Today in The Journal News
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on May 09, 2009 
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A reflective Alex Rodriguez returned to the Yankees last night and homered in his first at-bat to help deliver a 4-0 victory.
CC Sabathia and rookie Francisco Cervelli teamed up for a commanding performance. This notebook also has an update on Ian Kennedy, some roster moves and an unusual play for Nick Swisher.
Yanks-Orioles again tonight. Phil Hughes will be on the mound. Check back later for the lineup.
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With Jorge Posada and Xavier Nady out and Mark Teixeira having lost the ability to hit (temporarily, one would assume), the Yankees obviously need A-Rod back in the lineup and he delivered last night. It was a Hollywood moment.
But over the long term, you have to wonder how this marriage will work. Rodriguez said yesterday that it is “50-50″ he will need another surgery on his hip. While the labrum was repaired, he still has the born deformity that caused it in the first place. “I’ll be curious to see how I feel when I wake up,” he said.
At some point, will they have a $30 million DH for six or seven years? We also don’t know to what extent that stricter drug testing will inhibit his production. That is the great unknown for all players, really.
A-Rod said all the right things about focusing on baseball and wanting to win. But we’re heard that all before. His words were great, but his actions will tell the ultimate story. In 20 years, will the acquisition of A-Rod be looked upon as a smart move or a dumb one? Only time will tell.
If the 3B coach wants to talk to his runner do it at the base! That was a high school mistake and I put 99 % of the blame on Thomson.
I guess they can survive on Cervelli and Cash, but they need to replace Berroa with a RH hitting OF if at all possible.
Surprising they chose to DFA Jackson when they could keep him and place Kennedy and/or Nady on the 60-day DL. Still they could get something for the guy.
Too bad about Melancon. I was looking forward to see him do well. Was he really that unimpressive?
hopefully hughes can followup on cc outting with 6-7 strong innings.
I don’t have any expectations for Phil – I just hope he goes out there and keeps the team in the game. It would be nice for him to get some runs to work with, but the Yankees offense is still inconsistent, so I’m not counting on it.
We’re paying Teixeria a lot of money. He better step up right now or else
Hopefully, Hughes will have his command today. Last time he was pitching on an extra day of rest and a 2.5 hour rain delay.
Anyone know if Hughes and Cervelli worked together in game situations before?
Hughes is a young pitcher and will go through growing pains. He’ll have starts like Detroit and starts like Boston. No idea what to expect from start to start. Same with Joba.
If we want to develop young pitchers, we have to deal with their growing pains. But it is unfortunate that we have to deal with TWO at the same time when we’re trying to win. That is why Wang is so important. When he is right, you know what you will get from him and it pushes everyone back a spot.
Or else what, Showtime? Or else you might yell something nasty at him from the stands?
LOL
Or else what? You going to beat him up or hold your breath and turn blue?
BTW, how much are YOU paying Tex? I’m not paying him anything.
Just curious how much you are paying him as the “we are paying him a lot of money” part of the equation.
“Anyone know if Hughes and Cervelli worked together in game situations before?”
Ummm yeah.
Angel,
He’s really going to punish him. He he going to trade him for Adam LaRoche in his video game.
That will show Tex!!!
Showtime is actually Hank Steinbrenner. Oh, he’ll show Tex. He’ll show him alright…
BTW, how fortuitous is it that the Cubs traded for Ryan Freel right before Aramis Ramirez dislocated his shoulder? They got him to play CF, but now he’ll be at third base.
SJ in response to what you was saying.
SJ if that trend continues I got to question Robi’s will to want to be great. They move him up the lineup he goes 1 for 21, they move him down the lineup he has 2 hits, if Robi wants to be great he needs to battle that and adjust. He when locked is one of the best pressure hitters in the game, he has a Manny being Manny like attitude in the clutch, but what you described about him going 1 for 21 when he moves up to the # 5 spot is a trend that can’t continue especially if he’s going to be a big proponent of the next big 3 which is Alex, Tex and him.
If he ever could handle that type of promotion a 3,4,5 of
Cano
Rodriguez
Teixeira
Would demolish the AL.
