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Game 56: Rays at Yankees (updated with pre-game notes and Girardi audio)

Peter Abraham
June
7

YANKEES (32-23)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF

Pitching: RHP Joba Chamberlain (3-1, 3.71).

RAYS (29-28)
Upton CF
Crawford LF
Aybar 3B
Pena 1B
Zobrist 2B
Joyce RF
Gross DH
Navarro C
Brignac SS

Pitching: RHP Matt Garza (4-4, 3.67).

TIME/TV: 1:05 p.m., YES.

STATE OF THE PINSTRIPES: The Yankees have lost two of three. They are 8-6 in their last 14 games.

HOMER HAVENS: Yankee Stadium and Tropicana Field are the only ballparks to have surrendered at least one home run in every game.

THE DEFENSE RESTS: The Yankees have committed at least one error in four straight games.

CLUTCHY CABRERA: Melky Cabrera has 23 RBI. Eleven of them have either tied the game or given the Yankees the lead in the seventh inning of later.

ON A ROLL: Mark Teixeira had 12 home runs and 35 RBI in the last 26 games.

SPEEDY CAPTAIN: Derek Jeter has 11 stolen bases, the same amount he had all of last season.

GARZA AGAIN: Garza allowed two runs over seven innings and struck out nine against the Yankees on April 14. But the Yankees rallied to win 7-2.

UPDATE, 11:50 a.m.: Still no Rays lineup. They want to see Longoria take BP and run before making a decision.

As for the Yankees …

Brian Bruney threw two 15-pitch simulated innings and felt good. “Two thumbs up,” he said as he came off the field. But the Yankees will be cautious with him. He could throw another simulated game, then some live BP and then a go to the minors for a rehab game or two. At an every-other-day pace, he could be 8-10 days away. They want to make sure he is right before they bring him back.

Jose Molina was in uniform and doing some baseball activities. He thinks he’s 7-10 days away. “It’s not nearly as bad as last time,” he said. “But I need to be able to run.”

The Rays were surprised — shocked, really — that the Yankees intentionally walked Longoria to get to Upton yesterday. Longoria had not swung a bat since Tuesday and was under orders not to run hard if he made contact.

Girardi defended his decision, pointing out that Upton was 1 for 7 with six Ks against Mo. He also had no problem with Rivera saying he wanted to face Longoria. “I would expect him to say that,” Girardi said. “We’d have a problem is he didn’t feel that way.”

It’s also worth noting that Mo issued 27 previous intentional walks in his career. So let’s not get carried away because it happened yesterday. It’s a fair argument either way.

Damaso Marte will throw a bullpen in Tampa today. Xavier Nady threw from 90 feet yesterday. That would seem encouraging.

UPDATE, 12:31 p.m.: Longoria was not cleared to play. But he could pinch hit again.

UPDATE, 12:37 p.m.: Here’s Girardi’s pre-game in the dugout. Lots of talk about the decisions yesterday.

UPDATE, 1:10 p.m.: We’re underway, five minutes late at 1:10 for whatever reason. … 77 degrees and sunny here in the Bronx.

Nick Swisher turned and snapped off a salute to the Bleacher Creatures during roll call. Johnny Dangerously did his usual two-handed point off one knee.

Joba vs. Garza, two guys with good cheese. Should be a fun one to watch.

UPDATE, 1:35 p.m.: Joba’s last 10 innings: 2 runs on 4 hits. … Meanwhile Alex just jogged out a pop-up that was dropped. He could have been on second. Cervelli did the same thing yesterday. The way the wind blows around on this field, running out pop-ups is important.

UPDATE, 1:51 p.m: Teixeira makes at least one and often two plays a game that Jason Giambi wouldn’t have even attempted. Tex is obviously a very good 1B. But when you view it through the prism of having watched The Big G there, he looks like equal parts Keith Hernandez and Don Mattingly.

UPDATE, 2:03 p.m.: Pretty swing there by Swish from the left side as he extended his arms and crushed a high pitch from Garza. All tied up at 1-1.

UPDATE, 2:35 p.m.: The Yankees have made at least one error in five straight games. Wonder what that record is?

UPDATE, 2:40 p.m.: I’m not a big believer in defensive metrics because they can’t possibly account for how a player is positioned by coaches, field conditions and other factors. There is some merit to them, but they can’t tell the whole story. But based on having watched most of the games this season and all of spring training, Jeter is moving laterally a lot better than in recent years and is making more plays to his left and right. His defense has improved considerably.

UPDATE, 2:48 p.m.: OK, Nick Swisher walks a lot. But Melky Cabrera? The Yankees need to make Garza pay this inning. First and second, top of the order.

UPDATE, 2:50 p.m.: It’s 1-1 in the fifth inning at home and you have Derek Jeter try and bunt? That is bad, bad, baseball. It’s Derek Jeter, let him swing the bat.

UPDATE, 2:51 p.m.: Brilliant, he fouls off two and then nearly grounds into a DP. You play for one run, that’s what you get. Play for a big inning and a knockout punch. Giving away outs in a 1-1 game is a bad idea.

UPDATE, 2:53 p.m.: The Yankees have handed this situation pretty terribly so far. Now watch Tex blast one.

UPDATE, 2:55 p.m.: Brutal. First and second, nobody out and they fail to score with the top of the order up. Maybe if Jeter had just been allowed to hit from the start he might have done something like get a hit.

UPDATE, 3:06 p.m: Game saver there by the Melkman. That ball gets by him and it’s two runs and a triple for Zobrist.

UPDATE, 3:09 p.m.: Joba’s lack of control is what has cost him this inning. He walked Joyce and fell behind Gross.

UPDATE, 3:40 p.m.: Yankees going quietly these last few innings. Blowing that opportunity in the fifth inning looks like the story of this game, at least so far.

UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.: Well, here is another opportunity. Runners on the corners with two outs for Alex.

UPDATE, 4:01 p.m.: I always find it ironic that Grant Balfour became a pitcher. I wonder if Joe Strikethree is out there somewhere.

UPDATE, 4:03 p.m.: Ball four from Balfour. He’s out of the game. Based loaded and one out for Robbie Cano. He’ll face lefty J.P. Howell, the son of Thurston and Lovey Howell.

UPDATE, 4:09 p.m.: This is like slow torture for the Rays as Howell walks in a run. Now it’s Posada with the bases loaded and the Yankees down a run. Mo is in the pen. A single brings him in to try again.

UPDATE, 4:10 p.m.: There’s where not having Evan Longoria hurts the Rays. That’s an inning-ending DP with him in there. Instead it’s 3-3.

Matsui can make up for a bad day here. By the way, Yankees are 19-0 when holding the opponent to three runs or less.

UPDATE, 4:11 p.m.: Boy, Matsui is brutal. He grounds to second again but it was slow enough to bring in a run as he somehow beats the throw. Yankees lead 4-3. Can Mo handle Joyce, Gross and Navarro? You have to think Longoria pinch hits at some point.

UPDATE, 4:16 p.m.: Very, very, very interesting appearance here for the Sandman.

UPDATE, 4:19 p.m.: Dillon on deck, not Longoria.

UPDATE, 4:21 p.m.: Longoria it is. What a situation after yesterday.

UPDATE, 4:23 p.m.: It would seem Mariano made a point there as he gets Longoria to ground out weakly. Yankees win 4-3. Back later with more.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 7th, 2009 at 9:30 am by Peter Abraham.
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1,151 Responses to “Game 56: Rays at Yankees (updated with pre-game notes and Girardi audio)”

  1. BBFan

    It is amazing to see some of the mediots from NY tabloids blaming Girardi, for Rivera’s struggles yesterday and that he disrespected Mariano. That is bunch of bull.

    Rivera has been extraordinarliy great from Yankess for many year. But the truth is he is not that great any more due to age, which is fully understandable. Even his saves have been adventurous these days and he is going to blow some of them like the other closers.

    But balming Girardi and his decisions on Mo’s struggles is reckless on the part of these mediots.

  2. BBFan

    SJ44
    June 7th, 2009 at 9:41 am
    Let’s hope this place doesn’t turn into crybaby central like yesterday.

    It’s almost as if the crybabies were bused in here yesterday.

    This is a very good team that will be in the race all year.
    ———————————————————-
    SJ, do not have too much of a hope.
    This place is full of Kids and they will be like that.

  3. jennifer

    How are they saying he disrespected Mo? I didn’t see the game.

  4. Doreen

    BBFan -

    Agreed about not blaming Girardi. Can’t fault the decision to bring in Mo, can’t fault the decision to walk Longoria and can’t fault the decision to take Mo out when he did. He did not “embarrass” him. And as far as Mariano wanting to face Longoria – of course!! He wouldn’t be Mo if he didn’t think he could get everyone out. But the matchup with Upton should have ended better. It didn’t and that’s not Girardi’s fault. Girardi put Mo in the best position to get out #3. How is that bad?

  5. Mo'sflatcutter

    The Yanks might be in the wild card race all year, but Boston will pull away in the division chase. In fact, I’ll make a prediction that, for all intents and purposes, the Red Sox will have buried NY by next weekend.

  6. Doreen

    jennifer -

    Because Girardi told him to intentionally walk Longoria.

  7. Doreen

    The Red Sox, Yankees and more than likely the Rays will be jockeying for position all season long.

    It should be (mostly) fun. Pennant races usually are, unless you take the position that your team has some kind of divine right to first place.

  8. Quick post

    Hold it, yesterday was the series opener vs. the Rays, right? Can’t we still win two of three?

  9. Quick post

    I don’t ccare about first, just wild card.

  10. Doreen

    Quick post -

    Even better, it is still possible to win 3 of 4. :)

  11. randy l.

    forget numbers and stats. i never feel good when mo comes into a tie game. even if he shuts down the other team it seems like the yankees are usually in extra innings with less than inspiring pitchers left.

    i know it’s against the book at home , but often i wouldn’t pitch mo in the 9th in a tie game. sabathia was a better option in my opinion yesterday.

  12. GreenBeret7

    Of the bad situations that occured in yesterday’s game, the best thing to see was the two base running plays by Rodriguez. It would appear that he’s getting healthier and that he’s trusting the repaired hip more. I doubt that you’ll see 15-20 steals, but, you’re likely to see more than 5 or 6. He also seems less reluctant to slide than run full bore on the bases including home to first. That can only help the offense.

  13. Doreen

    GB7 -

    Good point.

    randy l -

    Good point about having less than inspiring relief pitchers available after Mo if they don’t win right away in a tie situation.

  14. Quick post

    1 more, and please answer my questions. I wouldn’t have put Mo in in a tie game. But I absolutely can’t knock Girardi for doing it.

  15. Quick post

    Doreen, thanks. Just checked back up.

  16. ANSKY

    Mo’sflatcutter’s – Now there’s great enthusiasm. Who do you even bother watching? It’s not like 1998 again, nor will it ever be, but I get a feeling you’d still say the same stuff even if it was.

    It’s not like the Yanks are the Orioles, Nationals, Pirates or Royals right now. They’ll be in it all the way to the end.

    The Rays are a good team, despite their injury-depleted record, and along with Boston there are three really competitive teams in the division.

