MO is god and will have great numbers at year end – he’ll blow a few more games before the years out but is still a top closer in the league and I still believe the game is over going into the 9th WITH a lead.

i’ve been hearing this argument for the past five years – any time MO has a bad outing or MO forbid two, everyone says hes done… and then he goes on and pitches lights out for the rest of the year

“In MO we trust.”

Thus far, no change-up, and the batters are keying on his FORMER ‘unhitable’ cutter!

I do think it was telling, however, that Girardi was trying to play percentages. I agree in general that you should not give a player of Longoria’s skills a chance to beat you, even if he was coming back from a leg injury. But Mo never needed help from the percentages before. It does suggest clearly that Joe thinks Mo is more human this year than before as well as the fact that regardless of who is out on the mound, Girardi will consult the numbers.

Joe, however, makes the call from the dugout to walk Longoria without a mound visit to sell it to Mo. Was Joe’s lack of tact (respect?) the bigger factor in Mo’s unraveling? I’m 100% sure Girardi meant no disrespect to Mo, but is he sure Mo knew that?

IMO, walking Longoria is a decision all managers would consider in that situation. But you’d have to also consider that it was a rusty Longoria waiting to swing and that when you walk a hitter to get at the next guy, usually that amps up the next hitter (Oh, so you think you can beat ME?). Add that “intangible” to the fact that walking Longoria obviously unsettled the usually unflappable Mo and maybe this wasn’t really a 39 year old shoulder issue. Maybe Mo still thinks of Girardi as the catcher sometimes and not the manager.

Girardi and Mo need to talk. Mo was embarrassed on the mound by Joe and Joe likely was embarrassed by Mo after the game. Bad, bad communicating between former teammates who are now Manager and Closer. Fix it and move on.

CC stunk, plain and simple. He failed to hold two leads and got pounded by a scrub hitter. I’ve said before the Yanks have zero starters who can dominate a game and hold a lead when needed. Lester’s performance last night is something the Yankee starters can only dream of doing.

As far as IBB Longoria – how do you argue that? Longoria had a HR off him last time (recent hammie problems notwithstanding) and he had struck out Upton like 6 times. How do you argue that? And so, Joe put Mo in the best position to get the 3rd out. Which Mo did not do. So, I would think, when all is said and done, Mo is probably much more upset with himself than the manager. I don’t think Joe “embarrassed” Mariano. And he took him out so he wouldn’t lose him for another game, pitch-count wise.

Sabathia probably could have pitched the 9th. And of course, he’d prefer that. They all prefer to stay in the game; they all prefer to play than not play, bumps & bruises be darned (and in John Maine’s case, weakness). Again, when all is said and done, I’d bet CC is more upset with himself, having given up 5 runs and the lead twice, than he is with the manager deciding to go with Mariano in the 9th. If he went with Veras, I’d have some questions.

As a Yankees fan *READING PAST STATS* about how a player was before becoming a Yankee,doesn’t do a thing but detract from what the player is doing currently.

*CC* should be embarrassed as the ACE to have Yesterday’s result.

Before the season opener,Pete gave the *stats* of CC vs Orioles,all positive in CC’s favor,yet the Yankees lost.

Friday Pete gave the *stats* of CC vs Tampa,again favorable.

I got this pit in my stomach and wouldn’t allow myself to
*overly rely on the stats* ,and you saw what happened.

*I as well as any true Yankees fan want them in post* *season* .

*The Yankees have the talent,but they aren’t performing up* *to their stats* .

Seeing Mo lit up like that yesterday for me,was like *his*
*blown save in 2004* . It even shook Mr low key too!!