Catch you tomorrow
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on May 10, 2009 
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I’m spending the off day in New York after driving back tonight. Most of the players were headed to Toronto tonight, although some will spend tomorrow elsewhere.
A.J. Burnett will face Roy Halladay on Tuesday in what should be a fun game to watch.
Check back on the blog tomorrow. I spoke to Francisco Cervelli and Brett Tomko about some of the prospects they were playing with down in the minors and both guys had some interesting thoughts.
Thanks to everybody for reading this weekend.
Let’s be real though… if Joba was a Red Sox player or on any other team… we would hate him too. We’d mock him and trash him and talk about how classless he is.
Joba is one of those guys that you hate when he is on the other team, but would love to have him on your side.
I don’t know why so many people were upset with Huff. If Joba wasn’t a Yankee, wouldn’t you and the Yankees player hate him?
why tease us with Cervelli’s interesting thoughts comment? Why not say what he told you?
AZ Four-Of course. But I didn’t get why he was doing something when Joba did nothing to him.
Who cares. Screw you. Joba won. He got the last laugh
By the way, I never really wanted Joba to the pen. Just playing Devil’s Advocate.
AJ vs Halladay – oh boy. I wasn’t prepared for that matchup to happen so soon – that’s going to be an awfully tough game to win…
Actually, Huff does look a little foolish now. Funny, you never hear any players around the league say anything bad about Alex. But you hear them say stuff about Beckett, and now Joba. But it is what it is. Can’t unring the bell and Joba has backed up himself.
Enjoy your day off, Pete. Don’t forget your passport.
If Joba pitches well, he can do whatever he wants.
TEXMVP:
Joba DID actually first pump when he struck out Huff in’07. Now I dont think he was planning on doing that for two years but maybe in the back of his mind he thought “If I ever hit a homerun off of this kid, I will fist pump him to see how he likes it.”
Thats all. End of story.
Last year, an Oriole who shall remain nameless said he would WALK around the bases if he hit a home run against Joba. Today in the Orioles clubhouse, a few players wanted to know why Joba pumped his fist Tuesday against the Red Sox when his team was losing. (As if we know.) And so, Aubrey Huff hits a home run and makes sure to pump his fist as he rounds first and as he crosses home. Hmmm.
http://kimberlyjones.mlblogs.com/
Betsy-If A.J. is on, we have just as much of a chance to win as Toronto!
Should be a blast!
Dr. Cox-I know. But he looked really stupid, and deservedly so, since Joba won.
Not to mention I bet the SO was at a big moment.
AZFOUR:
Doesnt it work like that with every player?
Yes we all hate Youklis but wouldnt you love to have him at 1B?
Tough, tough pitching matchups this week against Toronto.
The offense better be clicking on all cylinders
R-Tek: I’m not sure if it was a joke or not, but he pumped his fist because a runner was in scoring position and a hit would have brought him in and an extra base hit or HR would have put the game away, so when he struck him out he kept his team within one. It was a big out. So he got pumped.
Why would we want Youkilis at 1B when we already have someone better?
I just skimmed some posts from the previous thread. Wow, lol – so Phil was at a disadvantage because he had a good upbringing? That doesn’t seem fair – and I won’t go there.
It’s not Phil’s fault that he has been completely mishandled by the Yankees. It IS his fault if he doesn’t have the toughness to be a MLB pitcher – and that would mean all the scouting reports on his makeup were dead wrong.
If the Yankees don’t trade him, he will be a FA when he’s still young and I’ll bet he ends up on team that knows how to develop young pitching. Even if he gets traded, the odds are that he will still end up with a decent franchise. I sort of hope that happens because I want him to live up to all the potential that he has……
SJ44′s post on the upbringing differences of Hughes/Joba was fascinating. Makes sense if you think about it.
Keep pumoing the fist Joba, I don’t give a damn what anyone saids on that *pumps fist* <— What ? do something
I despise Papelbon, but if he came to NY I guess I’d grudgingly root for him. Same with Manny. But I wouldn’t like him.
Maybe that’s why there’s so little “celebrating” in a baseball game. Because you never know, the game can really change on a dime. Maybe Damon took offense to Huff’s fist pump? I did think it was pretty ironic that Joba wasn’t even paying attention.
It blows my mind how Joba pumping his fist is wrong, but K-rod and Papsmear can dance around like retards (or retarded fish in smear’s case) and it’s perfectly fine. I’m getting incredibly sick of the double standard.
“Last night, you mentioned the name Carl Taylor. Is that the same Carl Taylor that played as a catcher/outfielder with Pittsburgh and KC in the early 70s?”
gb7-
yes that’s the same carl taylor. carl and i became very good friends. my locker was next to his and he took me under his wing. there was more to carl than met the eye. he hit .348 with the pirates in 1968 while platooning i think with oliver.
carl was boog powells half brother.
he also ,at age 15-16 ,spent sundays fishing with ted williams who was retired in the florida keys. what happened was there was a cuban all star team playing at key west for a benefit and an american team was thrown together to play them . carl at age 14 got three or four hits off camilio pascual and pedro ramos.
the red sox had williams scout him and he took a liking to carl which led to the sunday fishing and dinners with williams. carl, while smoking a pipe, being the total grizzled veteran often talked hitting in the clubhouse telling what williams told him. when carl and mcrae held court and talked hitting i just sat there and took as much as i could in.
carl taylor from that senior league experience was recommended by clete boyer, the manager ,to the yankees and carl was the yankees bullpen catcher and #1 batting practice pitcher from 1989 -1996.
on a humorous note ,carl was a barber after he retired and when mattingly was ordered to get a haircut in a famous steinbrenner tirade , carl was the one who gave it to him in the yankee clubhouse.
http://inthedirt-baseball.blogspot.com/
on the blog page ,there’s a photo of carl and i getting ready for pre season throwing in sarasota in 1993-1994
m-He did say something along the lines of “I’ll be facing him again.”
Joba Rules-Agreed.
TexMVP, remember that Burnett is going back to Toronto…….they cheered him in his last game, but that was before they knew he was going to the Yankees. I think they will boo him……also, he’s going up against his friend and mentor. AJ was very emotional about leaving Toronto – and he was near tears when he got cheered off the field. I just think he’s going to have a lot of emotions to deal with…….nevermind the fact that, as in ST, he’s going to want to impress the Jays. We’ll see – of course he’s capable of dominating any lineup when he’s on, but he hasn’t quite been “on” all season and I’m not sure how well he’ll be able to deal with this. We’ll see……I think the Jays are clearly for real and I don’t have a real positive outlook for the seris (it was like pulling teeth to get 2/3 from the Orioles). Still, that’s why they play the games.
I think the problem is the minors have liberal strike zones. You can get away with much more in AAA than you can at MLB.
If you don’t have great stuff, it is going to take you a while to get acclimated to MLB. Hitters are going to lay off certain pitches that AAA hitters swing away at. The umps are not going to give you some calls that AAA umps might on the corners.
That’s why guys who were supposed to have impeccable control like Hughes, Kennedy, Melancon have trouble throwing strikes. That will only improve by constant work at the MLB level, but unfortunately, we are in a pennant race and cannot offer these guys unlimited chances to succeed. Even the clubhouse guys are not going to live with brutal pitching because they want to win.
A very fine line to walk on how to develop these guys
Get ready for 5 hours of fist pump discussion with Mike Francesa on the Fan.
Baseball is so weird
Betsy-The pessimism just blows my mind. How do we know he’s going to do bad? Personally, I think it’s going to be a tremedous pitcher’s duel.
Yanks need to make a statement to Toronto: You can’t compete with us.
Don’t believe Joba. He was paying attention.
That’s why he said, “Its a long season” after the game. lol
To me, this is Advantage Joba.
The kid is tough enough to hit as it is.
If hitters are going to be all geeked up because he pumps his fist, that means he’s in their heads.
In most cases, that’s the advantage to the pitcher.
I wouldn’t change a thing with this kid except finding a way to get him through first innings more comfortably.
Betsy,
My point is, a nice upbringing is great. Its a competitive disadvantage to be a professional athlete unless you manufacture a way to have a sense of toughness about you.
For some kids, due to their backgrounds, it comes naturally.
It doesn’t for Phil. That’s why he is going to have to find a way to acquire it or he is swimming uphill.
For example, it took Zach Greinke, a kid with a similar background to Hughes, having a nervous breakdown and hearing the taunts after he came back from fans, to acquire that toughness.
I don’t care how Phil gets it but, he has to get it. If he does, he will have a lot more success than he is having right now.
This is ridiculous. I just bought two tickets on Stubhub for Cubs v Padres this Thursday at Wrigley for $125 each. The tickets are 1st row above the visitors dugout.
Betsy-I don’t think they’re for real. You have to remember the Rays were picked by several places (Baseball Prospectus is one) to win 90 games. Toronto was picked to go below 500. They don’t impress me.