    Instead of thinking of it like you do, think of it as being an interesting battle all season long. As far as I can see, it should be fun to watch.

  17. Doreen

    Quick post -

    Yes, it was the series opener yesterday, but they play 4 games against the Rays. Hence, it is still possible for them to win 3 of 4.

  18. jennifer

    Doreen-

    Thanks. I just looked for curiosity. I am shocked to see Mo has issued 2 well now 3 IBB in his CAREER!! WOW.

  19. Doreen

    Quick post -

    You’re welcome.

  20. Mo'sflatcutter

    “Hold it, yesterday was the series opener vs. the Rays, right? Can’t we still win two of three?”

    Not with the Yanks mediocre pitching and inability to hit with RISP, no.

    2-9 vs Boston and Tampa. The Yanks cannot compete with either of them head to head.

    NY had a miracle stretch with a bunch of lucky comeback wins. That luck is over now.

  21. Doreen

    ANSKY -

    It definitely should be fun to watch. Also, on some days, like yesterday, a little crazy. :)

  22. tampayank

    Panic has really set in after a one loss to the Rays? The Yankees have a good team, no team including Boston has an invincible closer. The Yanks will be battling the Sox all season. The Rays won,t have enough resources all season to keep up.

  23. jennifer

    Oh OOOPS, I think I am still recovering from yesterday. 2 was for post season!! DUH!

    31 now 32 for regular season. So do these reporters mean to tell me that 31 of those IBB were never called from the bench? Give me a break. Joe played the odds and lost. It happens.

    Yesterday I played the odds a lot and lost! :lol:

  24. Wang IS Taiwan

    I personally don’t think Girardi was trying to embarrass Mo, but you’d have to ask Mo how he felt before reaching the conclusion that he wasn’t embarrassed by being asked to walk a dangerous hitter. It’s a pride issue, as always, particularly with the great ones.

  25. Hmmm....

    This thing with Mo is not new. Same problem last year, tie games he’s not as good. Can’t knock Girardi, but why are we thinking the world is ending. He’s blown only one save, so far just like last year.

    No surprises, nothing to get worked up about. Yesterday was not our day. CC and Mo had rare stinkers (not helped by Coke). We’ll get em’ today. Stop overreacting.

  26. randy l.

    the red sox added two key guys to their bullpen in ramirez and saito.

    having a strong bullpen overcomes some other things and allows a team to steal some wins.

    the yankees have better starters and a better offense.( pedroia’s ops would make him a team average player on the yankees )

    is the bullpen cashman’s weak link this year?

    the red sox made two surgical strikes getting relief pitchers last winter in saito and ramirez. i think cashman is going to have to answer . bruney is totally unreliable because of his injury history.

  27. Hmmm....

    Mo’sflatcutter, leave. Dude. Come on.

  28. Wang IS Taiwan

    Actually, let me add that Mo’s uncharacteristic response (by not standing by his manager when asked = which was a first for Mo) tells us a lot about how he felt.

  29. Mark in Tampa

    Ansky,

    Don’t get too upset with the dire prediction crowd. Voicing their fears of the worst possible outcome is simply a defense mechanism for the weak minded. If they imagine the worst possible outcome, they can only be pleasantly surprised, because they have already prepared themselves for the worst.

    A miserable way to live, but those that can’t cope do what they must.

  30. jennifer

    Mo hasn’t been good in tie games for at least 2-3 seasons now. It is very odd.

  31. Hmmm....

    Yeah, Cashman has to get an arm for the pen. I think that’s the only way we win first. We can make the playoffs, but as a wild card unless we get a pen’ arm.

  32. Hmmm....

    Mark in Tampa, I do that! :-)

  33. GreenBeret7

    tampayank
    June 7th, 2009 at 10:10 am
    Panic has really set in after a one loss to the Rays? The Yankees have a good team, no team including Boston has an invincible closer. The Yanks will be battling the Sox all season. The Rays won,t have enough resources all season to keep up.

    ————————————————————

    Panic starts when the Yankees don’t score by the time the second batter has batted in the 1st inning. Nothing new there.

  34. Hmmm....

    Trust me guys, even if we are swept by Tampa, it’ll be totally overshadowed, good or bad, during the Sox series. People lose their minds over them.

  35. Doreen

    Mo’sflatcutter -

    Does that mean, since the season is over for your, that we won’t have to hear from you again today, at least?

    Jennifer -

    WOW – I didn’t see that. What a stat. I still don’t think Girardi embarrassed him by telling him to walk Longoria. It was obvious Mo wasn’t exactly on and Longoria is a really dangerous hitter. Upton is slumping in general, and hadn’t had any luck at all against Mo.

    Pete’s article also says Mo’s only allowed 4 or more runs 8 times out of 864 appearances in his career. That’s another WOW. :)

  36. Hmmm....

    The Rays are gonna battle for a spot, may even sneak in (hopefully at the Sox’ expense). Don’t be fooled.

    If Pedroia’s OPS makes him average on our team, what is Cano’s OPS? Above average? Anyone?

    Be interesting if it were better than Pedroia’s.

  37. Hmmm....

    RISP avg. is SO overrated. We scored seven runs yesterday. That loss had absolutely nothing to do with the offense. It was lost by the three pitchers.

  38. GreenBeret7

    The last time I checked, NYy is tied in losses with the “Boston Super Power”. They also have a 4 game lead on Toronto in the loss column and 5 over Tampa in the loss column.

  39. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “sab
    June 7th, 2009 at 9:44 am
    the redsox traded hanley ramirez, arguably a top 3 player in the game today, to get beckett AND had to take a washed up lowell and his money (which of course turned out to be a good thing but at the time it wasn’t)..”

    Meanwhile who is it that they want back ? how many yrs. does Lowell have left, is Lowrie any where near what Hanley would have been, Nope.

    “whats the point? the point is you have to trade good players to get good players….whats the point?…the point is melancon, brackman, betances, delarosa, banuelos, jackson, montero and whatever other MINOR leaguer you want to name here are just that MINOR LEAGUERS which may or may not be any good in the majors….trade a few of them now before its too late and we find out that they aren’t major league quality..”

    It’s called depth for a season, for instance when Wang went down Hughes filled in for him quite well. And god forbid one of those arms turn into the SU man or the next CL.

    “if we have to trade 3 really good pitching prospects to get us a quality reliever and OF’er then so be it….”

    LOL no.

    “the yankees will have 5 starting pitchers next year that will be on the team for at least 4 or 5 more years (cc, aj, joba, wang, hughes) the betances, brackmans and banuelos won’t be abe to sniff that starting rotation EVER…so why not trade them now so we can try to win a few World series now…”

    Andy is soon riding the sunset, AJ ain’t a picture of endurance, w/ a few of those they may not take 4 – 5 yrs. I can name 3 on that list that could rocket through the system.

    “i’d trade jackson and 3 of these so called excellent starters in the minors for mclouth and either soriano and gonzalez from the Braves IN A SECOND – i don’t want to take my chances that jackson fizzles in the bronx and mclouth turns out to be the next torii hunter – (by the way someone named torii hunter as available last year and he wanted to be a yankee – maybe that was the time to get a “torii hunter”)”

    The Hunter you wanted was a FA at 32 and $90 MIL through 2012, the kid you want to trade is free and is 9 yrs. younger, also Nate McClouth is no where near Tori Hunter or Austin Jackson in fielding, he certainly isn’t a great hitter, as his 250 – 260 AVG would tell you.

  40. 86w183

    Wel IF they get Bruney and Marte’ healthy the bullpen is better. Marte’ had no velocity after coming back from Baby Doc Selig’s goofy little tournament and it has cost the Yankees dearly.

    Nady looks like he’s ready to hit, but if neither he nor Matsui can play in the OF you just have an added pinch hitter. Still Nady with one arm surgically removed would be more useful than Angel Berroa. Then again so too would be a pile of scoopings from the Central Park Carriage lineup.

  41. Bret the Hitman

    CASHMAN WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!

  42. Hmmm....

    Boston is good. But they’re beatable. They are not an invincible team.

    Interesting phenomenon: We have tied the game in the eighth against the Rays 4 times this year. We are 1 and 3 in those games. Our one win was at Tropicana Field. Our three losses were at home.

    Weird.

  43. Doreen

    jennifer -

    Still – that’s not too many over the years.

    I don’t have a problem with Mo disagreeing with Joe there, nor am I surprised that he did. He thinks he can get everyone out, as he should. I don’t even think it’s a bad thing that he said it was the manager’s decision – it was. Girardi plays the percentages and the match-ups.

    The bottom line, though, is that Mo didn’t get Upton out.

    And Coke failed.

    And ARod made a costly error.

    From the leadoff triple, I had a bad taste in my mouth about how the game would end up. Oddly, if it was a leadoff double, I would have felt better.

    Who would’ve guessed Upton playing deep in the bottom of the ninth? Live and learn. They gave it a shot, scored two and hit the ball hard 2 of the next 3 outs, and if Upton plays his normal CF, at least Cano’s falls in.

    Good luck to Joba today.

  44. Mark in Tampa

    It is Pedroia, .839 to .825. But Cano is much higher SLG, his low walks will keep him from ever having a great OPS. However, if OPS is close, as it is, I would rather have the player who is doing it with the higher SLG. BBs are great, but doubles, HRs, etc are more valuable to me than walks. Sooner or later, somebody has to put the ball in play.

  45. Hmmm....

    I’d trade a few of the “sleeper prospects” for a bullpen arm. People like Brackman and Garcia, maybe ven Romine since we have Montero.

  46. Hmmm....

    Mark in Tampa, sounds as if these two players are very evenly matched.

    You have to remember, if Peroia gets on he steals, which Robbie rarely does.

  47. Hmmm....

    ven is even.

  48. Hmmm....

    And Peroia is Pedroia.

  49. Terry from NH

    Bruney holds the key to the future success of the Yankees. If he can stay healthy (and that’s a big “if”) and perform like he did earlier then the bridge to Mo is figured out. As for Mo, I just hope he builds up his arm strength. He needs to be around 93-94mph, not 91-92 to be effective with that cutter.. He is not same Mo, but he should get the job done.

  50. BBFan

    “I personally don’t think Girardi was trying to embarrass Mo, but you’d have to ask Mo how he felt before reaching the conclusion that he wasn’t embarrassed by being asked to walk a dangerous hitter. It’s a pride issue, as always, particularly with the great ones.”

    Rivera did not say he was embarrassed. I think he answered correctly. Every pitcher says he did not want to walk any one intentionally. But, ultimately, it should be the manager’s call and Girardi did the right thing yesterday.

    It is the mediot that drew that conclusion.

  51. 86w183

    The Yankees already have Nate McLouth… he just goes by the same Nick Swisher.

    Swisher .244/.356/.456/.812

    McLouth .260/.339/.460/.799

    Swisher is more versatile, McLouth has more speed.

    Swisher walks more, McLouth steals some bases.

    Neither is particularly good defensively.

    Swisher turns 29 in November, McLouth turns 28 in October

  52. Doreen

    Montero did not play for the Thunder last night. There’s no update on Mike Ashmore’s blog. Anyone hear anything?

