

  34. DYNASTY IS DESTINY!

    But the question I would have for Girardi, is that if Mo is not 100%, how do we know that he won’t hurt himself by pressing?

    Why is he pitching at all if he’s not at 100%?

  35. vince

    only five straight home losses can make A-Rod a sympathetic figure, a savior.

  36. CaptainsCorner

    It’s time to get the stache…He is playing in AAA for the Rockies. Hitting all of .182. But at least he is a veteran and not a AA rookie. Or we can wait until June to get Zaun when Wieters comes up.

  37. Freddy

    Any chance we can get Ramon Castro??? The Mets are down on this guy, and he is actually a pretty darn good hitter. Cash should get on the horn with Omar and get something done…

  38. THE STADIUM THAT GREED BUILD

    Someone didn’t want the old Yankee Stadium to be torn down.

    Maybe The Babe Didn’t wan’t the House that he build torn down. Remember when the Babe curse ruled for 86 Years for the other team. Maybe it’s out turn now.

  39. John

    For the money we pay these guys, they better win close to 162 a year.

  40. Betsy

    I would love to scream about how unfair these injuries are, but what good would it do? It IS unfair – it really sucks. Didn’t Alex have a quad injury? They rushed him back and he had to go on the DL (the initial injury wasn’t that serious). This is ridiculous – Cashman needs to make a trade right now, even though he will get held up. It can’t be helped. Plus, the pitchers now have to get used to completely new catchers – words can’t express how painful Molina’s loss is at this point.

    On to Mo – I thought initially that maybe he should rehab further in Tampa, but now I don’t think so. They really had no choice but to be careful with him in ST, so now his arm is weak.. but apparently he feels great. That is good news, it’s very good news. Can they pitch him more than 1 inning more often now ? If not, how will he ever get his arm strength back? It will take awhile……

    Someone mentioned that the pitchers probably hate pitching in the new YS- I don’t blame them. It seemed to me that the HRs hit tonight were smashed, but I could be wrong – without replays, it was hard to tell.

  41. Bronx Jeers

    Mo’s not hurt. He’s just not at full strength yet.

    At least that’s what he said.

  42. pat

    m

    Girardi and Mo made it sound like consistent but controlled use is what they needed to shoot for.

    He needs the work to get the strength back but not overuse until the strength is really there.

    You could tell Girardi was trying to be open with the media (and Pete wasn’t there to see it) without setting off alarms and Mo was downplaying the questions until someone told him Girardi had said something that opened the door for the questions they were asking.

  43. MattNC

    Can we hire back that trainer we fired, and then fire him again?

  44. Aunt Becca-Optimist Prime

    You know, I’d rather have these injuries early than late.

    Early, there’s plenty of time to recover and come back and help the team.

    We will get everyone back.

    It starts with A-Rod. Today, technically.

  45. m

    Totally off topic, but did you guys hear about a woman arrested at Dirk Nowitzki’s house? I thought she was a stalker.

    Turns out she’s got like 8 aliases, and was wanted for some kind of fraud. Oh, and she’s his fiance. And she’s allegedly pregnant with his child.

    Saw video of her and him in his kitchen. Talk about frau. What was he thinking? He investigates her after he gets involved with her.

  46. pat

    “For the money we pay these guys, they better win close to 162 a year.”

    A long lost Steinbrenner brother?

  47. REZ

    Of course MO isin’t 100%…. he is throwing 88-89 MPH cookies right down the heart of the plate. Can’t get away with that for very long at the ML level or you will get torched.

  48. vin

    So we have Hosey and Ransom on the DL with quad injuries? Great…

  49. pat

    m

    Nowitzki’s fiance sounds alot like Tabata’s wife. :shock:

  50. James J

    The players in general probably hate playing at this half-empty launching pad that sounds like a church 1\2 the time.

    On the other hands, the opponents love it. No distractions or a rowdy crowd to deal with and pop ups that leave the park.

  51. Nick in SF

    Blech.

    Losing Molina is not nearly as bad as losing Jorge was. He’s a fine, fine receiver, yes, but we have seen over and over that he’s great as a backup and as a regular… not so much. The difference between the non-Cervelli replacement and Molina might be a lot or it might not be so much at all.

    Only time will tell. ;)

    Sincerely,

    The Optimistic Molina Truther Society

  52. S.A.--It's a marathon, not a sprint. Calm down.

    Totally off topic, but did you guys hear about a woman arrested at Dirk Nowitzki’s house? I thought she was a stalker.