AJ better step up. He can’t have an excuse for every game he plays
Opening day, he was nervous because his family was in the stands
Against Tampa, he was nervous facing the Rays and being the stopper
Against Cleveland, he was nervous pitching in YS for the 1st time
Against Boston, he was nervous to pitch in Fenway as a Yankee
Against LA, he was coming off a bad outing and it may still be in his head
So if we make the playoffs, people will say that he will be nervous for his first playoff game and its ok if he gets shelled?
Excellent point about the minor league strike zones.
Its why I pay little attention to stat lines from minor league pitchers. The umpiring at the minor league level, especially behind the plate, swings wildly from umpire to umpire.
Its why a pitcher has to have more than 2 pitches in order to have success at the big league level.
Why is it the Orioles concern what Joba did Tuesday against the RS?
BTW that was a big moment in the game that he did it. Lowell (who has killed the Yankees and Joba) was up at the plate with 2 runners on in a 1 run game.
If Joba intentions where to show up the batters he would do after every K. But if you paid attention he does it after a big K. And even that he really doesn’t do it often.
Baseball players are very sensitive and appears it doesn’t take much to get under their skin.
Just read that blurb in Brian Hoch’s blog about the fan getting on AJ for his contract and performance LOL
Poor guy. He is getting heckled by opposing fans AND his own fans.
What’s the difference between a hitter celebrating after a big hit or Joba pumping his fist after a big strikeout?
In my mind, none…
Trev Sey-He did excellent vs. Tampa and well vs. Cleveland.
I don’t think they were excuses so much as the media asked him “why did you lose” and he told them.
Trevor-You’re right.
Speaking of Yankee prospects:
Watched my first game at “The Joe” home of the Charleston River dogs last night.
A pitcher named Casey Erickson pitched a complete game shutout. I was hoping to see “switch pitcher” Pat Venditte but he only got as far as warming up in the 9th. Erickson dominated allowing only 3 hits. He throws around 89-91 with good control.
Melky Mesa (who knew there was another Melky in the organization?) hit a 2 run homer to win the game. Apparently he leads the league with 8 home runs. Short kid but he has a nice swing.
If you get the chance to visit Charleston it is a nice little stadium with great prices. We got general admission seats with a good view for $5.
Greinke gets his “toughness” from counseling and meds to overcome his anxiety disorder. Without that he might very well be out of baseball. Plus he gets to work in the relative anonimity of KC. Pitching in NY is a whole different game.
If that guy only throws 89 to 91 he better have either killer breaking pitches or pinpoint control and an uncanny knack to know what batters are thinking like Maddux.
The Yanks just won 2 out of 3 from the Birds…
Now if they can get to Halladay, and win Tuesday’s game, you could be looking at the beginning of a serious run…
Go Yanks!!!!
Joba is tough as nails, mentally and stuff-wise.
A rare blend of toughness and stuff, as well as intimidation and swagger. And he’s only 23 and has a handful of ML starts.
So glad he is on our side.
Joba is my favorite player.
Back from Baltimore. Was at Saturday’s game. Friend and I were very angry about the fake syringes that people had. A group of Baltimore fans had them. They were making obscene gestures with it the entire game. (yes we should have complained). The 8th inning a cop finally comes down and takes him out, the sections surrounding applauded. Well less than 1/2 inning later he comes back. Really I don’t get it. A cop takes him out, than lets him back in? Obviously by the crowds reaction the guy was a jerk.
Apparently some idiot from Milwaukee made them up and was selling them outside of the park. Question why were they allowed to bring it into the stadium?
One other thing, who is the bigger idiot. Joba who does a fist pump after he gets an out. Or someone who has planed for 2 years to do a fist pump after hitting a homerun?
Friend and I were very angry about the fake syringes that people had.
========================
Who were the fake syringes for?
Brian Roberts or Greg Zaun?
Trev Sey -
Some fans just make predetermined excuses for Burnett. Nowhere does anyone knowledgeable indicate that he lets pressure get to him and get “nervous”.
And outside of Boston, he hasn’t even pitched that badly. Some people just have little faith in Burnett and make ready made excuses if he fails, as if they expect him to not pitch well.
jennifer-Exactly.
Get ready for 5 hours of fist pump discussion with Mike Francesa on the Fan.
——————-
Francesa doesn’t know what he wants.
How may times did Francesa say from late February to the end of April that the Yanks had essentially neutered or “de-clawed” him by putting him in the rotation because he didn’t have that same “presence” on the mound than when he was in the pen?
He made such a stink about it that he even asked Girardi it a number of times.
Now we’re seeing that so-called “presence” on the mound and Francesa doesn’t like it.
Well, too bad.
This is the same guy who said on the air that he hoped Joba would be a complete failure in the starting rotation so that gives you an idea what kind of baseball mind Francesa is.
If AJ doesn’t pitch well against the Jays, it is because he had no command and/or his curve isin’t biting.
None of this “nervous to face his mentor” BS.
By the way, I never really wanted Joba to the pen. (I’m saying that for the benefit of people who were there for that discussion).
Just playing Devil’s Advocate.
Zach in Port Jeff
I yelled glass houses to some idiot Baltimore fan. And he threw popcorn at me. He didn’t take it very well.
SJ, Maybe Hughes did come from an Upper Class environment living in the Foothills of Tustin Ranch, but the ecpectations ov him have been incredible since he was 15 years old….And certainly The Yankees haven’t done much to put him in unpressurized situations…May 2007, team is in shambles, starters are dropping like flies, so they pull him up..His second start he throws a no hitter gets hurt…Called up in Sept. 2007, as they are fighting for a post season spot, he’s their best pitcher down the stretch…PLayoff game, they need someone to come in to relieve, he wins the only game…They need a starter 10 days ago in Detroit, he throws a shutout for 6 innings…Yesterday 4 0-2 counts and cannot finish the hitter off is tough…Everyone watching that game could see him rushing his pitches, losing composure..How many times did his 21 year old catcher go to the mound to slow him down, one time….He’s 22 years old, pitching for the NY Yankees with more pressure and expectations than any kid that they have brought up in many a decade….His baptisms have been by fire,however he’ll learn and move on…..He’ll be a very young Free Agent, shopuld be interesting how many millions he’ll be offered by most of the teams in mlb…
Hughes will do fine. Sometimes stuff like that game happens. I’ve seen it happen to big name pitchers to, I remember Moos last year got lit up because Jeet made an error with two outs. Doesn’t necessarily mean anything except what it looked like, that day he didn’t have it.
Francessa will talk about how he gave up 3 runs in the 1st inning and put his team out of the game and talk about how he isin’t the same pitcher and needs to go back to the pen
Joba has to fix this first inning problem.
I think he took A.J.’s advice too much to heart. Hey Joba, don’t conserve your stuff. Forget about that. Just keep trying to get people out.
Depending on whether they decide to skip Hughes, Joba is lined up against the O’s next week on the 20th or 21st (if I looked at the schedule correctly).
I don’t think that Joba would listen to AJ over his own coaches.
We’ve seen this before. Slow start, and he speeds up like the bullet train.
Even Kay mentioned it today, how odd that Joba was able to come out of the bullpen and shut people down right out of the gate.
We all need to remember that with starting pitching, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Right, SA?
Teix – Good point.
AJ is almost 10 years older than Joba and he had to scale back because he constantly got hurt. I appreciate AJ trying to help him out, but Joba should only get advice from the Yankees pitching coaches/instructors when it comes to effort velocity and such.
m-True, but when you blow up like he does in the first inning it’s not normal. It’s a problem. For one thing, one day your team won’t come back. For another, it drives up his pitch count, making seven the max number of innings he could pitch. He has to fix that.
We all need to remember that with starting pitching, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Right, SA?
=================
yup yup!
Sorry, not seven, six the max number of innngs he could pitch.
S.A.–The sun will come out tomorrow: Tomorrow! Tomorrow! Thee’s always tomorrow! It’s only a day away…
Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.
Thee’s=There’s.
I think he is gun shy about throwing hard in the 1st inning… like he wants to start in the 88-90 range in the 1st inning and work his way up so he doesn’t blow his arm out or lose it in the middle innings. Like he wants to have stuff left on his pitches later in the game and doesn’t want to use his bullets early.
Then he gets hit around and we’re down 2-0, 3-0, 4-0 etc. then Joba realizes it isin’t working then he goes back to his normal velocity and blows everyone away.
They have to find a medium. Clearly his 89 MPH 1st inning fastball is fooling nobody.
Teix,
Not saying it’s not a problem. But look at Joba, not AJ for the reason.
m-I remember A.J. giving Joba the advice that he should conserve his stuff so it isn’t all used up. Even if A.J. isn’t the reason that looks like what he’s doing and it’s not working. He’s getting shelled in the first. He should just pitch normal.
doesnt anyone remember when AJ struck out Huff to end the bases loaded inning earlier this year he showed plenty of emotion…how come Huff says nothing about that???
i’m excited for tuesday’s matchup, but also scared. the yankees can’t hit pitchers with 5+ era’s, how are they going to score against one of the best pitcher’s in baseball? let’s hope that their offense suddenly kicks in.
cano he didnt-Exactly…but Joba he has a problem with?