  53. Hmmm....

    Swisher actually plays decent right field, arm nowithstanding.

    You can live with a bad arm. Damon has a chicken arm.

  54. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Oh and on Nate McLouth fans, here’s food for thought he’s basically Nick Swisher only faster and more athletic. His best position is not CF, he is a COF.

    McLouth
    RISP: .346/.438/.615 <— good
    Late/Close: .167/.200/.292 <— unclutch (he ain’t Melky)

    Swisher
    RISP: .237/.407/.421 <— gets on base & slugs every once in a blue
    Late/Close: .269/.457/.385 <— He ain’t a easy out, when he digs in

    So nice food for thought.

  55. Betsy

    Murphydog, from a previous thread: I completely agree. Joe didn’t even have the tact to go out and talk to Mo and see how he felt about it. He just ordered Mo to do what he said. I don’t care that Longoria had hit a HR off him last time at bat – so what? Mo has never gotten players out who got hits off him the last time? Edgar Martinez used to hit Mo pretty well, but not once was Mo ordered to IBB him. Joe made the whole thing worse by not talking to Mo at all – and I think that’s what Mo is upset about.

  56. Hmmm....

    girardi did nothing wrong. He’s the manager, it’s his call. Didn’t work out, but I can’t blame him.

  57. Bret the Hitman

    The only prospects off limits for me would be: Montero, Jackson, Hughes and maybe Brackman.

    I’d listen to demands for any of the following: McAllister, Melancon, Romine, Garcia, De La Rosa, Kontos, Banuelos, Bleich, Kennedy (I know he’s injured)

  58. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    86w183, we woke up w/ the same thought today :lol:

  59. Hmmm....

    Not Melancon. Melancon will be our closer one day.

  60. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “I’d listen to demands for any of the following: McAllister, Melancon, Romine, Garcia, De La Rosa, Kontos, Banuelos, Bleich, Kennedy (I know he’s injured)”

    De La Rosa is being watched by alot of scouts, LH’s that throw like him are rare in the game.

    Z-Mac everyone you talk to saids he’s going to be special for some team.

    Melancon I don’t see going anywhere unless the Yankees are wowed w/ a position prospect and BP arm.

    Kontos I could see dealt.

    Banuelos isn’t going this yr. LH special arm, very rare.

    Bleich I could see and so could Kennedy.

  61. Hmmm....

    I doubt Melancon is leaving.

  62. Bret the Hitman

    I think we can add a better pitcher than Melancon down the road via free agency. My point is I want to win now and I think we can win in the future without Melancon.

    I forgot to add Betances and Aceves to my list. I’d make them available too.

    McAllister
    Melancon
    Romine
    Betances
    Aceves
    Garcia
    De La Rosa
    Kontos
    Banuelos
    Bleich
    Kennedy

    If Cashman fails to add a late inning reliever using those chips, he’s got problems.

    The only players he should keep off limits are Jackson, Montero, Hughes and Brackman. There is plenty of depth in this system and on the major league roster to pull off a blockbuster deal without it sinking our farm or sabotaging our chances of winning in the future.

  63. BBFan

    “Joe made the whole thing worse by not talking to Mo at all – and I think that’s what Mo is upset about.”

    Once Girardi talks to him, Mo will say he wants to pitch and then if Girardi orders IBB, it is even worse. Manager is in charge and he made the decision. The bootom line is Mo blew it and he has to accept the responsibility.

    Speaking of manager talking to the pitcher, have we all forgotten what happened with Pedro, where we were the benficiary?

  64. RhapsodyInBlue

    I love Mariano, but Joe is the manager, it’s not a democracy, if the team flounders Joe gets fired Mariano doesn’t.

  65. Betsy

    SJ, plenty of people were crybabies to be sure – it got incredibly annoying. However, there are people who are expressing concern about the team that make good points that I don’t think should be lumped in that category. There is reason to be concerned on a couple of levels. One, that Boston, without making a trade, has improved itself because Beckett and Lester have turned a corner. Of course, we went into the season believing they were going to be very good anyway. Two, they have a solid rest of the staff. Three, their pen is very good and their offense is good as well (which you know they will improve anyway). The Yankees SP, despite the names, just hasn’t been that great. Yes, they’ve been much better over the past few weeks, but have they all really pitched to what we thought they were going to ? Beckett and CC are a wash – after that, advantage Sox. I do have concerns about the offense as they leave themselves with too much to do late in the games – it’s great that they come back and they ARE very resilient, but that is what I call playing with fire. They don’t seem to have the ability to score from the beginning without subsequently going cold in the middle of the game, letting the opposing pitcher off the hook and giving the other team a chance. In other words, they rarely have laughers – and that’s not a good thing. I’m not expecting blow outs on a regular basis, but I just feel the Yankees are walking a fine line here. They will not be able to come back all the time and especially not against good closers like Paplebon. Face Joe Nathan down in the 9th and 9 times out of 10 (like most teams), they will not come back – he’s too good for that.

    These are honest, legitimate concerns. For a very good team, the Yankees have some serious flaws.

  66. pat

    Betsy

    Perhaps they should have taken an infield vote to see if Mo should have pitched to Longoria? :wink:

    It’s Girardi’s call. Same as putting on a bunt or a steal. The manager calls the shots and the players follow the orders. If Mo had a problem with it, Girardi’s office has a door on it.

    If it worked out would everyone think Mo was embarrassed by it? If anything, Mo was embarrassed by the result not the manager.

  67. Bret the Hitman

    One more thing. They should’ve traded Coke in the offseason.

  68. Hmmm....

    Our starting pitching is better than the Sox.

    I think Melancon is going to be a special player.

  69. Hmmm....

    I have no problem with how the ofense scores as long as they score. Who cares when?

    Our offense beats the Sox.

  70. prepared for the inevitable lambasting

    time to DH Damon, his defense is beyond pathetic

    call up A-Jax, start him in left

    outfield D of Jackson in left, Gardner in center and Melky in right

    “Stupid idea. What do you do with Matsui?” let him ride the pine

  71. bru

    i don’t see cashman trading high end prospects like montero,brackman,ajax,leftie pitchers & pitchers that throw hard.

    the yankees like hard throwers,lefties.

    prospects are cashmans babies.

    mcallister i don’t see being traded either.

    i see cashman throwing in an extra prospect or two to keep the higher end ones.

    i don’t know who we really like but the yankees are very high on a number of them.

    brackman,ajax,montero,mcallister i don’t see going anywhere.

    i see ian kennedy being traded if possible.i don’t think the yankees care for pitchers that do not throw hard.

  72. Hmmm....

    Damon is doing great. Why in the world would you sacrifice that offensive production? Damon plays fine defense.

  73. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “I forgot to add Betances and Aceves to my list. I’d make them available too.”

    I’d have to be wow’d w/ Betances being dealt, it’s not like he’s Ross Ohlendorf. Aceves is our long guy, very valuable, now for some reason I would deal him, but to a NL team, like ATL, I’d ask for Soriano or Acosta. Since they have arms that they can plug into that role. I just don’t know what Wren wants to do.

  74. keith

    Joba gets the Yankees back on track.

    If yesterday proved anything the offense is fine, but we need a strong pitching performance.

  75. Hmmm....

    Matsui is doing fine. He’ll do better than a rookie!

    Stupid, stupid idea.

  76. William Buckner

    “Montero did not play for the Thunder last night. There’s no update on Mike Ashmore’s blog. Anyone hear anything?”

    He was knocked out of the game Friday after plate collision. Didn’t sound too serious, probably just taking a day.

  77. Betsy

    We can agree to disagree, Pat. Anyway, it’s fruitless to debate it at this point. I have no problem with Mo being annoyed enough to say something because he’s always been such a good soldier. I will not get on his case because he’s expressing his frustration – I’ve heard plenty worse from players.

  78. BBFan

    “time to DH Damon, his defense is beyond pathetic”

    I agree.
    We are debating about MO, CC etc.,. for yesterday’s loss.
    In fact, I believe the game was lost earlier with poor defense by Damon number of times, including the ninth inning.

    If Melky were in the right yesterday, we would have won the game.

  79. Hmmm....

    Damon’s defense is fine, he just has no arm.

  80. Baseball Fab

    I have been very impressed with the tone and tenor of the comments that last day re Mo.

    Mo SEEMS to be not as great as he used to be. Why? Age, recovery from surgery, not on the juice, worm holes, divine retribution who knows.

    Will he regain his once dominance? Well who can say.

    Is it unreasonable to expect a near 40 year old man to be a dominant as he was as a 30 year old? Well yes.

    Girardi is the manager, so he managed. I am not sure he needed to go out and beg wheedle or convince Mo what to do, he is the manager he made the call.

    The whole scenario must be shocking for Mo, should be, it is unchartered waters.

    Having watched all the Sox games, Papelbon is either clearly injured or has changed his MO and motion to ensure NOT getting injured to get a big contract when it is time. He is NOT the same pitcher he was. He now seems more like K rod, a lot of guys get on base, then he bails himself out.

    Tampa is a good young team, great athletes, and a bullpen that has reverted to the mean this year.

    The rest of this year should be fantastic, lets enjoy it!

  81. Bo knows

    What bothered me yesterday was the situational hitting. You need three runs, so a hit or a walk are equal. The first three did their job, Tampa is in trouble. Yet Al refused to walk and whiffled out on a pitch out of the zone. Next, Upton is playing deep, yet both Posada and Cano went for the gusto. Low percentage at bats. You could predict the results. That’s what finally bothered me. The East is a beast and the hitters need to ‘marten up.

  82. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “call up A-Jax, start him in left”

    He’s not ready. You want the link where the coaching staff said to wait till later this yr. or in 2010 b/c they don’t want him getting deer caught in headlights syndrome esp. w/ new york fans.

  83. Doreen

    William Buckner -

    Thanks. Knew he was knocked out of the one game. I was just hoping he wasn’t seriously injured. I guess if he was, we’d have heard from someone somewhere. :)

  84. Betsy

    Hmm, it makes a huge difference when they score. How often do you think the Yankees can keep coming back? It’s just not realistic to think they can keep this up – especially against the better teams. Why can’t this team hit for much of the game? That’s a question that has to be answered – they can’t keep taking the majority of games off. It keeps the pen exposed and it keeps other teams in games. I’m not saying they are not trying – no way I’m saying that – BUT, there has to be a better way.

  85. pat

    Speaking of Damon, good Q and A in the Post today

    http://www.nypost.com/seven/06.....173017.htm

  86. Hmmm....

    You’re right, it’s the offense’s fault. Seven runs is obviously not enough.

    Give me a break, they scored seven runs. This game was lost by CC, Mo, and Coke.

  87. Alex

    why does melky keep getting dropped in the order??

  88. Hmmm....

    Betsy, they score five runs a game. It makes no difference when. If our pitchers held them, they would be tack on runs and we’d all be happy.

  89. prepared for the inevitable lambasting

    Damon’s defense is certainly not “fine”.