    Turns out she’s got like 8 aliases, and was wanted for some kind of fraud. Oh, and she’s his fiance. And she’s allegedly pregnant with his child.

    Saw video of her and him in his kitchen. Talk about frau. What was he thinking? He investigates her after he gets involved with her.

    ========================

    Whoa. Weird! :shock:

  53. Nick in SF

    “You know, I’d rather have these injuries early than late.
    Early, there’s plenty of time to recover and come back and help the team.”

    There’s also plenty of time for a second round of injuries. :(

    Or so a pessimist would say. Not me. All hands on deck for the stretch drive!

  54. stuart

    the injuries are excuses. look at the angels, toronto, and even the cards.. it is a excuse. this team should win as is.

    read Pete’s comments it is like having stephon marbury comment about the yanks.. pete if the yanks are so terrible and everything about them terrible maybe you can get a transfer from the hell you must be going thru..

    I have not been to the new terrible stadium but most people I read say they love it, even with the moat to seperate the rich and famous from the common folk..

    thur 28 games the mega underachievers are tex(by a mile) really could he play worse, I think DOug M whould have played better. tex wants the big dollars so he needs to man up and be smart.. grounding to the pitcher on a 3 and 0 count is not good enough. get out but at least battle.

    the next big failure is CC, look at his #’s they want to play here and get the big dollars they need to pick it up, not being unreasonable just fair.

    again Pete how get you be releived of the yankee gulag!!!

  55. m

    pat,

    I hope they’re at different “spas”. Tabata’s wife might want to steal Dirk’s baby! She looks like she’s Jeter’s race and she has a hick accent. Really strange. Seriously, she looked like the housekeeper, but he was hugging her. I guess Claudia Schiffer & Heidi Klum (prego!) weren’t available.

    BTW. ESPN reporting that Manny tested for elevated levels of testosterone. Upon further investigation they found he was prescribed hCG. They didn’t believe Manny’s tale because he didn’t ask for the excemption to use the drug, nor did he use the team doctors. So, his failed test was “synthetic testosterone”?

  56. frank

    Jesus Montero, is he to green?

  57. stuart

    giambi is really playing good this year, or as Pete calls him the Big G.

    I am not a Arod lover.. o me he is phony and just ackward but he is not a bad guy. he is not a derelict, or a mean guy. his big problem is he tries to hard to be a nice guy. Imagine that being a crime.. Manny Ramirez caught today, his excuse is ludicrous. he got caught this year. arod got caught a few years ago when there was no penalty, manny quit on his team, he watch Mo throw 3 pitches down the middle and did not swing intentionally, what is arods great crime > Being a phony is not a federal crime…

    Pete is just a chowdah guy, they can never let the new england chip on there shoulder go.. They have monopolized misery, they love it…. It is old Pete maybe you need a new beat…..

  58. m

    *exemption

    BTW, Pete. You sure know your hot buttons. Your little “jokey” hit quite a few nerves. Maybe because there was a hit of ironic truth?

  59. DMan

    Andy pitched his heart out tonight

    Maybe if this team could hit and get an out from their bullpen, they would win some games.

  60. m

    *hint of ironic truth.

    The only one taking hits is the guy from Cali who has previously denied taking any.

  61. Khoa

    Suit up, Girardi! Kidding aside, has the manager ever suited up and gotten some playing time in years past? Or is there something in the rules that prohibit that?

  62. stuart

    andy gets a pass from the fans. he tried and that is great and all but Pettitte did not get the job done at all. when the score was 4 to 4 giving up a blast of zobrist is terrible..people give him a pass because he is the suppose 5th starter now but his #’s are bad also. Pettite does not make 5th starter money either..

    Again bottom line a staff that should be top in all of baseball is 29th… that is sick..pettitte, joba, wang, hughes, aj, and cc have been total disasters so far, the good news is they can easily turn it around

  63. TexasYanksfan

    I hope A-Rod brings his cousin.

  64. pat

    From AP
    “Teixeira said he’s been text messaging Rodriguez every few days during his rehab, and could stand to benefit the most from his return.”

    Tex volunteered to have his parents pick Alex up at the airport in Baltimore. :wink:

  65. Dee

    it’s official. the yankees are cursed. still hoping for a turn around.

  66. Someone Else

    “Suit up, Girardi! Kidding aside, has the manager ever suited up and gotten some playing time in years past? Or is there something in the rules that prohibit that?”