Well screw you, Huff. You lost. LOSER. Joba won. Sorry.
The Yanks hitting has been decent, but Halladay can just be shutdown. A.J. will have to match.
My observations thus far on this team:
1. I think starting pitching is starting to get in a groove. CC looked super Friday. Joba had two sound starts despite 1st inning woes against Sox and Birds. Pettite is solid as #4.I like AJ and expect that he will dominate. Hughes too step back with Saturday’ stinker. I am hopeful that he rebounds on Friday and that Wang’s AAA debut will help get him back up to the bigs shortly.
2. Pen will improve if starting pitching can go deeper into games on a more consistent basis. Other than Mo and Coke, I do not have lots of faith in most of the remaining pen. I think Tomko and Ramirez are not reliable. Veras is inconsistent. Aceves and Albadejdo are decent additions. Aceves might excel as the long and middle relief guy. Getting Bruney back is key and having Marte get healthy would help add depth. I am hopeful that we can get Melancon and Robertson back in a groove at AAA and that they can contibute. Right now the pen is the weak link on this team and it has to bet better.
3. As for hitting, I think it is wildly inconsistent and unclutch. Getting everyone helathy will help – Posada, Nady and of course having Arod get back into a groove. We need Swisher to make more contact and not be a K machine. Tex has to get his bat going. Right now he is killing us in teh #3 hole.
4. Bench is a joke. This team needs a real bat that it can call on. I would seriously consider keeping Cervelli over Molina. Pena over Berrora, and I would suggest that we find a mult-purpose position player who can play infield and outfield (DeRosa, Inge, Infante). Gardner probably needs more AAA time. Nady is a bat on the bench until he can play some outfield. Swisher is the better spare part for the bench but right now he needs to be the full time RF.
Pat M,
I don’t disagree.
I was at one Hughes start in A Ball. He hit a guy, walked the next two, after pitching well in the first 4 innings, and they took him out because of his pitch count. IIRC, he was only at around 75 pitches.
I remember saying, “let the kid learn to work out of jams of his own making”. Nope, all about the pitching count and taking him out while he was ahead.
At the time, the Yankees were DESPERATE to have a kid the baseball world thought of highly as a prospect.
That’s unfair to Phil Hughes.
Its not right but, I think he’s almost going to have to develop himself if he is going to make it. He is going to have to go “Risky Business” (“Sometimes, you have to say, what the #@#$”) and just go out there, tough it out, and get the job done.
It certainly isn’t something the organization should be proud of because he has the talent to be a good pitcher at this level.
However, the reality is, he isn’t. One BIG reason why is, he doesn’t have enough experience to work out of trouble.
Its awfully tough to do so in NY. To that degreee, it is VERY unfair to the kid.
But, that’s the card he has been dealt. Hopefully, he’s up to the task.
Tex,
I heard the same story. But if it’s too his own detriment, the coaches will fix it.
Today, he was just having a tough time controlling the ball, especially in the first, because of his thumb.
Anyone watch the Orioles feed? What did Jim Palmer say after Joba finished strong? Did the Yankees still look desperate?
SJ, that’s fine – I agree that Phil has to develop toughness. However, I just don’t think it has anything to do with his upbringing. He’s a very good kid, very likeable – he’s also mature and responsible. He never points fingers and he busts works very hard. Those are all qualities that he presumably developed in his “soft” upbringing. I suspect that he’s not used to failure – he was the dominant pitcher in HS and he dominated most levels of AAA – and that’s what’s causing this (that and crappy development skills on the part of the Yankees). Whether it’s with another team or the Yankees, this kid is going to be very good. I suspect it will be the former….
I think our hitting is quite good and very clutch. We’ve had loads of comeback wins, including today. We tied the game late twice in the eighth inning vs. the Rays. That’s clutch, we just need a bullpen.
AJ is a seasoned veteran that has a proven track record.
That’s why nobody cares when him or CC or someone show emotion. They have earned the right and opponents know they are not showing them up. On the contrast, teams think Joba is showing them up.
m-I don’t think the thumb had anything to do with it. It doesn’t explain his first inning woes vs. the BoSox.
It’s a real problem that has to be fixed before it gets in his head.
Miller-Still not fair.
Closers can pump their fists and do whatever they want. They are closing the game!!
The bench is a joke because its playing.
As the late, great Chuck Daly once said, “The best thing about a bench is seeing the guys sitting next to you and thinking they can play. The worst thing is putting them in the game and seeing they can’t”.
Swisher, a THIRD catcher, etc, are all playing. That weakens any bench.
The starters have to get MUCH better. Not a little better, MUCH better. If they do, this team will be good.
If they don’t, they won’t.
They went “all in” to rebuild this team through its starting rotation. They are the key to the team.
If they get the job done, the other parts of the team will follow, IMO.
From the mlb recap:
“He did what he was supposed to do with the pitch — he hit a home run,” Chamberlain said. “If he wants to do a back flip, he can do a back flip. It really doesn’t bother me.”
“I’ve always been a slow starter. Always,” Chamberlain said. “It’s something I’ve been trying to figure out for a long time. We need to figure it out soon, because it’s frustrating and it’s starting to make me mad.”
————————————————
Oh lord, Rays or Sox feed talking about Garza and how he’s settled down after the blowup with Navarro.
Then one guy asked, who’s got more nervous energy on the mound Garza or Joba? And the other guy chuckled and said, “Well, Garza’s done a better job of channeling that energy”. Give me a break!
Let’s go Magic and I guess let’s go Rays
Joba looked at his thumb 8 times in the first inning. No doubt it was an issue.
They tried to have him throw more pitches in the bullpen today to eliminate the first inning issues. That’s one old school method of doing it.
I think the next thing they need to do is tell him to treat the first inning as if its the 8th inning.
Go out, be aggressive in the strikezone, and come out smoking. Have an “empty the tank” mentality.
Don’t “work your way” into the start. He’s not a finesse pitcher.
Go out with the mindset of playing to contact in the first inning with high quality strikethrowing. Much like Jim Kaat described in his blog piece the other day.
LOTS of pitchers have first inning issues. Frankly, most of the guys on this team have them.
What’s mindboggling to me is the staffs inability to solve the problem 31 games into the season. JMO but, that’s unacceptable.
Its not an uncommon problem. For the solution to still not be forthcoming? That’s unusual.
Dr. Cox
May 10th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
AZFOUR:
Doesnt it work like that with every player?
Yes we all hate Youklis but wouldnt you love to have him at 1B?
———————————————————————-
Why when you already have Tex there
I interrupt this broadcast to announce that the Rays have taken the lead 1-0.
As you were.
Time to end the Eliand experiment and try Scott Aldred
I actually want Boston to win.
We all know they are going to be there in the end. We don’t know that about Tampa or Toronto. So I’d rather Boston finish off Tampa and Toronto so we have the inside track on a playoff spot. Last thing we want is Boston, Toronto, Tampa, and us to all be jumbled up for a playoff spot.
I’m thinking that Varitek is way off the juice because when Carl Crawford slid into home Varitek fell over like a tin soldier. He looks a lot smaller than he used to also. He used to look like a torso on tree trunks!
“Bench is a joke.”
I think you have to be fair. The thought was when Arod got health, they’d have Pena, Cabrera (or Gardner), Molina, and Swisher on the bench. pretty good.
Now Nady and two catchers get hurt and your bench are now starters.
No one has the depth to keep up with those injuries.
I do agree the roster is screwed up. Berroa has no business on it and either Linden or Rodriguez should be up. Especially to PH late in games.
Trisha- Agreed. For laughs and giggles during the awful Yankee game yesterday we were going through players we thought was off the juice, he was one of them.
William Buckner
Agreed.
I don’t know how I feel about re-signing Damon – he’s old and he really is not very good defensively. I know he can still hit……..The Yankees are in a bad position – they’re undoubtedly going to splurge on a Holliday (hope not) or Bay – I’d rather go for Bay. The problem is that that will require another big-ticket, long-term deal. I just don’t see how the Yankees avoid this……..they’ve got no one in their system and AJax might not be ready even for CF. The Yankees don’t do a good job developing their kids, so I even have to wonder how good AJax is………
The bench is like the second string QB. Everybody loves him until he has to actually play. Then we all realize why he was on the bench in the first place. It’s the rare exception (Tom Brady, Lou Gehrig) where it’s otherwise.
Hughes can’t have gotten this far being a pansy. Competition is competition. But the truth is that he is now at a developmental plateau and has to raise his game somehow.
Whether it comes from a coaching intervention or gazing at a cloud one day out on the mound, he’ll have his moment of lucidity, a breakthrough, and there will be no looking back.
Maybe he needs to learn how to breath through his eyelids
Damon is a pretty good LF. He has a weak arm but, he gets to balls well and makes most of the plays.