    I stand by my statement: it is beyond pathetic. He’s showing no speed in covering ground (balls falling in front of him, unable to cut balls off in the gap, his legendary girlie arm, etc.)

    he’s a DH now. It’s not his fault, we all age.

  90. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Yet Al refused to walk and whiffled out on a pitch out of the zone.”

    Com’on the ump isn’t going to give him that call.

    http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday.....de=gameday

    And he actually pulled it to the SS.

    “Next, Upton is playing deep, yet both Posada and Cano went for the gusto. Low percentage at bats. You could predict the results. That’s what finally bothered me. The East is a beast and the hitters need to ‘marten up.”

    I got nothing to say here. 8O

  91. pat

    Bo Knows

    The variable you are forgetting was the umps strike zone in the last inning. They were offering at anything close because he was calling pitches below the knees and outside as strikes.

  92. Hmmm....

    I think we’re creating problems now for the sake of complaining.

    We’re complaining WHEN they score runs? That’s not an issue.

    The reason we have trouble hitting starters is obvious. They get up to beat the great NY YAnkees lineup.

    The bullpen pitchers don’t know if they’ll be pitching against us, so they’re not mentally prepared. Even the better ones. So a lot of the time we can get to them.

    As long as we score lots of runs, I’m happy.

  93. Betsy

    Eh, I’m not so hot on Cash and his record with prospects. Joba and Phil are high end talents that look like they will work out just fine (to say the least), but what about the lesser talents? They really haven’t shown much of anything at all. The more of Coke I see, the less I want to see him. Robertson has been up and down. I just don’t see that the Yankees plethora of young arms in the minors are anything more than that – young arms. I don’t think they are capable of helping this team – and certainly not this year. Relying on rookies to lead the team to the playoffs is not a smart idea. People are already clamoring for Melancon again. Forget his brief stint – he’s not even pitching that well in AAA. If he was, sure – call him up. However, I would never assume he’s lock down like so many people are simply because of his minor league track record.

  94. Hmmm....

    I still think his defense is fine. And you referred to it, and I’m going to point it ot, what about Matsui? He’s good.

    I’d take him over a raw rookie.

  95. Betsy

    Hmm, you’re not even reading my posts, so I won’t bother responding to you except to say what I just said.

  96. Doreen

    It would be great if they’d score in every situation as it presented itself. That’s unrealistic to expect, though. They DID score in enough situations to have been in a position to win if the pitching held up, which it did not. CC was great for 6 of his 8 innings. Tampa, though, did enough in those innings to negate all the good he’d done and put the Yankees offense on the defensive. The Yankees actually came back and scored another 2, which would have won the game, if the 9th wasn’t a total disaster by Mo, Coke & ARod (error). If Coke comes in and gets out #3, instead of letting more runs score, the game ends differently.

    The offense should not have to score 7 runs to win, not with these pitchers (starting variety).

    But, baseball is a game where the team that fails least (wins & losses) ends up on top.

  97. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “why does melky keep getting dropped in the order??”

    B/c he doesn’t really draw walks, he’s not a table settter. He gets on base a bit, is better used for the btm. of the lineup, you know the automatic outs :lol:

  98. Hmmm....

    I’ve talked to people on the blog who have seen him, and they all say he’s the real deal. (Melancon)

    For the record, I couldn’t believe he was even sent down.

  99. Mo'sflatcutter

    “Our starting pitching is better than the Sox.

    I think Melancon is going to be a special player.”

    LOL, the starters are mediocre. Boston has a better starting staff, without question. And Melancon is still probably cleaning his underwear from pooping his pants during his recent stint in the majors.

  100. bodhisattva - OPPC member - Destiny Wears Pinstripes

    Melky’s left-handed swings are off since the shoulder injury. Garza’s a RHP.

  101. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “The variable you are forgetting was the umps strike zone in the last inning. They were offering at anything close because he was calling pitches below the knees and outside as strikes.”

    If anyone should have pissed him off it should have been Georgy’s AB, god he swung at ball 4, 5, 6 & 7 :lol:

  102. Mo'sflatcutter

    Okay everyone, who would you rather have…

    –Boston’s starting staff or the Yanks?
    –Boston’s bullpen or the Yanks?
    –Boston’s bench or the Yanks?
    –Boston’s offense or the Yanks?
    –Francona or Girardi?

  103. Hmmm....

    Betsy, sorry if you think I’m attacking you or something (I’m not) but I don’t buy it.

    When we score runs is NOT an issue. It’s not. As long as we score runs.

    Sometimes we won’t come back. So? If we normally scored runs early sometimes we’d be shut down by a good starter. Such is baseball. You can’t win every game.

    The offense is the strenght of the team, not a weakness because they can’t score runs early. If the pitching did it’s job they’d be tack on runs.

    Doreen, I agree with everything you said.

  104. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “LOL, the starters are mediocre. Boston has a better starting staff, without question.”

    This is not true, atleast I don’t believe it. Now you want to say better BP, that is true and a fact, Boston’s SP rotation isn’t better than the Yankees if it is not by much.

  105. Hmmm....

    Mo’sflatcutter, Yankees starters, lineup, and bench. Yes bench. Who does Boston’s bench have? Bulpen goes to Boston.

    At least back up your comments with exaggerated stats used to make depressing points.

  106. Hmmm....

    Mo’sflatcutter, please.

  107. Betsy

    The link to the Damon article doesn’t work…..

  108. Hmmm....

    Our starters are better. CC over Beckett any day, please.

  109. 86w183

    Damon, Matsui, Nady… deepest DH depth chart in baseball history. Of course that means you don’t have nearly enough outfielders, but thank God Angel Berroa is still around.

  110. ANSKY

    Mark in Tampa –

    What the Chicken Littles, bridge jumpers, Negative Nellies, Debbie Downers and crying crybabies complain & whine about is of no worry me. I like to see how it pans out. Sometimes it gets frustrating (how the team does, not the crying) and of course it’s more fun when the team is winning, but I like to watch regardless.

    Hmmmm …

    Where ya been? Haven’t seen you posting in a while. Avoiding game threads like some of us?

  111. ANSKY

    Maybe Mo’sflatcutter should just give up and become a Sox fan if he/she isn’t already.

  112. Hmmm.... (2)

    ANSKY, is there another Hmmm…? Seriously. I’ve never posted before. Read, but not posted.

    Oops.

  113. Tim Sherman

    MO’s flat cutter can go back to Southy. Only a Sox fan would say the Yankees can’t compete with Tampa and Boston after 11 games. They play these two teams 36 times so that means there are 25 more to go. And oh, by the way, the Yankees won the season series against both of these teams last year and this is a much better Yankees team. Go post something on the Boston Globe website about how great Fenway Pock is. And oh, by the way Youklis, Pedroia and Varitek are all gay.

  114. Bo knows

    I’m not trying to tie the can to the offense. It’s baseball. The next ten times Cisco calls for a changeup to a softie it will work, chit happens. Mo didn’t have it today, move on. It’s the nineth inning and the Tampa pitcher is shakey, he’s given up three solid hits, you need three to win. Three runs before three outs. That’s the situation. The odds are agains’t you. I’m talking about maximizing your chances. Both Al and JoPo refused to walk. If it was a one run game I could see it.

  115. Bud Selig

    Attention, baseball: I hereby declare that all close calls go AGAINST the Yankees, especially vs. the Red Sox. Also, from now on only Yankee pitchers will be suspended for throwing up and in or buzzing people. Why? I hate the Yankees.

    Good day.

  116. Fran (the original) and OPPC member

    Just catching up on posts. I don’t have a problem at all with Girardi telling Mo to walk Longoria. I remember a game last season when Moose was pitching and Manny was up. Girardi went out to the mound and asked Moose what he wanted to do. Moose wanted to pitch to Manny, Girardi allowed it and Manny hit a HR. Of course the media and fans were all over Girardi for not intentionally walking Manny and for letting Moose make the decision. Girardi is the manager – ultimately it is his decision.

  117. pat

    The offense gave CC a 2-0 lead yesterday. It’s not like they didn’t score any runs and had him pitching from behind all day.

  118. Neil

    I for one feel uneasy about Bruney’s elbow problems. Cashman needs to be 1st in line for Huston Street talks. If Bruney comes back at full health then it’s a bonus.
    In today’s game, Aceves and Robertson are available.

  119. murphydog

    “It’s Girardi’s call. Same as putting on a bunt or a steal. The manager calls the shots and the players follow the orders. If Mo had a problem with it, Girardi’s office has a door on it.

    If it worked out would everyone think Mo was embarrassed by it? If anything, Mo was embarrassed by the result not the manager.”

    So, suddenly Mo is a problem child who needs to remember that the manager’s office has a door on it? It’s the same as Gardner not stealing the other night? Not even close.

    Mo is not rookie Brett Gardner. He is also not a crybaby or complainer. Part of Joe’s job is handling players and he’s had a serious communication problem or two in the past. Let’s not make believe Girardi is Torre when it comes to handling the psyches of players. He has other talents, but that’s not been one of them. Joe Girardi is still learning to be a manager.

    So what if Joe goes to the mound and tells Mo to IBB Longoria and Mo disagrees. It’s Joe’s job to sell it. That’s managing. It’s not a democracy? Well, successful managers know it’s not a dictatorship either, especially with closers and especially closers like Mo. IMO, Joe should want to make sure there are no misunderstandings with Mo, just as much as Mo wants to be sure there are no misunderstandings with Joe. It’s a mutual problem, not Mo’s alone. They need to talk and not with Mo going on his knees to the Managers’ office.

  120. Hmmm.... (2)

    murphydog, I had zero problem with Mo saying what he said. I also had no problem with Mo doing what he did.

  121. Hmmm.... (2)

    Sorry, second sntence replace Mo with Joe.

  122. Betsy

    Hmm and Doreen – I wasn’t talking about yesterday’s game (and CC didn’t pitch well – blowing two leads is not good and AJ would get completely hammered for it). I’m not saying the offense is a weakness – far from it. I’m just saying that I have some issues with it, as I just described. Are you saying you wouldn’t like to see more consistency from it? They do go cold for long stretches at a time – and yes, I believe they are playing with fire. If they make the playoffs, I don’t believe they will get away with this against good teams. I don’t think criticizing the offense should be taken as complaining.

    As to the SP, in order for the Yankees to be better than the Sox, it HAS to be quite a bit better than the Sox’ SP because of the pen……..and it’s not. The Yankees do not have two SP who, on a regular basis, can completely shut down opposing teams. I think Wake is better than Andy……and Wang is still a wait and see proposition.

  123. weiney heineys

    the weiney heineys are out in full force!!! abandon hope all ye who enter here!!!