    Has to be on the roster, I’d imagine.

  67. Betsy

    DMan, Andy pitched badly tonight…..bad start, bad finish. He doesn’t get a pass………..Of course I think he’ll be fine, but tonight he wasn’t

  68. Nick in SF

    Another text message from Teixeira????

    That’s not what it’s supposed to mean…

  69. stuart

    where is Egawa with his pitch mo 2 innings yesterda? Yeah maybe the idiot did not know Mo is still working on his arm strength

    what rosey upbeat non snarky comments will Pete have Manana???????

    Imagine if the yanks played in a dump stadium with clubhouses the size of 3rd world bathrooms, in a city which was the last to have black players and all there previous stars are almost universally hated at the end of there careers such as ; ted williams(later on they loved him) manny, nomar, damon, and the list goes on….

  70. CaptainsCorner

    “Tex volunteered to have his parents pick Alex up at the airport in Baltimore.”

    That was so nice of him…Tex better watch out Alex might try to hit on his mom…JUST KIDDING!!

  71. stuart

    again tex can get out but dribblers on 3 and 0 counts weak pops to the outfield with 2 men on and 1 out…

    trying to hard never works in baseball when will they learn???

  72. Betsy

    pat, lol……..

    Alex is no savior – he’s just one man, he’s not superman (no player is). He can’t give Mo back his arm strength or pitch out of the pen. He can’t help Tex and co. hit with RISP. The expectations for him (and I expect Alex to be rusty) are getting inordinately high – it’s not fair to him.

  73. dennis-costanza

    NickSF.

    Did you have a play on the Angels as per a previous post? If so, great bet. Weaver spins a CG.

    -dennis

  74. pat

    Nick

    He’s been wasting them on Alex instead of saving them for Sterling.

  75. Aunt Becca-Optimist Prime

    Honestly Girardi coming back as catcher wouldn’t bother me too much. Kid can still play.

  76. pat

    “Tex better watch out Alex might try to hit on his mom…”

    If it means someone else gets booed too and Mark gets to see fastballs, Daddy Tex is okay with it.

  77. Betsy

    AJ and CC haven’t been disasters – they’ve been somewhat up and down, but disasters? No. AJ has been basically solid except for 1 game – he’ll heat up soon as power pitchers are won’t to do. CC, IMO, has been more disappointing, but he’s starting to come on. He’s got to avoid the one bad inning he always seems to have. The thing I am most disappointed in with these guys is their inability to hold opposing teams down after the Yankees score, but I’m hoping that’s just a function of them not being sharp. When these guys are on, they all can shut down the opposition.

    The pen is a disaster – I don’t see how that can be easily fixed, if it can be fixed at all – and so is the catching situation.

  78. Nick in SF

    Thanks, Tex, now Arod will return with carpal tunnel syndrome…

    dennis: I did have an Angels play, but my earlier statement was just anti-Blue Jays sentiment. I also have an over-9.5 play, which balanced out the game win. Indians +1.5 was a loser. My P.O.D was the Cavs -13.5 straight and teased with the over. Like I said, they are on cruise control until they meet LA.

    Hope your evening went well.

  79. E-gawa

    Stuart little,

    We all don’t have doctor degrees like you do.

  80. S.A.--It's a marathon, not a sprint. Calm down.

    Not a fan of Star Trek, but I do actually wanna see this movie:

    http://www.startrek.com/startr.....index.html

    Looks pretty okay

  81. CaptainsCorner

    I wonder if the loser Orioles are still not going to allow Yankee fans into the stadium for this weekend series?! Also who do we think will get booed more Tex or Arod? I will go with Arod will get the roid calls but Tex will hear the boos more. Since their “fans” still can’t understand why a player wouldn’t take $40m less to play there. Yeah I wonder why.. .

  82. Wilson

    In our last 19 games, the starter has pitched atleast 7 innings in only 4 of them.

    That isin’t going to get it done, especially with this bullpen.

    And how many times have they gotten a lead, only to blow it the following inning? Nothing more demoralizing for a team than that.

  83. dennis-costanza

    NickSF.

    Evening went well. Thanks for asking. Amy and I are headed to Maine for 6 months on Saturday so the prep has my insomnia in full force!

    Good pick re:Cavs. What was the O/U?

    I agree that the Cavs will run away with the East.