He can still hit and he hits in the clutch. Two things in very short supply on this team.
He also has proven he can play in NY. Another important asset.
I think he wants to stay and I think he would be willing to go year to year.
Its certainly something worth exploring because neither Jason Bay nor Matt Holliday are good enough players to tie up the money and years the Yankees would have to tie up to sign either guy.
Give me Damon, Austin Jackson, and spin off some of this young pitching for a young position player (SS or RF) and I’ll take my chances with Damon in LF for another year.
After 2010, Carl Crawford will be a free agent. That’s a guy the Yankees could take a shot on because his speed both offensively and defensively can change a game.
But, that’s getting WAY ahead of ourselves.
make that “breathe”
As a fan it’s easy to lose your mind due to the day-to-day play of this team.
I’ve read here before and I agree, the perspective we should take is “stay afloat.”
If this team is within 5 games of the division or WC on 6/15, they are sitting pretty.
By then, Wang, Nady, Posada, Marte, and Bruney should all be back healthy.
that’s not even including the eventual trade they will make before the deadline. My guess, a corner OF.
We have a good bench, it’s just playing right now. It’s sort of like saying there’s lots of water in a glass, then drinking most of it, looking back and realizing there’s not so much after all.
I think we’re primed for a big time run.
I would definitely settle for a wild card. In baseball getting into the playoffs is extremely difficult and in our division it’s next to impossible. If we’re in at all we deserve a pat on the back.
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com.....8;c_id=nyy
Burnett said he swapped text messages with Vernon Wells a few weeks back and keeps in regular contact with Halladay, firing off texts after each one of his starts. But Burnett made sure to note that this will not be a social visit, saying that he rebuffed an invitation to get chummy during the off-day on Monday.
“They were wondering if I wanted to go to dinner,” Burnett said. “I was like, ‘No, I don’t think so, guys. You’re not going to butter me up before a game.’”
LOL Actually, I think it’s a good idea that he didn’t go out with them – wouldn’t want to dull his competitive juices by hanging with the enemy….
If the Yanks can acquire a starting corner OF, then I think bringing back Johnny as the fourth OF makes a lot of sense. In fact, I think I’d make that a priority – signing Johnny, who has shown he can play in NY, and bringing in another OF. An OF of Swish in RF, Austin Jackson in CF, new guy in LF, with Johnny as next to spell guys (important in this age of no amphetamines) and Melky as another bench guy, is a pretty good OF roster, no?.
Joe from Long Island-Sounds good to me. So Nady gone?
Before people get too excited about another year for Damon, let’s see how the rest of his year plays out. How many over-35 players do the Yankees want/need next year? And, of course, at this stage of his career, Damon is a very poor outfielder . . . and we don’t need more DH-types.
On another point, this team MUST find ways to score other than via the HR. I believe they scored 2 runs this series that didn’t come via the long ball.
If you consider Swisher a 4th OF, which I do, they have three spots to fill this off season.
LF, RF, and DH are all FA’s. The only one I’m bringing back is John Damon.
What’s going to happen with Hughes, he’s Free Agent eligible what in three more years making 25 or so….By that time he will be an extremely good starting pitcher by then…..Teams will be lining up to grab him if that was to occur…..
ZMAN7777-Very true.
As long as they score, whatever.
William Buckner-Swisher is a pretty good OFer. No arm, but that’s nothing new. Did you know defensive metrics rate him above Nady, which is pretty good?
I would choose Bay over Holliday, but I admit I don’t want another big contract…so I wouldn’t necessarily even go after Bay. It’s true that Damon loves NY and plays well here…..I guess I wouldn’t be opposed to a 1 year deal. I like Swisher, so I would probably keep him in RF. Even if I didn’t like him (as a regular), what team is going to trade us a quality RF? As we’ve discussed, the Yankees suck at developing pitching. Isn’t there a real possibility that the arms we’re talking about are just overrated?
I don’t care how big the contract is, I’m not paying him.
I’d take Holliday only if he has a good year this year. If not, forget it.
Teix — They won’t stay in the race if they can only score via the HR. And other teams don’t yield nearly as many as Baltimore. I see it as a real concern. Then again, I’m not setting my sights too high right now, to avoid disappointment. Having only two solid arms in the bullpen is, of course, even more problematic.
Pat M,
He isn’t a FA in 3 years. He won’t have enough service time.
I think he only has about 1.5 years of ML service time right now.
He’s quite a bit away from free agency. He still has minor league options remaining.
Pat M, I think so too…….and frankly I do think it would be best for him. The fans have just about had it with him for a variety of reasons (numero uno being that he wasn’t traded for Santana, who is now in our face every 5th day). Watch – he will become a stud with another organization – I would bet my house (if I had one) on it.
Bay or Holliday? No question, so far in the short season, Baby. Oops. Bay.
ZMAN7777-Well, I don’t know. They’ve been scoring, that has not been a problem, and they have ARod. I’m not too concerned about that aspect.
The bullpen, however, must be fixed somehow. Cashman HAS to go get someone, anyone. Coke and Mo are the only two I trust.
I definitely agree on the offense needed to be more dimensional.
At this point though, with all the struggles, I’ll take whatever win they can muster, however they can muster it.
As the season goes on, if they get healthier and their pitching improves, I think the offense has a chance to be a little more dimensional.
They don’t have the personnel to manufacture runs. But, they can be more productive in other ways other than the HR.
ZMann, you’re right about the HRs………it’s a disturbing trend (but hardly surprising). I wouldn’t expect it to change anytime soon
I am glad we didn’t get Santana. I think Hughes could be a great pitcher. Also I heard somewhere that Melancon was going to be involved in the deal, and I love that kid.
m-It’s a long season.
What is Bay’s age?
Phil Hughes is going to have to be a LOT more productive before anybody can think about what he would garner as a FA.
Right now, let’s settle for a halfway decent start the next time he pitches.
The offense is not a concern. In fact, in many ways it has been carrying the team. A far bigger concern is the bullpen.
This is not the first game that all runs came via the long ball. What happens when that dries up or we play in bigger parks? Not pretty.
Need better situational hitting, timely hitting, and consecutive hits.
Not complaining about the HR, but Damon’s not going to deliver every time.
Teix — Absolutely. I would prefer to truncate your sentence to read “Cashman has to go.” But that’s just my take
I also feel that they need to make a small statement up in Toronto, such as by winning 2 of 3 — even though I don’t feel good about the pitching match-ups in the first 2 games. I personally believe Toronto is not going away.
Yankees have some options as far as the outfield is concerned.
But I would not have Bay or Holliday as an option.
LF Damon CF Jackson RF Swisher (Nady/Melky off the bench)
LF Trade CF Jackson RF Nady (Melky involved in trade Swisher off the bench)
LF Trade/Damon (Damon spot starts/off the bench CF Jackson RF Melky (Swisher off the bench and Nady let go)
Teix,
I don’t know how old Bay is. Has Holliday hit his first homerun yet?
Right on, m. The Angels play great situational ball; I’d say the Rays do too. Not too many Yankees seem to think “go the other way” or move the runner up. I thought A-Rod was going to do more of that after his injury. Haven’t seen it. Same goes for Tex. Cano, for as good as he can be at times, doesn’t appear to have a plan at the plate sometimes.
Nady’s contract is up end of this year. He had a career year in 2008 and tailed off at the end of last year, back to his regular self. Add in this recent arm problem and it’s a done deal IMO. You let Nady go and you have Swish under contract with an option until 2012.
Melky has an opportunity this year to prove he can hit consistently. If he does that, he can be very valuable either as CF or in a corner as a low cost, young, athletic player (if not super sharp on throwing to the right base). Depending on how Jackson shakes out, a 2010 Yankee OF of Jackson in RF, Damon in LF and Melky in CF is fast and 2/3 cheap, young and athletic. Swish is back to 4th OF and gives you 1st base as well as corner OF potential. Gardner makes a case for himself as a situational bench guy.
ZMAN7777-I am not remotely scared of Toronto.
People forget that the Rays were an up and coming team, picked by some (Baseball Prospectus comes to mind) to win as much as 90 games. Toronto is a team that got worse in the offseason and who was picked sub 500. They do not concern me as much as the Rays and Red Sox.
I’d love to make a statement to show Toronto that they’re not on our level…but if we don’t it wouldn’t worry me. The pitching matchups could go either way and it wouldn’t convince me either way if they beat us.
“If the Yanks can acquire a starting corner OF, then I think bringing back Johnny as the fourth OF makes a lot of sense. In fact, I think I’d make that a priority – signing Johnny, who has shown he can play in NY, and bringing in another OF. An OF of Swish in RF, Austin Jackson in CF, new guy in LF, with Johnny as next to spell guys (important in this age of no amphetamines) and Melky as another bench guy, is a pretty good OF roster, no?.”
1. Damon is much to good to be a 4th outfielder.
2. Why would he agree to this, he can start on a bunch of teams.
3. Who is this starting corner OF you speak of?
I agree, Murphy, regarding Nady. No reason to keep him.