Showtime v Tex Under the O’Neill Banner!
I bet he felt really tough as he typed that, SJ. I bet he thinks he’s got Tex RIGHT where he wants him, lol. Too bad the only control he has over him extends as far as his Xbox control.
It never ceases to amaze me the kinds of Yankee fans I encounter on the blog.
This is in response to somebody comparing Tex’s struggles to CC’s.
Pitchers are different because a) they don’t play every day and b) his little cold streak wasn’t nearly as bad as Tex’s.
Besides, we did have a pitcher going bad. Remember Wang? He’s rehabbing in Tampa. The Yankees think he’ll get better but despite him not facing ML hitting and getting the feel of it, and possibly hurting his confidence, they realized he was hurting the team. The Mets just did it with Ollie Perez.
Swisher better not get caught napping again or else
Rick Reilly’s got a piece on Pat Venditte http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=4145564
Swisher has annoyed me a bit the past couple of days.
Getting thrown out of that Rays game a couple of days ago was big. Swisher has pop. Who knows what he could have done?
And now getting picked off at third. Come on Swish, we know you’re better than that.
Just when I think I’ve encountered the lowest common denominator of Yankee fan and it can’t possibly get any more bizarre – the Tony Soprano showtime version of one comes along.
Save us.
Angel,
We have a generation of Yankee fans that, simply put, are morons.
The kind of morons who make “threats” to players. Who boo Mariano Rivera, and who are just miserable human beings 24/7.
Think about it…..
We watched the best win of the season last night. Arod came back, pulled off GREAT sports theatre, and CC Sabathia showed why the Yankees went “all in” for him.
So, what do we encounter today? “Let’s blow up the batting order”. “Tex better do better or else”, “Mariano is done”, etc.
I’m all for the First Amendment. If folks want to go to the ballpark, hold up foam syringes when Arod bats, boo Mark Teixeira and Mariano, fine by me.
They have the right to do that and I have the right to call them functional morons for doing so. Which, I will.
Brandon,
I think you have to be honest about what players are and not mess with them.
Robbie Cano is a very good hitter. He’s not a good hitter with RISP or hitting higher in the order because he puts too much pressure on himself.
So, don’t put him in a position to fail. That’s how I would play it for now.
With Arod back, you have, Jeter, Damon, Tex, Arod, Matsui and Swisher who are going to see a lot of pitches in front of Robbie. That means, he going to get a lot of mistakes to hit and he will crush them. IMO, you don’t mess with that.
Put him in a position to excel and whatever the future holds, it holds.
I thought they made a mistake moving him up in the order. Hopefully, they don’t make it again.
Or else what? He’ll collect his $181 million, take his private limo back to the team 5-star hotel, have a $200 dollar dinner, go back to his luxury suite for a good nights sleep.
That will show him!!! He’ll learn not to mess with showtime then
Does anyone here know baseball anymore ????? Hey, why don’t we just bench Texeria for a few games, that’ll work…And he’ll magically come back and hit his 35 hr’s & drive in his 100 rbi’s……What time is the first pitch ????….SJ,just as others before you, you’re pissing in the wind…..
SJ44-I still think Tex is hurting us so high up. So how about switching him with Matsui? In between ARod and Swisher is pretty good.
Pat M-I don’t want him moved to get him going, I want him moved because he’s a 190 hitter in the three hole.
MaineYankee
May 9th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
When Bill Mueller(sp) played for the RS he hit down in the batting order and won a batting title. The reason he wasn’t higher in the order was because he wasn’t comfortable in the top of the order. These aren’t chess pieces that you can move at will. You have to take in the human element. Being a manager requires the ability to handle people as much as the game. That’s one of Francona’s strengths is dealing with the personalities.
So, move him in your video game because they aren’t moving him now that Arod is back.
I don’t know why you can’t comprehend it but, it ain’t happening.
Pat M,
It really is pi#$ing in the wind, isn’t it?
MaineYankee-Yeah, but hitting 190 as “protection” for ARod is not good.