    -dennis

  84. Seymore

    Take out Burnett’s Boston start and his ERA is 4.03… right about his career average (especially in the AL)

    He isin’t Roy Halladay folks. Stop expecting him to throw 8 scoreless every night. He is an erratic hard thrower with mediocre control. He isin’t going to be there game in and game out. But he is doing fine, unless you expected him to be some kind of ace.

  85. m

    SA,

    Not a trekkie myself, but those Star Trek/Burger King commercials are hilarious.

    Has anyone seen the Angels & Demons/NBA Playoffs commercial? Nice.

    Dodgers, have given up 10 unanswered runs. Undefeated home streak on the line.

  86. DYNASTY IS DESTINY!

    “In our last 19 games, the starter has pitched atleast 7 innings in only 4 of them.”

    So 15 of our last 19 games we’ve needed to rely on the pen from the 7th on…

    Amazing how much a pen has to pitch over the course of a season isn’t it?

    Wonder how we’ll fix this pen…

  87. dennis-costanza

    Mel.

    The Karma has changed in LA with Manny’s news today IMO.

    Solid game 2 for your Lakers. Celts looked good but they are just delaying the inevitable w/out KG imo/

    -dennis

  88. AZTravos

    Andy looked done last year, though he was hurt.

    He was supposed to be our #5 starter, whose value was innings. Match him up against other teams #5 and the goal was to score more runs than the other team and get 7 innings from Andy.

    The problem is, with our pitching woes, he has to be more than that. We basically need him to pitch great for now. A 6 IP, 4 ER performance kills us considering we can’t score or get anyone out.

    A lot of people have to do more than they are capable of to compensate for our injuries— Teixeria, Hughes, Pettitte etc.

  89. Nick in SF

    I think the O/U was 181, I had it teased down to 176.

    I have a prop bet that I win if the Cavs take it all and the it becomes a No Action bet if the Lakers win it all. The promotion was, bet anyone but the Lakers and your bet is refunded if the Lakers win the title. So I’m obviously rooting for a Cleveland-LA finals. Best case scenario, is that the Cavs with the title no matter who they face. Worst case scenario is that someone beats LA in the west and then wins the title. Not too worried about that.

  90. Ed H.

    CaptainsCorner, I’ll be at the game Saturday with my Yankees hat and jersey. BTW, I bought three tickets on Craigslist today for $20 total.

  91. Nick in SF

    I wonder how many times Joba the Bullpen Wonder would have been used in all those games in which the started couldn’t get past the 6th inning…

  92. Zak

    This is beginning to get ri-god-damn-diculous. How about some more injuries? Anybody? Seriously. I know the cliche phrase that ‘all teams have injuries,’ but over the past few seasons, and especially this year, no one has had nearly the amount of injuries we’ve had. At least, not with players are important. Our starting catcher, backup catcher, starting 3B, starting RF.. it’s beyond belief at this point, not to mention two of our better relievers in Marte and Bruney.

    Anyways, thank the good lord A-Rod comes back tonight. Here’s to another 2007 repeat. Okay, no? Umm.. please!?

    It seems like nothing else can go wrong at this point *knock on wood*

    I just hope the rotation can heat up, especially CC who starts tonight, and the bullpen can eventually develop over the next month, since it is stacked with minor leaguers. If we can get Melancon going, and maybe Veras turned around.. add to that Coke and Rivera.. and then get Bruney and Marte back.. we’ll be in decent shape.

    Thank God it’s early May. That’s all I have to say. Or I might just make eat some hay.. make some clay.. down by the bay.. I just may.

  93. Harold

    I’m not as worried about the Yankees as I am our competition in the division.

    Sure, we’ll turn it around eventually, but will it be too late? What if Toronto doesn’t fade like everyone expects? We all know Boston is a great team. Tampa is tied with us now and looks like they have found their groove. This division is brutal. We can’t afford to fall behind too many and play catchup in the summer time. These other teams in front of us have great pitching too. They’re not doing it with smoke and mirrors, they are doing it with good pitching. That can keep a team in any race.

    If we played in the AL Central, there would be 0 concerns.

  94. m

    dennis,

    You seem down on your C’s. Obviously we’re all concerned about the Cavs. But don’t you think the Celtics have a better chance of beating them than the Magic? Whichever team has more presence in the paint. I heard there was a red carpet to the bucket tonight. Thanks, Duhwayne.