Hi all, I am still new to baseball. I just have a question regarding to strike zone.
There’s a few posts in this thread saying that minor leagues have larger strike zone comparing to major league? I am just wondering why that is? Wouldn’t it make more sense if they make the strike zone the same?
ZMAN7777-Don’t judge Tex right now. He is hitting awful. Career wise he has an average of over 400 with a man on third and less than two outs.
As for ARod, that was never his game. Nor does it need to be. ARod is still the best player I’ve ever seen and can mash the ball in his own right.
Jase-Sorry, I wouldn’t know.
To those of you worried about Toronto, look at the schedule they’ve played the first month. It is full of Baltimore and AL Central teams with a healthy smattering of Oakland and Texas on top of that. What happens when they play better teams? And what happens during some of their young pitchers’ 2nd times around the year? And is Aaron Hill gonna hit .350 all week?
I’m not saying they’re definitely fools gold but I wouldnt even waste any energy worrying about them until at least July.
Also, I’m glad AJ isnt hanging out with his ex teammates tomorrow. Even if he wasnt pitching, I think you want to get more than a month settled into your 5 year contract before you start chillin with division foes. It’ll be an exciting game, he and Halladay will both be super amped.. an amped up Halladay can be tough to beat though. Remember last year the first game of the year he was mad b/c Melky got a curtain call after hitting a cheap HR off him, and he seemed to have a chip on his shoulder facing us all season.
“The Yankees don’t do a good job developing their kids, so I even have to wonder how good AJax is………”
Who have the yankees screwed up…are we talking about gardner not being able to bunt or what now…dont let the shortcomings of others taint your view on ajax…he is an exceptional talent..
We’ll see, Teix. At some point the Yankees are going to need to beat some team of note. Even if the Jays are playing over their heads right now, you never know how long that can last.
And the Yankees need to put up runs early. They were fortunate that Damon bailed them out today. This team needs to put up crooked numbers to allow the starters to go deeper, so we can stay away from the pen before the 8th ideally.
“And is Aaron Hill gonna hit .350 all week?”
All year, rather…hopefully he wont hit .350 this week either though haha.
I’m not scared of Toronto either, but with Cito back, since late June ’08 they have put up some very good numbers. At least they seem to be getting their money’s worth.
ZMAN7777-To be fair, when they were playing a bit better earlier they did beat the Rays two of three.
The games vs. Boston and Tampa the last few times have been ridiculously close and the law of averages says we’re going to get some breaks go our way vs. them soon.
Boston did a DFA on Lopez today. I know he’s mediocre at best, but he’s better than Edwar and Veras. Maybe the Yanks should think about it.
Veras gets an unfairly bad rap. He did very well last year, and I think with time this year he may pull it together.
Teix — I’m not sure I buy the “we’re due for some breaks” argument. Usually you earn your wins and losses. And a woeful bullpen doesn’t get breaks.
Blog controversy over Damon’s remarks?
Damon has earned the right to say it and Philip has earned the right to shut up and take it. Don’t like it? Take it out on the opposing team on the mound. And then do it again. And then think about on the way back to Scranton and think about it again on the way back to the Bronx.
ZMAN7777-No, but a talented starting staff and a great core in our lineup should help us eventually.
Nick — I must have missed it. What did Damon say?
Nick in SF-Nobody told me, what did Damon say exactly?
I’ve never been in favor of the Yanks signing Holliday and although Bay may come somewhat cheaper (depending on how this year plays out) we dont need to lock up any more positions long term, especially not with contracts that don’t end until the player in question is on the wrong side of 30 or even 35.
I’ve long preferred someone like Marlon Byrd because he can be signed to such a more sensible contract, is more versatile and flexible in where he can play, and he doesn’t play quite every day for the Rangers so I’m sure he’d be ok with the same here. I like the idea of bringing back Damon on a 1 year deal plus signing Byrd, letting Nady go and trading Melky midseason, while his value is still hopefully high. Then you have an OF of Damon/Byrd/Jackson/Swisher and Byrd can play CF to allow AJaax an easier transition. With Gardner off the bench as a rarely-used pinch runner/5th OF I think that would be a good group.
“Boston did a DFA on Lopez today… Maybe the Yanks should think about it.”
Maybe, but Boston plays the same teams the Yankees do and if Lopez hasn’t handled them in a Sox uniform I wouldn’t be in a hurry to put him in pinstripes. But I guess I’d kick his tires.
Betsy- Agreed, He can go Tuesday night after he shuts them down.
He basically said that Master Philip needs to stop pitching like he’s wearing a poopy diaper.
He didn’t put it that way, though.
Yeah Nick what did Damon say?
Nick in SF – I agree about Damon, I’m not mad at him nor am I busting out the violins for Phil….but doesn’t it seem like Damon has talked a lot more smack than normal this year? I was shocked also by his comments on Wang earlier this year! Those I actually did think were a bit messed up because of how much Wang has done to help the Yanks. He’s entitled to a bad stretch and I didn’t hear Wang complaining about Damon’s foot problems/ineffectiveness at the beginning of ’07.
Damon’s still one of my favorites, but he has seemed a bit chippy this year, wonder what’s up!
Nick care to explain further?
And so he does. You could literally see the sweat on Phil’s face after all those bloop hits.
bbb- Maybe Damon feels that he is going out there everyday hurting and other players aren’t playing up to their capabilities.
BBB,
LOL. Wang can’t decide if Damon has a Gong Lo Mein, Chow Mein, or Chow Fun arm.
Hey if Damon wants to e more of a leader, more power to him.
Wang’s remarks about Damon’s foot and noodle arm weren’t translated!
Gotta go!
Anybody else sometimes get tired of talkng so often with people who know so much about the game?
Any good idea you have is almost always quashed since the majority of the time the team actually knows best. Which is true. But when people tell you and then defeat your ideas with superior logic, it does get kind of tiresome. You can’t even go out on a limb complaining w/o having every point shot down.
check back tomorrow?
Driving back to NYC?
Girardi to be canned?
Girardi will last the season. Mark it down.
It is called a day off. Get a clue.
All Damon said was that their young guys have to stop giving up the big inning. He said they need to limit the damage to 1,2 or 3 runs. Keep them in the game.
Joba just made it under the wire!
Still, Damon backed up his words big time today with that shot.
The team has do a better job of manufacturing runs. 3-run homers don’t grow on trees.
Sorry, had to dine with my mom. Just seeing a movie with her isn’t enough!
Regarding Damon: what Bronx Jeers said.
Go Rays.
Pedroia hurt?
bad scooter,
He had groin’ pains.
Groin injury.
He strained it trying to go wee-wee in the big boys toilet.
Swisher should never be a 4th OF when Melky is on the team……he’s a much better player.
Pedroia has a strain groan. And Youkilis is still having back issues which is never good.
Wow Sox are having multiple significant injuries to players all at once. That’s nice for a change.
come on Magic! 1 point game
Toronto is not going anywhere……they got another great performance from a kid pitcher. They seem to develop these youngsters on a reguglar basis…..The team is also hitting. I think the Yankees will be lucky to take 1 game based on the way they are playing in every aspect of the game. Toronto is a sound team that pitches and hits well…and they beat the teams they’re supposed to. It’s wishful thinking to believe they are going away anytime soon.
Sorry, but I love Big Baby!
S.A.: my step-mom called me this afternoon, the actor who plays Locke was on her and my dad’s flight from Baltimore to Charlotte.
Betsy, Right Cito has the team believing in themselves…..Let’s see have they react to a 3-4 losing streak….It’s overdue…Starts Tuesday
Oh! That’s cool Nick. I can’t wait for Wed and the LOST finale.
I never have anyone fun on my flights when I’m traveling somewhere.
~pouts~
Now the Sox have a 4-3 lead
~pouts some more~
Ugh. Another clutch hit by Jason Bay
When is the AL east going to stop throwing Bay FBs? Every big hit is off a FB over the plate.
Toronto always finds their way to a high 80s win total. Don’t see how that changes this year. They also have a winning record against Boston the last 3 years, so they obviously play them well.
We’ve always played them well the past few years… we’ll see. The offense isin’t exactly lighting it up and that’s a problem considering we face their 3 best pitchers.
It boggles my mind why pitchers still throw outside fastballs to bay. That’s what he likes to hit, those high outside fastballs. He never really hits the inside fastball, he usually takes it. And he can’t really hit the off speed pitches on the outside corner. I just don’t understand why pitchers keep throwing fastballs on the outside corner. It makes zero sense.
It’s just ridiculous how many meatballs have been served up to Jason Bay this year.
Now Papelbon gets to face the bottom of the order again. Never fails.
It boggles my mind why pitchers still throw outside fastballs to bay. That’s what he likes to hit, those high outside fastballs. He never really hits the inside fastball, he usually takes it. And he can’t really hit the off speed pitches on the outside corner. I just don’t understand why pitchers keep throwing fastballs on the outside corner. It makes zero sense.
you have it the wrong way.