SJ44-Just because it isn’t happening doesn’t mean it shouldn’t happen.
The only thing about Robbie is that I can remember him coming up big in 2007 in big spots (wasn’t he the only one who hit in the series against the Tigers)…..I think he did as well in 2006, but I’m not that clear on that. All of a sudden now he puts to much pressure on himself……just like the other guys? Maybe Robbie thrived then because he didn’t know any better – and maybe this validates the idea that the pressure put on the Yankees to win just suffocates them. There is always going to be that pressure – the team has to find a way to deal with it
What is the updated timeframe on Nady’s return? He should start swinging again in 3-4 weeks, right?
Isn’t moron a highly insulting word? Yet people here use it at will like it’s a right. Fans post their feelings, the “threat” as some thin-skinned fans here claim, is just a figure of speech, I find it highly amusing that some folks get so peeved as to mock and try to intimidate with their “knowledge.” If you have so much knowledge what are ya’ll doing here chatting with the common folk.
It’s a free country but not free enough to call people names. Try respect. It works.
“So, don’t put him in a position to fail. That’s how I would play it for now.
With Arod back, you have, Jeter, Damon, Tex, Arod, Matsui and Swisher who are going to see a lot of pitches in front of Robbie. That means, he going to get a lot of mistakes to hit and he will crush them. IMO, you don’t mess with that.”
I know that SJ, so why not put him in a spot where he will get a steady diet of fastballs instead of offspeed pitches. If Alex is 4 and one day Robi becomes the # 3 hitter w/ RISP he’d have the right pitches to be ready for. JMO nothing etched in stone but 3,4,5 of Robi, Alex, Mark would be sweet if all elements work.
Teixeiramvp (I’m keeping the faith) (Not the troll)
May 9th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
MaineYankee-Yeah, but hitting 190 as “protection” for ARod is not good.
========================================================
I Guess the RS need to move Ortiz cause he’s hurting Youk. Maybe you need to help them with their batting order. I’m sure they would appreciate the help.
Threatening players always works – the Yankees won a lot in the 80′s and early 90′s when George was at his worst (or at least his worst that I can remember -I’m too young to remember the Bronx Zoo). I get frustrated, too – and sometimes angry (in my emotional moments) with the players. That always subsides though – can we remember that they are human beings? As annoying as Tex’s slump is, think about how he feels. He probably feels like he’s letting his team down – now that’s got to be the worst feeling that a player can ever experience…..
i also think tex could use a day off. whats wrong with putting swish at first for a game and gardener/melky in the outfield along with damon? obviously the guy is gonna come around and be a great duo combined with arod, but hes struggling so much right now a day off might be just what he needs to get out of his own head (clearly this slump is mostly mental unless they are bsing us about that injury).
i mean.. we can lose without him.
I think that A-Rod can play 3rd for at least 6-7 more years..
3rd is not a hard positon to play!
Free Speech – totally agree. people take the emotion shown on this board WAY too seriously. its a sports blog, we’re not writing for the Times. most of us are ny/nj natives. pessimism is part of the loosey goosey culture in the north east
Anybody who calls themselves a Yankee fan and boos Mariano Rivera is a moron.
If folks don’t like being called morons, don’t boo him.
Its moronic, dumb and any other adjective denoting unintellgent behavior.
You want respect. Try treating someone like Mariano, who EXUDES respect in a respectful manner.
If you can’t, you will get called out on it.
That’s the way it goes.
MaineYankee-You’re right.
Texeriamvp, I do see where you’re coming from, but there are certain players that you just ride it out …..It’s been said many times before, ballplayers are creatures of habit…Texeria has been fighting a wrist injury, the worst issue a hitter along with a hand injury….He’s lost time ,his pregame prep was gone ( as SJ mentioned, bp, tee work, soft toss ) ….Look even when Donnie Mattingly was struggling with his bat, he stayed in the 3 hole….That’s what he is…..Texeria is just missing on squaring up, relax….GB & SJ, your roght about the guessing approach…I’ve looked at some tape and he’s clearly fooled on certain ab’s, especially from the right side….Trust me guys, when he gets right, watch out….And he’s real close
MaineYankee-Seriously, I’m glad Big Papi is batting third. Bad move by the Sox.