  95. pat m in ct

    m-
    you asked earlier about what Mo said. In addition to what Pat said, he mentioned velocity isn’t quite where he wants it to be and acknowledged that he’s not at 100%. He was trying to not reveal too much and seems to think that he will get to 100% in time.

    khoa- there have been a few player-managers. Yogi with the ‘64 team but I don’t think he played much. Lou Boudreau back in the mid 50s at SS played more.

  96. DYNASTY IS DESTINY!

    I wonder if Teixeira will get booed more in Baltimore than he did tonight…

    Hopefully he’ll start turning things around soon…

  97. E-gawa

    Nick, Who knows?

    But it really is much more exciting to watch him go 5 and then leave the other half of the game to the bullpen. At least he struck out 12, that’s all that matters.

  98. Fran

    The expectations for A-Rod are almost as high as they were for Melancon

  99. GreenBeret7

    pat
    May 8th, 2009 at 12:44 am
    From AP
    “Teixeira said he’s been text messaging Rodriguez every few days during his rehab, and could stand to benefit the most from his return.”

    Tex volunteered to have his parents pick Alex up at the airport in Baltimore.

    ————————————————————

    So much for the media BS that Teixeira had issue with Rodriguez as team mates in Texas.

  100. Ed H.

    Yogi didn’t play when he managed the team in ‘64. He was though a player-coach with the Yanks in ‘63.

  101. dave

    tHE FACT that cashman relied on posada to stay healthy AGAIN this year which he NEVER will again is just looking worse and worse. PJ pillitere anyone? I would say montero but one, he wont do well and two, we are sacrificing our top positional prospect’s future for the present. So pilletere it is. He is not on the 40 man I dont think so goodbye to berroa or a reliever. While there at it, they should find a way to get miranda and duncan up here as well. We need pinch hitters in those ninth inning at bats sometimes.

  102. m

    pat m in ct,

    Thanks for that. Don’t know if we should be worried or not. He pitched all of last season with calcification. He’s looked good at times, but not often enough. The old Mo would not have hung those pitches, so maybe it’s a matter of velocity, and not finishing off his pitches (product of not being 100%).

    Compounded by the fact that April is usually his worse month, no? But the calendar has turned. :(

  103. CaptainsCorner

    Hopefully they can put some runs on the board tomorrow to give CC something to work with. Guthrie has been tough on them..and on Monday they get Halladay.

  104. dennis-costanza

    Mel.

    Just a realist. They could not win in the PS with KG last year and I do not see them winning on the road vs the Magic or Cavs so it will be a tough road. The Bulls series must have felt like 10 games.

    Also, Bay’s HR had nothing to do with Fenway. The ball was hit out of one the deepest part of the park. It is out of every MLB park/stadium IMO.

    The Yanks will be fine. The rotation is too solid to not string together a few streaks that put them in decent shape.

    Tex will hit. Arod will hit. Harold said it well, if the Yanks, TB or Sox played in the Central and or West it would be a non issue since it is early May.

    Go Jake Ingram.

    -dennis

  105. Russ

    I really think Cashman would sacrifice this year before moving Joba back to the pen

    So the “Joba in the rotation” crowd may get their wish…. at the expense of no playoffs.

    5.2 innings does nothing for us right now. Maybe next year, but not now. 3.1 innings of this awful bullpen it not a recipe for success.

  106. Nick in SF

    With all due respect, E-gawa, if you can’t understand by now that Joba did not hatch as a fully-formed 8+ innings per game, 200+ innings per year starter and that he actually has to learn all that on the job, I don’t think anything anyone can say here will help.

  107. dennis-costanza

    Pat-

    I think Pete Rose may have been the last player manager in MLB however I will defer to GB7 who has forgotten more about Abner Doubleday’s creation than I know.

    GB7- Please advise.

    -dennis

  108. E-gawa

    To be fair I think we need another starter (wang) to even talk about Joba to the pen. Right now, it doesn’t really help.

  109. pat

    GB

    Or Pete saying none of his teammates had heard from him in absentia. :wink:

    I’m not disappointed but kind of surprised the pitchfork wielding media hasn’t demanded to hear from Manny. Alex got to be like the first child for Boras so you learn what not to do with the next one.

  110. Weather Man

    Bottom line – Joba doesn’t help us ANYWHERE now.

    5 innings (regardless of strikeouts) does nothing because the pen is putrid and is automatic runs for the other team so even if he has a good start it will be wasted.