Teams watch a lot film. I expect the league to make adjustments with how Bay is being pitched. Can’t keep serving up FBs in the same spot to him.
I hope it does start Tuesday, Pat – but I’m trying to be realistic. The Yankees need to start playing much crisper baseball starting right NOW…..They could use 2 out of 3. I assume Alex will DH……
Eh about the Sox and Rays – the Rays have done a good job against the Sox, so I really can’t get on their case. Either way, the Yankees gain a game on one of them.
It boggles my mind why pitchers still throw outside fastballs to bay. That’s what he likes to hit, those high outside fastballs. He never really hits the inside fastball, he usually takes it. And he can’t really hit the off speed pitches on the outside corner. I just don’t understand why pitchers keep throwing fastballs on the outside corner. It makes zero sense.
you have it the wrong way.
—————————————
What do you mean?
Why didn’t the referee throw a flag after Huff’s fist pump for unsportsmanlike conduct and penalize the O’s?
Papsmear a little off here
1st and 3rd, no outs. Interesting
We never ever hit Halladay even when we had much better lineups. He is a monster. I can totally see AJ throwing a good game but losing 3-2 or something.
There’s usually a big buzz when I fly. I mean, after word gets out the Nick in SF is on the flight.
Hahaha Nick
Please the Yankees are not hitting Halladay. I expect a lost to be honest. They have trouble with Adam Eaton. Halladay? Yeah I’m expecting a lost.
…After word gets out *that* Nick in SF is on the flight
Trev,
Exactly. Not expecting anything on Tuesday. This offense is slumping and Halladay is not who we want to face
Wow, Papelbon is so nasty
Struck out Pena and Upton back to back with 97 and 96
I thought only the Yankees waste 1st/2nd and 3rd no out chances, guess not.
its cool how we are already conceding tuesdays game….sad fans
How you pitch to Upton? Throw high hard FBs at him. Like Burnett does.
Totally overmatched against Paplebon.
Grrrrrr Paps
Hate to say it, that was a sick performance by Papelbon. 9 swings and misses with 1st and 3rd and no outs.
and he gets out of trouble
Wow. The 3rd base coach cost the Rays the game. How does Iwamaura not score on that single? Ellsbury throws like a girl.
He didn’t throw crawford a single strike…
mike- iwamura held up to make sure the line drive got thru. no chance at scoring
Upton has looked horrible at the plate for the Rays, surprised Papelbum got through that, he didn’t throw strikes, the Rays let the crowd get to them
I’m not worried about Tampa. They will win 89 games or so and take a step back
Toronto is a different story.
It’s just hard for me to get worked up about the Sox when the Yankees have enormous problems…if they don’t get them straightened out, it won’t matter anymore what the Sox do.
Ralph, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being realistic. Have the Yankees shown you anything that makes you believe they are capable of winning the type of game that it takes to beat Halladay? Until proven otherwise, the Jays are a better team – it doesn’t matter about talent on paper, it’s what the talent does on the field. I personally don’t expect much from the Yankees over the course of thes 3 games, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be hoping.
I wonder why no one says anything about Papelbon’s fist pump? It is much more animated than Joba’s?
Papelbon just doesn’t break. Hate to say it but he doesn’t.
Bad loss for the Rays.
Pathetic performance in the 9th inning by the rays. They looked scared up at the plate the whole time. Of course Steve Phillips says Papelbon’s fist pump was him having fun out there, while Gammons shunned Joba’s fist pumps and said he needs to tone it down, lol what a bunch of hypocrites they are.
“tampayank May 10th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Upton has looked horrible at the plate for the Rays, surprised Papelbum got through that, he didn’t throw strikes, the Rays let the crowd get to them”
Wouldn’t it be nice if the Yankees had a homfield advantage?
“rconn23 May 10th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Papelbon just doesn’t break. Hate to say it but he doesn’t.
Bad loss for the Rays.”
The Rays bailed him out. Those AB’s where a joke.
Francessa is probably so thrilled that his Red Sox took 2\3 against Tampa and Papelbon got out of that jam
Then tomorrow he can tell us about their great young players compared to ours, and how they are what we used to be, for the 100th time.
Also Gammons said Joba is making enemies throughout the AL East and Papelbon gets a pass lol.
Still speechless after the end of that game.
Papelbon just doesn’t break.
All year, he’s had men on base and managed to get out of it.
Eh on the home field advantage – the Yankees are either going to be good enough or they’re not. They lost plenty of times in the old stadium – when the opposing team did damage, the crowd was taken out of it. The team might try pitching, fielding and hitting better – if they do that, they may win some more games.
Not exactly the focal point of this photo, but look at Damon’s right thumb. Makes me wonder if Joba’s boo-boo yesterday was from a clubhouse thumb wrestling tournament gone wrong.
http://www.daylife.com/photo/0.....rk+Yankees
What did anyone expect? Paplebon is one of the best closers in the game……
Papelbon is a terrific pitcher. He has guts and knows how to get big outs.
He has 1st/3rd no outs and strikes out the side. They swung and missed at everything he threw, didn’t even foul anything off or take a looking strike.
“Betsy May 10th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Eh on the home field advantage – the Yankees are either going to be good enough or they’re not. They lost plenty of times in the old stadium – when the opposing team did damage, the crowd was taken out of it. The team might try pitching, fielding and hitting better – if they do that, they may win some more games.”
Look at Boston’s home/road splits the last 5 years. The Yankees have nothing CLOSE to that.
Oh well…The Yankees really shouldnt concern themselves with Boston right now. First they have to get to .500, then hopefully 5 games over…and then maybe begin to look at Boston. Lots of work to do in between.
We’re not even in a position to think about the Sux now. They are flying and everything is clicking. They are 8 games over .500, we are 1 game under.
We need to figure our own problems out before we worry about chasing them. No point in getting frustrated when they win, they are an outstanding team.
I really don’t expect much from the Yanks in Tuesday’s game. They have WAY too many innings in a game where go down 1,2,3 and don’t put any pressure on the pitcher. They need to attack the pitcher a little bit more then they do. It seems like it is always 1 player putting the team on there back. 1st it was Swish, then Cano now recently Damon. They need everyone to get going and put pressure on the opposing pitcher in every inning not just 3 or 4 of them. Damon said that they looked flat during most of the game today. That needs to stop.
“Betsy
May 10th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Eh on the home field advantage – the Yankees are either going to be good enough or they’re not. They lost plenty of times in the old stadium – when the opposing team did damage, the crowd was taken out of it. The team might try pitching, fielding and hitting better – if they do that, they may win some more games.
”
I respectfully disagree, yeah if a team is overmatched from the beginning homefield doesn’t matter but in a 1 run game w/ 2 men on and no outs and the crowd is absolutely rockin, as a hitter you may let it get to you and swing at horrible pitches….I think the Rays let it get to them in that 9th innning
oh and I love the doublestandard by NESPN, Papelbum is having fun but on baseball tonight Joba needs to tone it down
Boston is scary good. They are getting nothing from Beckett, Lester, Penny etc. and Dice-K is on the DL, Ortiz isin’t hitting and they are still 8 games over. They are also 5-0 against us.
We’re still a long way from being in their league. Let’s get healthy first and get a long winning streak going before we worry about them.
Mike, to me it’s just about the best team winning. The Yankees have played poorly in the post-season lately (when they’ve made it) period. If they had played better, they would have won. The Sox went for eons without winning – they didn’t win the WS last year, either. The home field didn’t help them…..neither did it help them in 2005 and 2006. The Yankees are terrible right now for a variety of reasons, none of which have to do with not having a home field advantage.
Does Damon think that the older pitchers also “have got to learn: If they give up two or three runs, stop them there and give us a chance”
Johnny Damon who was signed to be the Yankees CF for four years and then couldn’t hack CF anymore thereby forcing the Yankees to ruin Melky Cabrera’s development.
That said his comments weren’t all that bad. He just feels like the “young pitchers” need to give their team a chance to win the game that’s all.
So far this year however most of the Yankee pitchers have been mediocre at best.
“Betsy May 10th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
Mike, to me it’s just about the best team winning. The Yankees have played poorly in the post-season lately (when they’ve made it) period. If they had played better, they would have won. The Sox went for eons without winning – they didn’t win the WS last year, either. The home field didn’t help them…..neither did it help them in 2005 and 2006. The Yankees are terrible right now for a variety of reasons, none of which have to do with not having a home field advantage.”
They had years where they had bad teams that were kept in contention by playing in that park. They are a completely different team at home.
Yeah, the Fenway Crowd was rocking tonight and the Rays were affected by it, it also pumped Papelbon up. Rays didn’t stand a chance against him.
We haven’t had that once this year. As Pete said, it has been like a church. Even for the walkoff against the Angels, it was 1\2 empty and not as loud as a game like that at the old stadium would be.
“Mad Max May 10th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
Boston is scary good. They are getting nothing from Beckett, Lester, Penny etc. and Dice-K is on the DL, Ortiz isin’t hitting and they are still 8 games over. They are also 5-0 against us.