  124. sab

    brandon – although i respect your extensive experience and insight – you can’t just say that AJ will be injured – what if he isn’t? if he doesn’t get hurt he WILL be here 5 years since no one is going trade for him to pay him that kind of money – cc i doubt will opt out in 3 years since again NO one will pay him that kind of money – joba, wang and hughes will still be in their mid to late 20’s in 3 years – so in actuality YES all 5 of these pitchers will be in the starting rotation in 4 to 5 years (minus a few starts for injuries)….the yankees have at least 9 minor leaguers with skills to be starting pitchers….even if they turned the entire rotation around they’d still have 4 extra starters that wouldn’t break that rotation…trade them now before we find out that they realy aren’t that good…

    lets face it the yankees haven’t had any success with ANY of their minor leaguers recently (joba maybe and cano- but the jury may still be out on those 2) – i’m not a minor league expert but isn’t jackson having trouble with striking out too much? if he’s having issues in the minors wouldn’t he have even more trouble hitting in the majors?
    do you think he’ll fix those problems in 4 months? plus i hear his ceiling is 280, 20 homeruns (and THAT is a huge stretch), 80 rbis and 25 steals – thats mclouth AND those numbers are established with mclouth…

    we as fans like to put too much value in what the yankees have in the minors…maybe the reality is that only 2 or 3 make it as successful major leaguers – plus we can’t hold on to EVERYONE….the big team needs some players now – if we have to trade a “hanley ramirez” now (or minor league equivalent) to get a top established MAJOR leaguer to win THIS YEAR then i say it should be done….

    we aren’t getting a top reliever or of’er for jose friggen veras or dave robertson….we want a rafael soriano or mclouth we have to trade jackson, melancon, mcallister or montero – and if montero becomes the next johnny bench so be it – as long as we win 1 or 2 WS with soriano (or equivalent)pitching the 8th (and 9th) then it was well worth it – that was the Red Sox’s philosophy with hanley and beckett and as much as it pains me to say – they have the right attitude….world series rings trumps minor league greatness and the red sox have 2 more than the yankees the last 9 years….

  125. ANSKY

    Hmmmm …

    There was another Hmmmm … posting until sometime last year but he/she seems to have disappeared.

    Some people might guess that like some regulars, that Hmmmm may have gotten tired of engaging in some of the lunacy when things go wrong. Perhaps they still read, but there’s no way of knowing.

  126. Only on a Ysnkees blog

    The ace CC and the best closer in baseball,fell to a 500 team.When Yankees fan want to vent out of frustration,they are called names.

    What fan base can never be allowed have doubts from time to time on performance.

    *Maybe when the team fades prior to post season or*
    *quickly exit after the first round again,would it be ok*
    *to call it like it was,a joke of a rotation* ,that is over paid and uder performed.

  127. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “I for one feel uneasy about Bruney’s elbow problems. Cashman needs to be 1st in line for Huston Street talks.”

    B/c they are so in a rush to deal him right ?

  128. Hmmm.... (2)

    Betsy, it hasn’t gone cold for quite some time.

    I have no problem with consistency. It could just keep doing what it’s doing now.

    SP is better than the Sox, lineup is better. Maybe by a little, but still. Sox win BP. That’s it though.

  129. Mr Veeck

    And oh, by the way Youklis, Pedroia and Varitek are all gay.
    ___________________________________________________________
    They are? Well it IS a gay rights state there in Massachussetts.

  130. bodhisattva - OPPC member - Destiny Wears Pinstripes

    ANSKY
    June 7th, 2009 at 11:04 am
    Maybe Mo’sflatcutter should just give up and become a Sox fan if he/she isn’t already.
    =====

    Ding ding.

    So why take the bait? The poster’s username is clearly aggressive – not only not a Yankee fan, but supports nothing posted and makes indefensible comments w/zero baseball credibility (Yankees staff is mediocre – sure it is, pal).

  131. Factoid

    Yankee fans don’t hold hands and sing “Sweet Caroline” such as the gaiety of the Green Sardine Can do.

  132. Hmmm.... (2)

    CC is doing fine, minus yesterday’s start. He’s having an excellent year.

    Don’t expect CC to be Santana, expect him to be Pettite in his prime.

  133. Hmmm.... (2)

    Which is fine. Plus he eats more innings.

  134. Hmmm.... (2)

    The big difference between CC and Pettite-CC could pull an absolute gem, a complete game, 2 hit SO from nowhere. Pettite never really did that.

  135. raymagnetic

    Mo’s Flat Cutter = Troll obviously.

    The Yankees “miracle” run included excellent pitching and great hitting.

    I hate trolls. :-x

  136. Mr Veeck

    “I for one feel uneasy about Bruney’s elbow problems. Cashman needs to be 1st in line for Huston Street talks.”

    “B/c they are so in a rush to deal him right ?”

    Maybe Cashman vcan sell them Jose Veras the same way he is trying to sell Veras to the Yankee fanbase.

  137. Mr Veeck

    “I for one feel uneasy about Bruney’s elbow problems. Cashman needs to be 1st in line for Huston Street talks.”

    “B/c they are so in a rush to deal him right ?”

    Maybe Cashman vcan sell them Jose Veras the same way he is trying to sell Veras to the Yankee fanbase.

  138. Neil

    Brandon -

    Not a question of Colorado in a rush to deal Huston Street. Like many teams, they’ll be in an economic mode and the team is going nowhere. Dwindling attendance will see them in a listening state of mind.

  139. Mariano Rivera

    Hey guys.

    I didn’t want to walk Longoria because I wanted to get out of the inning fast and I figure that when my cutter is working I’m the best-better than anybody, even Longoria. I was assuming, since it’s always happened before, that I’d get it working.

    Girardi didn’t want to risk it and told me to walk him. So I did. It didn’t work out.

    Later, I said that I didn’t want to walk him. So? I wasn’t attacking him, just telling the truth. That’s all.

    Get it guys? Das’ it.

  140. Bo knows

    The nice thing about Gameday is you can go back and look at an at bat after watching the game and check what you think you saw on the garage TV, on your sixth beer. It’s worse than a frat house with all the yelling and arguing. That’s where a player like Mattingly was so great as a situational hitter, he adjusted to the situation. Why was Upton playing back? To take away the doubles. What did Posada and Cano do? Three runs before three outs, that’s the situation. Agains’t the odds, you give it a shot. No fault in losing, only in decreasing the odds. How did Tampa score their runs in the same inning? I watch to be entertained and want my team to win, simple.

  141. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    sab, AJ’s history tells me I should and would proceed w/ caution. Jackson having trouble with striking out too much in AAA is normal, it happens, but hitting above .340 despite that shouldn’t be overlooked either, they just shortened his swing recently and expect him to progress over time, again he’s 23 not 33.

    McLouth isn’t more than a Nick Swisher in production, at Jackson’s age he wasn’t as good, funny thing about McLouth he didn’t do a thing until age 25 or 26 and Jackson is going to be ahead of his pace. The big team needs Bruney/Marte to pick up thier performance and stay healthy, it’s that simple.

    “we aren’t getting a top reliever or of’er for jose friggen veras or dave robertson….*we want a rafael soriano or mclouth we have to trade jackson, melancon, mcallister or montero – and if montero becomes the next johnny bench so be it*”

    That’s called dealing out of desperation, something I’m glad Cashman is not doing.

  142. pat

    murphy

    I said nothing about Gardner’s steal, you did. All I was saying is the buck stops with Girardi. All in game decisions are his to make. Some work, some don’t but ultimately he’s the one who answers for them so he gets to make them.

    If players don’t agree with them, there is a way to handle it.

    Mo isn’t a problem child. I’m guessing if he knew his response yesterday would have set off a media flurry, he never would have said it. He’s a team player and always does what is best for the team.

    That’s why it was out of character for him. He let his frustration/embarrasment/whatever you want to call it be known and that is not the typical Mo MO- so to speak.

  143. Mr Veeck

    what?

  144. Mariano Rivera

    AJax could be a 300 hitter with good defense and nice speed.

  145. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Brandon –
    Not a question of Colorado in a rush to deal Huston Street. Like many teams, they’ll be in an economic mode and the team is going nowhere. Dwindling attendance will see them in a listening state of mind.”

    They’ll wait for the best deal, and try to swindle a team. Really I see him ending up in Philly.

  146. SJ44

    Betsy,

    No team is perfect. The Red Sox have flaws of their own.

    The problem here is, after every loss, every idiot and bridgejumper comes on here with silly and often incorrect dire predictions.

    That’s not baseball talk. That’s idiot talk.

    As the trade deadline nears, they will upgrade the pen.

    Until then, folks ought to chill out and not freak out so much after losses. It’s embarrassin to see so many people make fools of themselves.

  147. Mr Veeck

    Trade Veras for Huston Street!

  148. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Maybe Cashman vcan sell them Jose Veras the same way he is trying to sell Veras to the Yankee fanbase.”

    You think anybody is happy w/ Veras right now ? heck if he’s trying to find a sucker for him by all means.

  149. Hmmm.... (2)

    SJ, you’re on the money right there.

    Cashman will find a good arm guys, don’t worry.

  150. Betsy

    http://www.nypost.com/seven/06.....173017.htm

    Maybe this link will work……..Johnny is very honest about Torre.

  151. Wang IS Taiwan

    I wish you’d post more MurphyDog, although I know you’re busy. I always appreciate your take on things.

  152. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    SJ, didn’t you hear we’re in last place.

  153. Kelvin Ace

    Link doesn’t work Betsy

  154. Betsy

    SJ, well I definitely agree with you there. It’s absolutely crazy, but then I don’t really believe those are honest-to-goodness Yankee fans (why don’t they ever show up outside of game threads). They seem to live for being miserable and, frankly, they seem to detest their own team.

  155. Betsy

    Ugh, sorry Kelvin. I guess the only thing to do is go to NY Post.com and check it out – this has happened before with the Post links – not sure why

  156. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    http://www.nypost.com/seven/06.....173017.htm

  157. Hmmm.... (2)

    Entertaining poll: What was the most entertaining win of the year (lots of choices guys)?

    My vote goes to six runs in two innings vs. the Angels. That was the game I really looked at and thought that if our pitching got itself together, we could be something special.

  158. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Don’t feed the va ga bond.. oops… hobo trolls.

  159. Mark in Tampa

    When I hear people complain about Mo, or say that CC is not an ace, and the other complaints; what it does for me is give me some perspective of the past. I mean, the Ron Guidry of ‘78 was obviously not an ace. He had 3 losses that year! That means he went to the mound and let his team down with a terrible effort 3 times in a single year! He also had an ERA above 1.00, and had the nerve to be considered an ace. Furthermore, he didn’t even win every postseason gamne he ever started with a shutout. What a bum he was by today’s standards! :D

  160. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    just highlight the link, place it on the web browser bar and click the go arrow. Stop being lazy. :lol:

  161. raymagnetic

    Cashman will wrest a setup man/closer type away from somebody and when Bruney and Marte come back along with Melancon being called up the Yankees pen will likely be stronger than the Sox’ pen.

    No way in hell it cost them a Montero or Melancon type of prospect.

    Montero isn’t getting traded ever unless the name Albert Pujols or Hanley Ramirez is on the other end of the trade.

  162. pat

    I’m out for the afternoon. Go Yanks!

    Don’t talk to strangers in the game thread and it will increase your enjoyment level no matter the score.

  163. Kelvin Ace

    Yeah I just checked it out Betsy, Pretty neat Q & A.

  164. Hmmm.... (2)

    Mark in Tampa, if he pitches like Guidry, no complaints there.