    And him in the pen does nothing since we rarely have had a lead after 7-8 in the past 2 weeks and the starters/offense have sucked too.

    His best role is TBD. Let’s see how the team shapes up in the coming weeks. Which steps up more? The rotation or bullpen?

  111. m

    Dennis,

    I just assume anything over the monster would be a lazy fly ball else where. ;)

    Russ,

    Joba can’t pitch 3.1 everyday, or even one day as a reliever. It simply is not fair to Joba or his development to yank him back and forth. I am in favor of moving him to the bullpen near the end of the season to taper off his IP count. But let him get the bulk of his innings or it will take him 5 years of the proper incremental increases to get him anywhere near 200 IP.

    Joba as a starter or Joba as an 8th/closer will not put this team over the edge. They have issues that can be solved, just don’t know if they can deal with having so many issues at one time.

  112. Nick in SF

    Joba didn’t help us in Detroit?

  113. E-gawa

    Nick.. He didn’t.. He hatched as one of the most dominant set up and eventual closers in the game.

  114. m

    *over the top.

    This team is already over the edge. Maybe a change of scenery will help.

  115. Yankees 88

    How about Cashman earn his $3.5 million and find another solution for the pen that doesn’t involve Joba?

    He has this great farm system that he has been in control of for 4 years right? Must have enough chips to get a couple arms.

  116. pat m in ct

    m-
    I’m not worried yet. Some more time and warmer weather should help. And drier weather (it’s been wet and kind of raw here for a week) He looks sharp on some batters and gets hit when the movement isn’t there. You got to give Crawford credit too-he battled. I just hope the injury bug dies off.

  117. V Carz3

    Joba had a good start in Detroit… how many insurance runs has the pen allowed this year?

    How many games has the pen cost us?

  118. E-gawa

    I really wish they never put Joba in the pen to begin with because it feels like such a waste of talent right now. By the time this kid is ready.. Mo will be setting up someone.. Posada a full time DH, Jeter might not even be on this team.. It’s going to be a different team.

  119. hobbie

    the royals were able to sneak a switch hitting catcher through waivers in the past week. do you think that Cash could have made a claim. His “brilliant” strategy of stocking the 40 man with mostly pitching prospects has left the cupboard bare of position players.

    Can swisher catch? Can Girardi still bend down?

  120. Nick in SF

    The Invasion of the Joba Snatchers claims another victim. :(

  121. Pat M

    One good turn thru the rotation will have everyone back in love with your 2009 NY Yankees….It all starts with pitching as we all know…….

  122. Mike

    They could go one good time through the rotation and go 1-4 with the gagging this offense does on a nightly basis.

  123. pat m in ct

    dennis-

    I think you’re right about Pete Rose. I can’t think of anyone else. It is rare. For Girardi to do it, he’d be shaking off the rust of a few seasons (5 years?)

  124. Nick in SF

    I hope that is correct, Pat M. CC could really make a statement by going 8 innings strong tomorrow.

  125. E-gawa

    It’s going to be interesting with 2 rookie catchers if Molina is on the DL.

  126. mike

    What about PJ Pilliatre isn’t he our aaa starter?

  127. GreenBeret7

    dennis-costanza
    May 8th, 2009 at 1:26 am
    Pat-

    I think Pete Rose may have been the last player manager in MLB however I will defer to GB7 who has forgotten more about Abner Doubleday’s creation than I know.

    GB7- Please advise.

    -dennis

    ————————————————————

    Well, yeah, officially, Rose was the last player-manager. However, for about 10 years of the Torre regime, the Yankees had a player-manager once a year.

  128. GreenBeret7

    pat
    May 8th, 2009 at 1:29 am
    GB

    Or Pete saying none of his teammates had heard from him in absentia.

    I’m not disappointed but kind of surprised the pitchfork wielding media hasn’t demanded to hear from Manny. Alex got to be like the first child for Boras so you learn what not to do with the next one.

    ————————————————————

    I really hope that Rodriguez tells the media that the first time one of them asks about his private life or mentions steroids, he’ll stop the interview and freeze that writer out. It’s strictly baseball and nothing else.

    Love how they have all of the inside info and it’s never right.

    Not sure if you read the remark from Pa that he never stated that he never said that the Yanks were better off without Rodriguez. It was back in ST when Ransom and Pena were hitting and NYY was winning.