I love Tex and know he’ll come out of it, but right now with Tex batting third hes hurting us.
SJ44 and Betsy sound like the same person, or they must drink out of the same “everything is great in Yankee-universe” kool-aid.
i feel like the fans that were booing mo arent really booing the pitcher himself.. they are booing the fact that the guy gave up 2 homers in a game we could have won otherwise. it cant be denied he took us outta that game.. thats what the fans are booing. and i think thats justifiable.
Shame Spencer-That’s an interesting point.
HATE HATE HATE…
Its funny how people are getting all over this guy for saying “WE paid tex…”. As long as I’ve been watching sports, fans always use WE when talking about their team.
Have you ever chanted “Let’s go Yankees”? That means “Let us go Yankkes” and you are thus including yourself as part of the Yankees. He obviously didn’t mean he was paying Tex, but only when somebody makes reference to how much someone is getting paid do people get upset when “we” is used. Lighten up.
the idea that the yankee fans have turned their backs on mo cause they booed his performance on one day in may is sickening. i cant believe people actually view this as disrespectful. sports is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ game/atmosphere.
its like when people tried to pretend the only reason latroy hawkins was getting booed was because of oneills number.. thats bull.. if the guy woulda come in and actually performed well he wouldnt have gotten that type of response so often from the fans.
“Its funny how people are getting all over this guy for saying “WE paid tex…”. As long as I’ve been watching sports, fans always use WE when talking about their team.”
I don’t. I think and have always thought that its idiotic. You don’t take a bat and hit the ball, you don’t take a ball and throw it, you don’t even take the field and do anything. Fans have ZERO control over what happens on the field. The only thing fans control is their reactions to what happens on the field.
Personally I think the whole “we” mentality is what leads to half the Yankee fan entitlement attitude “its my RIGHT to boo Mariano Rivera” and moronic postings such as exampled on this blog day after day.
“It’s a free country but not free enough to call people names. Try respect. It works.”
Where I come from, you don’t get respect without earning it.
Idiots who boo the Yankees like spoiled two year olds aren’t likely to earn it, and as such – get zero respect in return.
At the new Yankee Stadium we are all paying for Teix. As a resident of New York City, I have paid for Teix through tax free gvt bonds and other tax breaks for the Yankees. “We” is accurate.
I’d say he can use a day off to clear his head a little. Just to have a day where he doesn’t go 0-4 (even if it is 0-0). Why is Miranda still in the minors? Duncan? The team could use a real bat off the bench, instead of 13 pitchers. Why 13 pitchers when Girardi only calls Veras, Ramirez or Mo.
P.S. Nice to see you continuing to dig at A-Rod Pete. Is this becoming a Varitek fan blog?
Fans are fans. Thats what we are, we talk as if our team is a part of us, because they are!!!! Children strike back and try to humiliate those who may or may not thi nk the same or act the same as us. Chill out people The Yanks are MY team as well and WE need to do better. OR ELSE I wont sleep as well or have a happy face on till the next win.
I love Mariano Rivera and absolutely have no problem calling him the greatest closer of All-Time.
However, he is a professional athlete being paid a king’s ransom to perform THIS year and he isn’t doing it all that well.
Personally I would never boo him, but I really don’t have a problem with those who choose to. They aren’t morons; they’re frustrated fans who are venting. And truth be told, they are booing the result more than they are the person.
SJ, Angel — learn to be more tolerant…. OR ELSE!
lol
Good thing they front-loaded his contract. They won’t be paying him $30 million-a-year if/when he’s a full-time DH the last 4 years of this deal. $20 million is more palatable, and if he makes more than 20 that means he’s hitting homeruns.
gimme a break!
questioning the acquisition of A-Rod as a smart move or dumb move is what’s dumb. Real dumb, in fact outright stupid.
You can argue the merits of the new contract all you want, but questioning the original trade for Soriano? 2 MVP’s later? Bah!