    I’m not complaining, just pointing out that he’s not Santana, nor was there a reason to expect that he would do more than he has done.

  165. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Q: Define the personality of this Yankee team.

    A: Motivated.

    Q: Isn’t every Yankee team motivated?

    A: I haven’t seen one like this from top to bottom.

    Q: Does this team remind you of your “Idiot” 2004 Red Sox team?

    A: Somewhat. This is a very fun team to be around. . . . This is a team that you want to be on for a long time, a team that you can just tell they’re going to have a lot of fun in the next couple of years.

    Q: Does the word swagger apply to this team?

    A: Yeah, we’ve got it.

    Q: How do you see it?

    A: We think we can win every game.

    Just some stuff and the Torre talk was a bit wow.

  166. Hmmm.... (2)

    Brandon, I love those answers.

    Anybody see Jerome Preisler’s article on Melky and the spirits? Ask Melky. He believes the ghosts of Yankee Stadium have crossed the street.

  167. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    It’s a weird group this yr. but they sure have more heart than I’ve seen for yrs.

  168. Hmmm.... (2)

    This team never says die.

  169. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Betsy – Thanks for the Damon Q + A link.
    Pretty revealing answer regarding the Torre’s book.

    Q: Were you disappointed or surprised to see that in his book?

    A: I was disappointed, because where it first came up, I had a private conversation with Torre and (GM Brian) Cashman at the beginning of spring training, telling them that I wasn’t ready. It was a tough winter for me, and it was a private thing. And then the private thing ends up being put in his book. Well, as a player, I feel like he’s a tough guy to trust.

  170. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    This is totally unrelated to baseball, but Congrats to Roger Federer for finally getting that French Open monkey off of your back.

  171. Hmmm.... (2)

    DT, what was the “private thing”.

  172. Mark in Tampa

    Hmmm….(2),

    I wasn’t about you, I have no problem with complaints or disappointments, I feel the same way much of the time. It is the sky is falling, so and so is no good because he doesn’t come through every single time crowd that is so annoying.

    And by the way, Mr. October, my foot! Sure Reggie hit 3 HRs in one game, but only one could have been the game winner! That means he hit two meaningless Arod type homeruns in one game. Stat padder! :D

  173. Hmmm.... (2)

    Laura, not the same since he didn’t play Nadal.

  174. Mark in Tampa

    *wasn’t TALKING about you*

  175. Hmmm.... (2)

    Mark in Tampa, all right.

  176. bru

    if needed cash will trade for a pen arm but he won’t give up highe end prospects like ajax,montero for it.

    the only way you trade those guys is for a good young starting pitcher or an established position player wich most teams don’t trade.

    bruney will be back in a few days,marte hopefully soon,maybe 2-4 weeks & that will make us deeper plus give girardi more options.

    everybody else gets pushed to the 6th & 7th innings.

    bruney coming back & pitching well can go a very long way in stabilizing the pen.

    if wang can get on track also we are looking better than the sox or at least dead even at the very minimum.

    cashman is not going to sit back & watch the pen cost us the season.
    if he has shown us anything in the past it is he will get what it takes to try to make us better.

    i woulds love to see him trade for a great 8th inning guy.we can use him in the 7th,8th & maybe close once in a while.

  177. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Hmmm…. (2)
    June 7th, 2009 at 11:43 am
    DT, what was the “private thing”.

    here is the link – http://tiny.cc/5w0hB

    “the offseason before — broken bone in my foot, the devastating loss of life with Cory Lidle — I wasn’t prepared coming into the 2007 season physically or mentally.”

  178. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    “Laura, not the same since he didn’t play Nadal.”

    He played Nadal a couple of weeks ago on clay and beat him so in his mind, it still counts. In my mind as well.

  179. Hmmm.... (2)

    Thanks DT.

  180. Mr Veeck

    Game 56: Rays at Yankees (Updated with Yankee trade for Huston Street)

    Ok I can dream right?

  181. Edwards

    This team always fights and never says die

    However, so does the opposing team, especially against our bullpen.

  182. Hmmm.... (2)

    Well, I guess that’s true Laura.

    In my mind he needs to beat Nadal in the final to validate his win. Not playing him was a lucky break.

  183. bru

    the phillies are going to be in competition with us for bullpen help.

  184. Hmmm.... (2)

    Edwards, good point. But our offense is better than most, if not all.

  185. Mr Veeck

    The gutty gritty yankees

  186. AZTravos

    Mr Veeck,

    Sadly, I doubt Cashman will give up what is necessary to get him.

    Instead, he will fix the pen by acquiring Arthur Rhodes from the Reds.

  187. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    “In my mind he needs to beat Nadal in the final to validate his win. Not playing him was a lucky break.”

    Well, Soderling proved that Nadal was beatable on clay. Federer might have done it as well. We will never know and I’m sure that Fed is glad he doesn’t have to find out. :P

  188. Mr Veeck

    Brad Lidge has turned into Jose Veras

  189. Hmmm.... (2)

    Laura that is also true.

  190. Mr Veeck

    “Sadly, I doubt Cashman will give up what is necessary to get him.

    Instead, he will fix the pen by acquiring Arthur Rhodes from the Reds”

    Actually he will claim Jamie Walker off waivers.

  191. jennifer

    Q: Were you disappointed or surprised to see that in his book?

    A: I was disappointed, because where it first came up, I had a private conversation with Torre and (GM Brian) Cashman at the beginning of spring training, telling them that I wasn’t ready. It was a tough winter for me, and it was a private thing. And then the private thing ends up being put in his book. Well, as a player, I feel like he’s a tough guy to trust.

  192. raymagnetic

    Pete Sampras > Federer

    I don’t care if Federer breaks Sampras’ record either Sampras is still better than him.

  193. Uke

    Girardi seemed to have a major brain fart last night, CC throws 120 pitches in games that we’re losing by two or three runs but only 100 in a game that is tied when the last few years have proved that Mariano CAN NOT pitch in non-save situations, I really don’t understand some of the moves he makes.

  194. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    I saw that Ortiz hit one out yesterday. I was mildly impressed until I saw that he hit it against Kris Benson. Let me see him hit one against a real person and then maybe, I’ll believe that he’s on his way back.

  195. Hmmm.... (2)

    Sampras is the best.

  196. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    “I don’t care if Federer breaks Sampras’ record either Sampras is still better than him.”

    No way. Sampras never won the French, thus he never won the Grand Slam. You can’t be the best if you don’t win on all surfaces.

  197. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    If Nady can throw and field a bit, maybe, just maybe, he lands you a Manny Acosta or Rafi Soriano. I do wonder what the Marlins would want for Matt Lidstrom, anyone know if he’s FA next yr. ? or is he still on service yrs.

  198. Sword

    Has anyone noticed how often our starters blow leads?

    Contrary to the perception, we DO get early leads often. However, very rarely does our starter hold them. They usually give up the lead or allow the other team to tie after we score. Thus, it looks like we’re lethargic early on and don’t score early.

    If CC holds the 2-0 or 3-2 lead yesterday… things look a lot different. Then the team is getting praised for winning in a variety of ways and not just via rally, rather than getting killed for the same thing.

  199. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    “Brad Lidge has turned into Jose Veras”

    Can we trade for him them ’cause I’d rather have Lidge than Veras.

  200. Hmmm.... (2)

    Sword, true.

  201. jennifer

    Q: Wounded Warriors Project?

    A: We want to make sure that none of them are forgotten for their duties to our country and for giving us freedom

  202. raymagnetic

    “No way. Sampras never won the French, thus he never won the Grand Slam. You can’t be the best if you don’t win on all surfaces.”

    Sampras played against better competition. I don’t care if he never won a French open.

    Figures that the French would be a clay surface considering how soft the country is. ;)

    Pete Sampras > Federer

  203. Uke

    Joba hasn’t blown many leads, and he’s quietly ending the starter-reliever debate with his great pitching, everyone needs to remember great starters are not born great starters, they are developed into them

  204. randy l.

    raymagnetic-

    marte is a puzzle. he seems to be falling into that recent pattern of relief guys coming to the yankees and not performing like the back of their baseball cards.

    the yankees are very good despite the bullpen, but at some point they need two good guys to emerge out there.

  205. Hmmm.... (2)

    Anybody who supports our troops is okay by me.

  206. raymagnetic

    “Can we trade for him them ‘cause I’d rather have Lidge than Veras.”

    Until Lidge came here of course and got hammered.

  207. Hmmm.... (2)

    raymagnetic, agreed.

  208. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    I just realized Tommy Hanson’s MLB debut is today.

  209. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    “Figures that the French would be a clay surface considering how soft the country is. ”

    LOL! Of the four, it’s my least favorite tournament. Between the surface and the obnoxious fans, I could do without the French Open.

  210. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    “Until Lidge came here of course and got hammered.”

    Only if he got hammered less than Veras. :wink:

  211. Hmmm.... (2)

    I don’t like France, but I like the uniqueness of the Fench Open.

    Just pointing out now, NOT a big Tennis fan, only pay attention to the grand slams.

  212. Hmmm.... (2)

    Fench is French.

  213. Uke

    Washington could use Veras as their closer, since there closer is just as bad as Veras

  214. Johnny D.

    The loss yesterday was disappointing, but if we can take the series, all will be well.

  215. raymagnetic

    Randy,

    I’m thinking Marte has been hurt the majority of the time he’s been with the Yankees.

    I still think he’s better than guys like Veras and Ramirez when healthy.

    He may not be the 8th inning guy but he’ll be useful for the Yanks.

    I agree though, Cashman has to find a couple of good late inning relief pitchers to solidify the team.

    Maybe Phil Hughes becomes one of those guys?

  216. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    *Anyone know if Matt Lidstrom is a FA next yr., and what do you think FLA would want for him ?*

  217. Bo knows

    Ahem, you’re a star in baseball if you screw up 60 percent of the time. I’m sure the starters don’t say “Okay, I’ll blow this lead so I don’t get a W today. So saying our starters are giving up leads too often is right there in, wearing the pointy hat sitting in the corner thing. As in “What a maroon”

  218. COL 88

    Cashman isin’t going to get rid of Veras because he throws 95

  219. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    *Anyone know if Matt Lindstrom is a FA next yr., and what do you think FLA would want for him ?*

    My fault.

  220. Hmmm.... (2)

    Bo knows, he was pointing out that the reason we rally often is also due a lot of the time to starters bllowing leads, that’s all. Not the offense all the time.

  221. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    “Just pointing out now, NOT a big Tennis fan, only pay attention to the grand slams.”

    Tennis is the only other sport I follow as closely as I do baseball. If you did a poll of the players and asked them to vote on one Grand Slam tourney to go, I bet the French would get the most votes. Everyone loves Wimbledon, most love the US Open and the Australian. Only a handful like the French (Nadal being the biggest supporter of the French).

  222. Tommy

    McAllister = Doc Halladay LIGHT (not Doc Halladay current)

    No way I give him up. Only for Neftali Feliz, Tommy Hanson, Stephen Stratsberg etc.