  129. ew

    Nick Swisher just tweeted:
    “I just had a glove Fed-Exed to Baltimore. I’m replacing Mo,Mo & Georgie tomorrow… working on a knuckleball I can throw with either hand and catch myself with the new glove. Joe’s happy because we can carry 17 pitchers now.”

  130. Ronny Aka EL FUERTE

    GET MAX RAMIREZ OR Teagarden from Texas. They have 3 catchers and I know they’ll trade one of them.

  131. jpb1973

    Folks, its time to face facts…the Yankees are not going to trade for another catcher. There simply aren’t any major league catchers out there that aren’t busy. The Yankees will go with Cervelli and Cash until either Posada or Molina are ready to play. Thats not good news but its reality.

  132. Lauren

    When is Posada supposed to the back?

  133. JohnC

    Brayn Pena was out there for the taking. Cashman didn’t even take a look. Now he’d have to trade for someone.

  134. billy

    someone mentioned PJ. Seriously? he’s a great kid but he might hit a bit but he threw out 2-of-20 AAA runners. Won’t happen. Granted some of them were on the pitchers but still that’s a lot.

  135. billy

    Agreed on Brayan Pena. Every team dropped the ball. Pena now plays for Omaha with JR House. House can hit and is a fair catcher. He’s stuck behind Pena and the KC catchers. I would look at a guy like that. Thinking more along the lines of the trade for Molina only giving up Jeff Kennard.

  136. JohnC

    Problem now is that teams know the Yanks are in a bind so they will likely get held up in any trade attempts.

  137. Tank

    Hey Pete, have any trainers or medical staffers been fired over the past year?

  138. Fan Interference

    Oh, this is just great. Great.

  139. Chad

    This team is just plain out of sorts. Like stunned, clueless people walking around in a daze.

  140. sevrox

    Nick in SF: May 8th, 2009 at 12:55 am

    re: Tex’s parents picking up Arod in Baltimore – “Thanks, Tex, now Arod will return with carpal tunnel syndrome…”

    No, that would be Ft. McHenry Tunnel Syndrome.

    nyuknyuk

  141. emac2

    There is no question we make a trade.

    The team is struggling too much to cobble together some minor league catchers.

    I’m sure we will overpay but Posada is out and totally unreliable for this year.

    Molina is no more than a backup.

    We have tons of young pitching we can trade an just need to pay the price for a good catcher. We should have signed Bengie when he was a free agent instead of Posada (but no one listened to me then either)

    Wang plus for Russel Martin? :)

  142. Tim

    Cash is up, Melancon is down…..

    http://mlb.mlb.com/news/articl.....Id=rss_nyy

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New York Yankees baseball fans cheer during a ticker-tape parade along Broadway celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York.   (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams) New York Yankees baseball player  Mariano Rivera, bottom, waves during a ticker-tape parade along Broadway celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York.  (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) Floats carrying the New York Yankees baseball team make their way along Broadway during a ticker-tape parade celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York.  (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) New York Yankees baseball players Alex Rodriguez, second from left,  Francisco Cervelli, third from right, and entertainer Jay-Z, left, celebrate on a float  during a ticker-tape parade along Broadway celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York.   (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams) New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez, right, and entertainer Jay-Z celebrate on a float during a ticker-tape parade along Broadway celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York.   (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams) Floats carrying the New York Yankees baseball team make their way along Broadway during a ticker-tape parade celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York.  (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) New York Yankees' Hideki Matsui, the World Series MVP, celebrates from a float during a ticker-tape parade along Broadway celebrating their 27th World Series championship on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009,  in New York. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams) Baseball fans cheers as the New York Yankees were honored along Broadway in New York on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009, with a ticker-tape parade celebrating their 27th World Series championship. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
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Chad JenningsChad Jennings joined the The Journal News in October 2009, having spent the better part of seven years covering baseball in Scranton, PA. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and an award-winning beat reporter and features writer. E-mail me at cjennings@lohud.com
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Sam BordenSam Borden is an award-winning journalist who joined The Journal News and LoHud.com in January 2008. He covered the Yankees for the New York Daily News from 2004-06, and has also worked as a columnist for the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. E-mail me at sborden@lohud.com
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Sam BordenJosh Thomson has done some of everything since joining The Journal News in March 2003. He began working for the Gannett weeklies during the winter of 2002 as a freelance writer. He joined the daily staff soon after and has since covered various high school and pro sports. E-mail me at jthomson@lohud.com
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