We’re still a long way from being in their league. Let’s get healthy first and get a long winning streak going before we worry about them.”
BS. Boston is a 500 team in games against teams not named New York and Baltimore and one of those teams tanks games against them.
Our stadium has become like Dodgers Stadium… most of the crowd empties by the 7th inning and it is sparse by the end of the game.
“The Rays bailed him out. Those AB’s where a joke.”
He overpowered them. Simple as that. The fastball was on them so quick they had no chance.
“Seth May 10th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Yeah, the Fenway Crowd was rocking tonight and the Rays were affected by it, it also pumped Papelbon up. Rays didn’t stand a chance against him.
We haven’t had that once this year. As Pete said, it has been like a church. Even for the walkoff against the Angels, it was 1\2 empty and not as loud as a game like that at the old stadium would be.”
They had 1st and 3rd none out and he threw ball 4 to Pena. Thats not a chance?
“rconn23 May 11th, 2009 at 12:02 am
“The Rays bailed him out. Those AB’s where a joke.”
He overpowered them. Simple as that. The fastball was on them so quick they had no chance.”
They had no chance to let them go by and walk to first base?
Boston is not scary good – I use that for teams like the 1998 Yankees. They are a very good team and I’ll leave it at that.
Cashman doesn’t appear to care very much about improving his bench (and I am a huge supporter of his) and the pen is a disaster of epic proportions (which I do not see as fixable – certainly not now. Even when trades become available, who are we going to trade for?). The SP is shaky and the D is no great shakes (and Tex has made some bad plays the past 2 games). That doesn’t even take into account the inconsistent offense……Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? Negative? You bet – but it’s the harsh truth. I’m absolutely not giving up on the season – a part of me will always have hope that they can turn things around – but I’m also not a believer in blind faith.
Why should we take out Yankees/Baltimore games? That is 9 of their 32 games, almost one-third of their season so far.
“Even for the walkoff against the Angels, it was 1\2 empty and not as loud as a game like that at the old stadium would be.”
Wasn’t it like 2 in the morning when the Yankees won the walkoff game?
Reading Betsy’s comments it’s almost as if the Yankees did not just take 2 of 3 and win the series against Baltimore.
I really didn’t think Boston would be so good. Considering they have almost as many issues as we do, that is even more depressing.
Amazing how we sign the 3 best FAs on the market and are still seemingly so far behind them.
“Why should we take out Yankees/Baltimore games? That is 9 of their 32 games, almost one-third of their season so far.”
We should probably take out 3 of those 8 games considering they’ve only played them 6 times this year.
Well, we can agree to disagree Mike and TampaYank. I understand what you are saying, but it call comes down to execution for me. I’ve seen plenty of games where the crowd is all pumped up and hopeful about a K, or the last out or whatever, only to have the pitcher groove one……..after which the crowd shuts up. The players are professionals – if they need the crowed to jack them up in order for them to do their job, then I don’t want them on this team. I don’t believe that’s the case, though……..
Boston’s rotation is a mess, their lineup is INSANELY overrated and they have just as much age as the yankees do. (they are starting as many automatic outs as we are too) The only area they have really been great in is their bullpen which I don’t expect to last.
Papelbon’s act is borderline-pornographic. I can say no more.
I am not concerned at all about the slow start, considering all the injuries.
I am worried about how brutal the division is. We can’t just sleepwalk through 1\2 the season like we could in previous years and expect to have a shot at the playoffs. Toronto, Tampa, and Boston all have good pitching. Like us, they can throw out a quality starter every night. Don’t want to be chasing 4 teams in the dog days of summer.
“Nick in SF May 11th, 2009 at 12:08 am
Papelbon’s act is borderline-pornographic. I can say no more.”
Do you really expect Baltimore to take offense to that? They are Boston’s BFF”s….
Ray,
He meant that the Sox are a .500 team if you take out the games they played with Baltimore and the Yankees.
Boston has played 9 games against us and Baltimore.
“I am not concerned at all about the slow start, considering all the injuries.
I am worried about how brutal the division is.”
I’d be willing to put $1000 in escrow and bet anyone here that the division will NOT look so “brutal” come September.
The Yankees are still constructed as the best team in the AL East and I’ll believe that until it’s proven otherwise.
Mad Max,
O I C.
It was great pitching by Papelbum in the 9th inning. They know that Crawford and Upton will chase high fastballs and it worked perfectly. They also do a good job of pitching to the outside part of the plate, which I wish the Yanks would do more of. Sometimes I think that the Yankees pitchers throw too many good strikes over the plate. If they actually get ahead in the count then its good to go up..especially to Tampa or an aggressive team.
Ray, I’ll grant you that I’m a pessimist, but do you honestly think the Yankees played well? Do you think taking 2/3 covers all the warts on this team? I’m glad they won today…….and we’ll see what happens against the Jays…..but this team’s problems did not just disappear. In fact, they were magnified. Hughes (love the kid, just love him) can not be counted on…….and we’re not sure about Wang, even when he comes back. The pen imploded yesterday…….and even in the Yankees win on Friday, they let Guthrie off the hook. There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the team, but that’s my issue. For those that are optimistic, I’m really glad that you have that outlook – I wish I could share it with you. The Yankees are not going to win or lose based on my negative ramblings in the wee hours of the morning – I hope they go out there and kick some Blue Jay butt.
Betsy,
I’m not concerned with all of the “warts” on the team. Like Nike I just want them to win baby.
Sorry about your pessimism. I don’t live life in a pessimistic way so I honestly have no idea how you feel.
If you can’t enjoy the Yankees taking 2 of 3 in a series because of all the “warts” the team has then maybe you shouldn’t be watching baseball.
There are no perfect teams, never have been never will be, which is why ALL teams generally lose 60 games a year.
What I do know however is that the Yankees have the right pieces to be a VERY good team this year. They can’t make up a 5 game deficit in one night. What they can do however is continue to take series and everything will work out in the end. JMO.
The biggest problem is the bullpen. I really do not see any way that they will be able to fix it this year. Hopefully Bruney comes back good then that gives you the 8th and 9th innings. But they still need 2 more right handed relievers and especially someone for the 7th inning. I think Coke will be good more times then bad but only as long as Girardi doesn’t abuse his arm. Alba could be good for the early innings. But will Veras ever find the plate? That is the question and Ramirez is garbage just taking up space. I expect to see Robertson and Melancon back some time soon. When I heard Girardi say I am not afraid to use Tomko in the late innings..I want to throw up. He might not be afraid, but I am.
Toronto is going to come back down to Earth eventually.
I’m not a big believer because they don’t have much starting pitching after Halladay.
We all realize that the Rays weren’t supposed to be that good so soon last year and they didn’t fold when people expected it.
But for every Rays team that didn’t fold, I can point to a dozen examples of teams that overachieved like the Jays are now and did fold as expected.
Don’t let Toronto fool you. They aren’t this good.
Nah, baseball is the perfect sport, Ray – I could never give it up no matter how pessimistic I am, lol.
Just to clarify – I don’t expect the Yankess to be perfect, not by any means. I think they’ve tried hard this year – and they have a lot of heart…….we’ll see how things shake out, as the glory of baseball is that it’s a loooooooong season.
Our Ace was lights out and our Ace Jr was good enough, aren’t those two reasons for optimism?
Only our phuture phenom phailed, but he’ll be better down the road.
people act like toronto is some powerhouse.
brain tallet is starting look at his career…we will see about there other starters.. there infield is; barajas, overbay,hill, scutaro, and a innefective rolen..
hold off the champagne on these guys for about 70 more games….
how is that revitalized padres and pirates doing???
it is a long long season..
Yankees win and all is right with the world!
Until Tuesdays loss to Doc Halladay. And then the next loss, and the next, and the next….
I dunno about trenton but the scranton team was dominating while tomko was down there. I imagine they had some solid chemistry going on in that clubhouse considering they were something like 22 and 5 when tomko got called up or around that. And pretty much the entire lineup was over 300.
If only the yankees that call bronx their home were as good right now. Its strange to see the AAA team dominating and the major league club getting their butts kicked at the same time. If I saw cashman right now, I would HAVE TO ask him, why in the world are we not bringing up someone like duncan or miranda to bolster our non-existent bench.