  223. Hmmm.... (2)

    Tennis to me is just like golf and horseracing. I watch the major stuff like the grand slams and opens and triple crown. Otherwise I don’t pay attention.

    I love football (not QUITE as much as baseball but close), like hockey, am not a basketball fan (although Lebron James is fun to watch).

  224. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “No way I give him up. Only for Neftali Feliz, Tommy Hanson, Stephen Stratsberg etc.”

    Can’t get Strats, or Tommy, I’d give Melancon/Z-Mac for Feliz right now.

  225. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    “I love football (not QUITE as much as baseball but close), like hockey, am not a basketball fan (although Lebron James is fun to watch).”

    I don’t follow football at all. It’s just not a sport I enjoy. I used to follow basketball when Jordan was playing, but now that he has retired, so have I.

  226. Distd

    What about acquiring Billy Wagner?

    He is going to start throwing in June… and could be ready by August. He would be a very nice weapon down the stretch. Lefty throwing 96… knows how to handle NY, a great closer in the past

    Would be a very good pick up.

  227. Betsy

    For a second, I thought Brandon was wondering what we could get for Nadal, lol

    I don’t really follow tennis anymore, not since the days of Boris Becker, but I like Nadal. You can’t take anything away from Federer – it’s not his fault Nadal didn’t play well enough to make it to the finals.

    I can’t speak for last year, but I think it’s now obvious that Marte wasn’t healthy since the WBC. I don’t know if the Yankees rushed him or what, but I find it interesting that now he’s been on a throwing program. Why wasn’t Marte put on something similar in ST ? He should be better once he’s back as presumably he’ll be healthy……..Bruney will help as well, but it appears he’s going to be touch and go for the rest of the season. Cash has to pull a deal off before the Rays or anyone else does…..I’m still nervous about acquiring anyone. These types of deals never seem to work out. Can we honestly trust Street to pitch in big games in pinstripes?

  228. Hmmm.... (2)

    Distd, decent idea, but we need help sooner than August.

  229. Hmmm.... (2)

    We have to get a bullpen arm. We can’t really worry about whether they can handle NY or not. We’ll figure it out, won’t we?

  230. vtred

    Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzales are both FAs next year

    Lindstrom only has 3 yrs service time… still a ways to go before free agency.

  231. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Can we honestly trust Street to pitch in big games in pinstripes?”

    I srsly believe he’ll land in Philly. McDonald/some one would go to Colorado.

  232. Clint

    Matt Lindstrom has a 6.17 this year and has basically lost his job to Leo Nunez

    He is another Farnsworth… throws hard and does nothing else. Doesn’t even strikeout a batter per inning despite having a 100 MPH fastball.

  233. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzales are both FAs next year”

    Dammit Nady get healthy already, so we can package you w/ Aceves or Edwar Ramirez + Coke.

  234. Bo knows

    Aah, I got carried away with the Bugs Bunny quote. Overkill.

    That’s why I love baseball. CC is smokin, throws one bad changeup and the world turns to doo doo. Sometimes you get the bear….

    Grown men and a raft of kids sitting in the garage on broken down couches, yelling at a TV screen. The neighbors wince, smile politely and ask how it’s going.

    Who cares about the arrival, it’s the journey.

  235. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “He is another Farnsworth… throws hard and does nothing else. Doesn’t even strikeout a batter per inning despite having a 100 MPH fastball.”

    I just think he needs a change of scenery, he’s not a CL and has been pushed to that. Maybe he can be a SU guy on a playoff contending team, plus one would imagine that 6._ _ ERA makes him more easier to get ? No ?

  236. trisha

    Hey all. Just jumping in to say GO YANKEES!!! GO RANGERS!!! GO NATS!!!

    I guess that about covers it all.

    Won’t be around for today’s game but you know I’m totally there in spirit and will have the tape running. I am so looking forward to watching Joba win today’s game for us.

    :)

    If anyone gets really oppressively negative (anyone seen Deborah around these parts today?) feel free to quote me: boyayfl.

  237. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    3.14 ERA last yr., what has change so much ? maybe it’s motivation, or rea;izing he’s on a bad team.

  238. Tom

    Marte since 2004:

    2004 – 3.42 ERA (CWS)
    2005 – 3.77 ERA (CWS)
    2006 – 3.70 ERA (PIT)
    2007 – 2.38 ERA (PIT)
    2008 – 3.47 ERA (PIT)

    It’s not like this guy has been some kind of shut down pitcher. His only great year in the last 5 was 2007.

    He also doesn’t seem to be able to handle a big workload. And his control hasn’t been great in his career.

    His best role is a LOOGY and occasionally pitch an inning.

  239. Tom in N.J.

    Seems that some unnamed scout is saying Ortiz is older than he claims.

    “The chances of his birth certificate being accurate are zero,” the scout said. “That’s both birth certificates. Remember, he was David Arias [when he played in the minor leagues for] Seattle.”

    If this is true, I wonder if the Sox would attempt to void his contract. [Pure speculation, on my part.]

    http://tiny.cc/TSaMC

  240. trisha

    Well okay, if you want to be word-for-word literal, it would be bioyayfl.

    Later.

  241. randy l.

    “Maybe Phil Hughes becomes one of those guys?”

    raymagnetic-

    let’s save that one until we really want to cause trouble on the blog :)

  242. Hmmm.... (2)

    PHIL HUGHES IS A STAHTIN PITCHA’!!!!

    HIM IN THE BULLPEN IS ATROCIOUS! ATROCIOUS!

  243. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Srsly in the case of Matt,

    *In addition to his velocity, Lindstrom is also a groundball pitcher. His GB/FB ratio last year was 1.54, which led to a microscopic 0.16 HR/9, the fourth-lowest total among relievers. Some might think that he’s in for a major regression but in 2007 his HR/9 checked in at 0.27 for the year.*

    So control his walks, you get a gem. AL doesn’t know him, it’d be a sucker punch if he returns to 07′ mode.

  244. RS

    All I can say is that the Yankees NEED to fix their bullpen. I watch a lot of Mets games, and while they don’t have very good starting pitching or offense, they have relievers who can come in in the 6th inning, and not give up a run through the end of the game. Imagine how good the Yankees would be if they had a bullpen like that (or Boston’s).

    Right now, there’s no way I trust the Yankees’ bullpen to hold opponents down for multiple innings at a time. Even when our starters go 7-8 innings we can’t lock down wins and it’s a battle till the end.

    It’s especially disturbing that the Yankees are 2-9 against the Red Sox and Rays, because almost all of those games have come down to the final innings. Rivera alone has blown 3 of those games.

  245. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    http://www.fangraphs.com/stats.....position=P

    Only difference from 07′ 08′ is that he’s not throwing his CB or CH, I wonder why :?

  246. Tom in N.J.

    “Brian Bruney threw two 15-pitch simulated innings and felt good. “Two thumbs up,” he said as he came off the field. But the Yankees will be cautious with him. He could throw another simulated game, then some live BP and then a go to the minors for a rehab game or two. At an every-other-day pace, he could be 8-10 days away.”

    “Damaso Marte will throw a bullpen in Tampa today”

    That’s good news on Bruney. Seems help is on the way, god willing.

  247. Tank

    Didn’t everyone say that the Mets got a steal with JJ Putz and they now have 2 closers and the best 8th-9th in baseball?

    Going out and sticking another team’s closer in the 8th inning rarely ever works. You have to develop those guys or catch lightening in a bottle.

    Who is the last team to acquire a big-time set-up man/closer via trade and have him perform well?

  248. RS

    “Marte since 2004:

    2004 – 3.42 ERA (CWS)
    2005 – 3.77 ERA (CWS)
    2006 – 3.70 ERA (PIT)
    2007 – 2.38 ERA (PIT)
    2008 – 3.47 ERA (PIT)

    It’s not like this guy has been some kind of shut down pitcher. His only great year in the last 5 was 2007.”

    Tom, those numbers might not look spectacular, but if Marte was putting up an ERA like that this year, that would make him one of our top relievers.

  249. Hmmm...(2)

    Tank, good question.

  250. Hmmm...(2)

    Those numbers seem fine to me.

  251. jobamania

    no longo

    Upton, cf Crawford, lf Aybar, 3b Pena, 1b Zobrist, 2b Joyce, rf Gross, dh Navarro, c Brignac, c Garza, p

  252. Jack

    Rays lineup

    CF Upton
    LF Crawford
    3B Aybar
    1B Pena
    2B Zobrist
    RF Joyce
    DH Gross
    C Navarro
    SS Brignac

  253. Tom in N.J.

    Jeff Nelson’s carrer ERA with the Yankees was 3.47

    Mike Stanton’s career Yankee ERA was 3.77

  254. Z Mac

    If we have a lead in the 9th or are tied… no way Girardi can go to Mariano

    I’ll take my chances with Phil Coke, or perhaps Tomko who has thrown the ball well lately.

  255. Betsy

    Good news on the injury front……

  256. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    If Cashman can steal Lindstrom and we get back Bruney, and Marte actually does something..add Melancon some time in the summer…this could get interesting.

  257. RS

    “Going out and sticking another team’s closer in the 8th inning rarely ever works. You have to develop those guys or catch lightening in a bottle.”

    You’re right, and that’s exactly what happened with Boston to give them such a good bullpen. They developed Papelbon, Delcarmen, Bard, and Masterson (all hard throwers except for Masterson, who has a heavy sinker) and they caught lightening in a bottle with Okajima and Saito, who no one expected to stay healthy. They did make a very good trade for Ramirez, however.

  258. D Town

    Jobber better deliver a big performance today

    He has to realize we are facing 2-10 against the Rays/Sux, and then we’ll be on the verge of a sweep with Andy going tomorrow who can’t get anyone out these days.

    Oh and it would be nice if the offense decided to show up before the 8th inning this time. How about sending Garza to the showers in the 3rd inning? I know he is good but still.

  259. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    Jon Heyman twitter:

    mariano very polite. before signing, asks lad in dugout if he wants his autograph

    :)

  260. Gold Mine

    RS,

    Exactly.

    Cashman needs to make a couple of “Ramon Ramirez” type trades. Guys who can come cheaply that are under the radar. There are effective relievers in baseball aside from Bell and Street.

  261. Tom in N.J.

    Steve Karsay
    Armondo Benitez
    Kyle Farsworth
    Mark Wohlers

  262. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Mo
    Lindstrom
    Bruney
    Marte (if he realizes he can throw a ball good)
    LH (either Dunn or Kroenke since Coke would have to go)
    Melancon
    Aceves

    That’s an interesting little BP no ?

  263. d32123

    “RS,

    Exactly.

    Cashman needs to make a couple of “Ramon Ramirez” type trades. Guys who can come cheaply that are under the radar. There are effective relievers in baseball aside from Bell and Street.”

    Ironically this is something he’s done well. Our bullpen is made of bits and pieces and has done okay.

    What we need is a lights-out proven set-up man and move Bruney into a 7th inning role.

  264. Matt

    If Tampa had not blown the game open, JP Howell (the closer) would have stayed in for the bottom of the 9th rather than Maddon bringing in Wheeler.

    So you can’t say for certain that we would have won if we had held them to 1-2 runs.