It never hurts to have a bat off the bench that is a power threat at the plate and can tie a game with one swing. Are we trying to build up their value and play them every day so we can trade them? Because from where im standing the last thing the yanks need to develop is another first baseman/dh. We have about ten guys on the roster who will be able to fill that spot over the next decade (Posada, Tex, Arod and jeter come to mind just to name a few.) And we certainly dont need 12-13 arms out of the pen when girardi trusts exactly 2 of them.
girardi trusts 2 arms in the pen for a reason. the rest of the guys deserve no trust. when they get bruney back it will be 3 arms, they need to find 2 more pen arms that can be counted on. lopez got dfa’d by the sux because he sucks, no thanks……why take there garbage we have enough of our own………
“Some Orioles folks I spoke to told me that Chamberlain is the least-liked player in the league inside Baltimore’s clubhouse, with Kevin Youkilis running a close second.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/blo.....GQ9&A
stuart – I didnt say that there was any reason to trust anyone other than coke and Mo. My point was that we are wasting roster spots on all these arms who rarely ever pitch or rarely ever succeed when they do. We can drop one of them down and bring up a miranda or duncan that would make better use of a roster spot. I know we need three more quality arms that girardi can trust. But we just sent our two most talented relievers back to triple A in melancon and robertson. Melancon didnt do great but he was given all of 3 tries to show them what he had. And he really only did horribly once. I cant even count how many times edwar has sucked. Robertson actually did well.
So if those two ever come back up and bruney and marte ever come back, my ideal pen would be Coke, Aceves, Robertson, Marte, Melancon, Bruney and Mo. Now that could be a very quality core right there. Add whoever sucks least over the next few weeks in the garbage pile that is our pen now namely jonathan, edwar, brett or jose and we could have one of the best bullpens in baseball. Throw steven jackson,zach kroenke, jb cox, anthony claggett or fossum into the mix (whoever is doing the best at the time) if anyone struggles. I feel like the organization right now is acting like making roster moves is like performing brain surgery because it seems very difficult for them to maximize all of our roster spots with the talent we currently have in AAA.
It aint brain surgery – its actually relatively simple. Promote an arm when they do well and demote them when they suck (pending options and such.) And for heaven’s sakes, pull the best hitter out of that scranton lineup and put them on our bench (Not ajax.) Duncan has 10 homers and is batting 333 405 687. Linden is batting 331 406 548. Rodriguez and Miranda are two other options that could help us off the bench. I just dont understand why we carry a million crappy relievers who we cant trust and yet, leave our bench bare with at least 5 games that could help us in AAA. Doesnt make a lick of sense. But what do I know?
So over the fist pump thing
@joba rules There is no double standard. Jobs is the only player in the league that has an orgasm on the mound when he finishes the fifth inning of a game he’s losing.
Are the joba apologist here that dumb not to know the difference or are you wearing Yankee blinders?
A-Rod to bat third tomorrow.
I mean Tuesday.
That ain’t happening. Teixeira remains their #3 hitter.
Sox fans still upset over the 12 Ks by Joba.
Get used to it.
Pedroia out after straining groin
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Associated Press
BOSTON — Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has left Sunday night’s game against Tampa Bay after straining his right groin on a swing.
Pedroia, last season’s AL MVP and the league’s 2007 Rookie of the Year, fouled a ball off to the third-base side in the third inning and TV replays showed him briefly grimacing.
Pedroia, hitting .320 with one homer and 12 RBIs, grounded out to end his at-bat before he left the game in the top of the fourth. He was replaced at second by Nick Green, who started at shortstop. Julio Lugo came in to play shortstop.
Last year, Pedroia hit .326 with 17 homers and 83 RBIs.
I like Joba’s energy, but it needs to be chanelled better for his own well being. You get a truly big out celebrate. You strike out a guy whie your team is losing just head to the dugout.
Still I’d rather have an enthusiastc guy who has to get calmed down that an indifferent one.
I have to wonder how much longer they will carry Berroa. With Alex back and Pena still up he serves no purpose on this roster.
Here’s the difference between what Joba and Huff do:
Joba plays with a lot of energy and has established himself as one of those guys who gets pumped up when he succeeds.
Aubrey Huff yesterday went out of character, mocking Joba, and therefore he is a doueachebag (intentionally spelled wrong). Huff is a big baby.
Do you guys think that javier lopez could help this bullpen??
“Here’s the difference between what Joba and Huff do:
Joba plays with a lot of energy and has established himself as one of those guys who gets pumped up when he succeeds.
Aubrey Huff yesterday went out of character, mocking Joba, and therefore he is a doueachebag (intentionally spelled wrong). Huff is a big baby.”
That really is the long and short of it. Honestly, I thought what Huff did was funny. But it doesnt take away from the fact that hes a D
“Look at Boston’s home/road splits the last 5 years. The Yankees have nothing CLOSE to that.”
From 2004-2008, the Yankees won 10 more road games than Boston. That’s 2 more road wins per year. That actually is pretty close, isn’t it?
Joba the least liked player. I mean come on get over it. What a bunch of babies.
Is Joba a bad guy? I don’t get it.
‘Aubrey Huff yesterday went out of character, mocking Joba, and therefore he is a doueachebag (intentionally spelled wrong). Huff is a big baby.”
What do you, me, or any other Yankees fan know about Huff’s character and whether he went out of it? That kind of stuff is going to happen to Joba. He shows people up, he’s going to get shown up. I don’t think Joba should change a thing. What he does works for him, but I’m not going to have a problem when players respond in kind.
If Aubrey Huff feels the need to show someone up, fine, no problem, just don’t be surprised when you get drilled.
My problem with the whole situation is the ridiculous double standard that exists here. When Joba does it, it is the worst thing that ever happens, Pete Gammons said last night that he has made a lot of enemies, and needs to tone it down.
In the same breath, Jonathan Papplebon impressively strikes out 3 batters in a row after getting himself in trouble. Papplebon proceeds to pump his fist 7 times. Gammons/Phillips and co. then say look at how much fun he has.
Why is it good for one, and not the other. The over analysis and unprecedented expectations placed on Joba are unreal. Leave the kid alone and let him pitch.
What Gammons meant he’s made “enemies” one the Sawx. He’s a Sawx homer. I would pay little attention to what he says.
I like Joba’s excitement on the mound and think the fist pump is good for him and the team. We need a lot more guys who play with emotion like Joba and have fun like Swish…then the Yankees would be more loose and a little more difficult to hate…as far as Huff goes I can’t reasonably say that Joba’s fist pump is good but a batter shouldn’t do that as that would obviously be hypocritical; however, since he intentionally did that to mock Joba he should just come out and say that and not act like he wasn’t trying to “upstage” anyone.
“Why is it good for one, and not the other.”
It’s not. Haven’t seen enough to know for sure, but I’d assume some guys who have hit Papelbon have outwardly expressed delight in doing so, especially given the situations in which he pitches. And if they do, Papelbon deserves it.
Haven’t heard anything recently about the Yankees fixing the “camera behind the net” problem, but it took me 5 minutes of sitting at the game on Saturday to find a solution. How the Yankees could manage to not check out a few other ball parks (especially AL East ball parks) for the solution seems like a big dropped ball to me. A friend who came to the game with me took some photos of the contraption the Orioles use to film through the net and is going to forward them to Pete. The net basically has a hole in it in the middle where the camera sits, i can’t remember if the camera was hanging down from the cable supporting the net or if it was mounted to a small pole but it wasn’t substantial enough to be an obstruction for those sitting behind it. However it was mounted, it had a swivel the could be controlled remotely by the camera man…so there you go Yankees, problem solved.
the camera contraption definitely looked like something the Yankees could construct and put up while the team is traveling, and not something that needs to wait until the end of the season or even the All-Star break.
Is this the NFL?
Remember when LaDainian Tomlinson (I refuse to call him LT) flipped out when the Pats did Shawne Merriman’s dance?
while I say a fist pump here or a clap of the hands after a homer here are acceptable, if baseball gets anywhere near the level of the NFL where a guy does a rehersed dance after every defensive hit (even when losing by 30 or after the offense made a huge play) I will stop watching sports all together. I love me some football, but I cringe every time a defender stomps 10 yards into the backfield after a big hit. Go high-five your teams mates or something, but the strutting/dancing is a joke.
At the end of the Huff is the one that looked silly. Considering his teams in last place and they lost the game. He looked like a little league/r in his attempt to show Joba up.
Steve – in his 10 years in the majors, show me 1 game where he pumped his fist at first and home plate in the early part of the game. It is out of character for him… why is that even debatable?
who here thinks the balls are juiced? does anyone know of HR stats for the first 30 games compared to other seasons? would be interesting.
Russ:
I don’t see enough of him to say, so I won’t pretend to know of his character.
Doesn’t really matter anyway. When players show up other players, I have no problem when the favor is returned.
bardos, according to baseball-reference.com last year through April in the AL there were 342 HR in 14,987 plate appearences, that’s 1 HR for every 43.82 PA. This year it’s 338 HRs for 11,843 PAs for 1 HR per 35.04 PA. I would say that that is up. ESPN will probably blame Yankee Stadium.
Yeah but for almost every game tickets on Ticketstumbler and Stubhub have been below face value.
.wait so what did they say about their fellow prospects – - -why didnt you includ ethat in your blog????????
Take away the one bad start where he gave up eight runs, and Burnett’s ERA’s a healthy 3.85. Looking forward to seeing him face the mighty Halladay.
I really love your blog!!
Can anybody tell me what?s the best Hotel in Paris for my honey moon? I going to married next month..
Thank you
nice blog brother….