  265. Yanks 86

    I can understand the skepticism for Bell…. 32 years old, entire career in the NL, Petco Park/NL West, West Coast guy etc.

    But where is Street getting this bum rep from? He is 26 yrs old and has a 2.91 career ERA, most of it in the AL. Averages a strikeout per inning, doesn’t walk anyone.

    His worst year was last year, yet he had a 3.21 ERA after the All-Star break.

    Street is the goods. Of course, he would cost a ton, but he would be a great addition.

  266. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Knowing Cash he prbly deals for Matt Capps :roll:

    sorry couldn’t resist it. :lol:

  267. BBFan

    “So what if Joe goes to the mound and tells Mo to IBB Longoria and Mo disagrees. It’s Joe’s job to sell it. That’s managing. It’s not a democracy? Well, successful managers know it’s not a dictatorship either”

    When did managers making decisions become dictatorship.
    Let us be realistic, Mo lost the game yesterday. That is not criticising him, it is simply stating the fact. It is a pity that some people jump at it like Mo was being criticised.

  268. bru

    the rays lineup outside of longoria & pena do not impress me.

    i’d like to see our pitching attack hitters & let our defense do its job.

    forget walking batters on purpose & make them beat us.

  269. Tom in N.J.

    No Longoria in the starting lineup.

  270. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Xavier Nady threw from 90 feet yesterday. That would seem encouraging.”

    That’s right grasshopper throw so we can deal you this summer. :)

  271. Christina - Pictures from the Scranton WB Game- Melancon and Shelley!

    Should be a good game today. If Joba doesn’t pitch 8 stellar innings, tomorrow will be one of those “dont listen to Mike Francesa” days. One can only stand so many hours dedicated to a tirade about Jobber being in the pen.

    On the other hand, Harry is going for his 10th win for the season, I think this is the lead of all the majors right?

  272. RS

    There are no must-wins in June but today is close, IMO. No Longoria, Bartlett, or Burrell in the Rays lineup, which is the equivalent of us missing Teixeira, Damon, and Matsui. Joba should be able to handle this Rays offense.

    We lost with our ace and star closer on the mound yesterday, with the Rays pitching their rookie starter and throwing Randy Choate out there as their closer.

    The Rays are battered right now, and winning big games against us is only going to make them feel confident about their chances to make a playoff run, especially when they get healthy again. Garza is one of their best pitchers, and if the Yankees can get off to a good start against him today, that would deflate the Rays a bit. It’s about time the Yankees knocked around a GOOD starter, because that’s the one thing they haven’t been able to do all season.

  273. m

    What is this? mo is immune from a call from the bench? People want Joe to ask his permission?

    So Joe’s supposed to walk to the mound, convince mo this is what he wants to do, walk back to the dugout, and then call for the IBB?

    That makes it less embarrassing?

    mo is frustrated with himself. Nothing more, nothing less.

    mo may be the greatest of all time, but he’s still a player, and he still takes the signals from the bench.

    maybe the IBB affects his approach to Upton.

    Lesson learned yesterday. Don’t give it away, because there’s always a chance the hitters can get it back for you. If Zobrist was the only man that scored, and IF we still got those 2 runs, the Yankees win.

    Rivera may have been embarrassed, frustrated as is his right. But he would be wrong if anyone, including the writers, felt that he was disrespected.

  274. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Lets hope Joba breaks his hands from his release well or else it’s Diet Coke snap day tomorrow. :roll:

  275. Tom

    MO couldn’t even get out Zobrist and Dillon

    Why would Joe risk him pitching to Longoria? He had NOTHING yesterday. It was the right strategic move.

    I commend Joe for doing that, shows he is more concerned about winning game than feelings… give me hope that he will start replacing Jeter with Pena late in games with a lead.

  276. Johnny D.

    Is YES Network the best team channel on TV?

  277. you gotta have faith (never say die yankees!)

    yesterdays game obviously did not end the way we wanted to but the yanks fought back the whole time, they tied it, and then tried to do it again in the bottom of the 9th.

    last years team would have packed it in.

    regarding mo, he usually does this type of thing in a tie game, it should come to no suprise but i think bc it was the rays who have beaten him before, its made into an even bigger deal.

  278. d32123

    Any sites gonna stream this?

  279. East River

    RS,

    You are 100% right. Most people here have already written off the Rays, but they are a VERY dangerous team. They have had a terrible year, tons of injuries, yet they are right there.

    Never want to give a young team like them confidence. They already know what it feels like, they can taste it. We have to start beating these division teams. Tampa is beat up right now and there is no excuse why we shouldn’t beat them.

    This division is going to come down to head-to-head games. All these teams will crush the out of division competition.

  280. m

    Two things are apparent. Rivera has a tough time in tie games. And the Rays & Sox can hit him.

    So in regards to last night’s question, those are the only times I worry about mo. And maybe when he faces Scutaro.

  281. Dan

    At this point, every day is “Don’t Listen To Francesa Day.”

  282. BBFan

    “Q: Were you disappointed or surprised to see that in his book?

    A: I was disappointed, because where it first came up, I had a private conversation with Torre and (GM Brian) Cashman at the beginning of spring training, telling them that I wasn’t ready. It was a tough winter for me, and it was a private thing. And then the private thing ends up being put in his book. Well, as a player, I feel like he’s a tough guy to trust.”

    As much as I still like what he did during his earlier years as Yankee Manager, I have a low opinion of him as an individual given every thing he ratted out in his book.

    1. Domon’s situation is a good example.
    2. He did the same about the priviate conversations he had with GM Cashman about some players.
    3. He wrote about a private phone cnversation Roger had with his mother.
    4. Fianlly, irrespective of Goerge’s flaws, Torre should be eternally grateful to him for gving him the chance when he was alredy a washed out manager and was nobody as a brodcaster. The vendetta he showed against Goerge in the book including writing about his private health situation is below any kind of dignity.

  283. jennifer

    Did Kim Jones interview swisher yesterday? If so where can I find it?

  284. Alex

    We make fun of teams like the Rangers and Tigers, citing our superiority over them because they haven’t beaten anyone.

    Who have we beaten exactly? 2-9 vs. our 2 big division rivals, lost a home series to Philly.

    We may be better than Texas/Detroit, but that is not good enough. We may have more talent than these division teams, but until we beat them on the field, it means nothing.

  285. jennifer

    BBFan

    Don’t forget the private conversation with Alex. The twisting the ring one.

  286. Rachel

    I hope this is a joke:

    Hideki Matsui continues to play some outfield during batting practice in preparation of interleague games at NL parks. “We have to figure out how much he can play in those games, if we can double-switch him in or start him,” Girardi said.

    He can barely run to 1st or 2nd base on a single or double and he is supposed to play the outfield? Thats really funny, lol

  287. R+

    Wow Rachel…. Interleague play is going to be a disaster.

    I can just picture Matsui in Dolphins Stadium in a couple weeks, turning singles into inside the park HRs and triples to the speedy Marlins.

  288. d32123

    Any streams?

  289. BBFan

    “I commend Joe for doing that, shows he is more concerned about winning game than feelings… give me hope that he will start replacing Jeter with Pena late in games with a lead.”

    Great point.

    These veterans (Mo, Jeter, Posada and later Pettitte in the second half), have to get used to it. Sure, we won a lot with them, that does not mean we have to lose by keeping them in the game when they are effective as they get older.

    It is not about criticising them or not recognizing their past achievemnts but recognizing the fact that as players get old and reach fag end of thier careers, they can not be as good as they were when they were young.

  290. Sean Serritella

    What a great day for a baseball game.

  291. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “He can barely run to 1st or 2nd base on a single or double and he is supposed to play the outfield? Thats really funny, lol”

    RF I guess :lol:

  292. Christina - Pictures from the Scranton WB Game- Melancon and Shelley!

    Jennifer- Yes she did. It was a great interview too, not sure if its posted online yet though. I couldnt find it on their website.

  293. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    “UPDATE, 12:31 p.m.: Longoria was not cleared to play. But he could pinch hit again.”

    More proof that Girardi should have let Mo face him.

  294. Carl

    Lets go Yankees!

  295. you gotta have faith (never say die yankees!)

    full houseeeeee……. with some empty legends seats lol

  296. Carl

    Please don’t walk upton

  297. Tom

    Classy move on your party Brandon.

  298. jennifer

    Christine- Thanks, I had it recorded, but deleted it. Now I am ticked! :lol: Eventually it will get up.

  299. d32123

    Last time I checked this was a baseball blog not politics.

  300. Christina - Pictures from the Scranton WB Game- Melancon and Shelley!

    Politics are lame. Keep it out.

  301. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Classy move on your party Brandon.”

    If 2/3 of this blog knows what I’m talking about, then I’d be surprised. :lol:

  302. *vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)*

    Jobber looks sharp.

  303. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    talk to Eiland about those hands breaking now.

  304. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    Jobber!

  305. Johnny D.

    I want to see a perfect game this season (by the Yankees).

  306. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    “If 2/3 of this blog knows what I’m talking about, then I’d be surprised.”

    we have the internet…movies get seen

  307. Carl

    Jobber is NOT a starting PITCHAAAAA. Give me Porcello’s starts!

  308. jennifer

    Can Kay stop with this nonsense. Mark Tex tied a record held by many. 3 put outs. WHO CARES!! It is such a stupid statement. Enough. it is like he is a 12 year old boy doing the game.

  309. Johnny D.

    Who cares if he mentions it? I like it.

  310. Carl

    jennifer June 7th, 2009 at 1:17 pm

    Can Kay stop with this nonsense. Mark Tex tied a record held by many. 3 put outs. WHO CARES!! It is such a stupid statement. Enough. it is like he is a 12 year old boy doing the game.

    I don’t know, after hearing some of the other broadcast this year, Kay doesn’t seem all that bad.

  311. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    way to make’em work capitan

  312. J-Dawg--Veintisiete en... let's try '09!

    Nice to see another good first inning from Joba. Maybe he is beginning to exorcise those first inning demons.

    I echo the congratulations for Roger Federer. Not only is he a champion, but he is also classy and a great ambassador to the game, can’t ask for anymore than that.

    At Wimbledon, he will break the tie with Sampras.

  313. bru

    francessa always mentions porcello based on only a few starts but uses joba’s few starts against him.

    very flawed argument.

  314. Joe from Long Island

    Mike Francesa making a flawed argument? Really?

  315. 86w183

    I always thought the first inning problem was Joba pacing himself and getting in trouble. I wrote two weeks ago he needed to open up throwing his two-seamer which sinks nicely and gets him some easy outs and he’s done that his last two starts.

    Jennifer — I agree on that line from Kay. I’ve also heard him say the same thing when all three batters ground out that the record for assists for inning has been tied which is completely untrue. You can get more than three assists in an inning, because of the fielder drops the throw you still get the assist.

  316. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Garza is going to be tough.

  317. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Zobrist finally goes down.

  318. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    what could be the reason for joba’s inconsistent velocity from start-to-start..is it mechanical, physical, mental? i cant figure it out

  319. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    tex is awesome

  320. BBFan

    “Garza is going to be tough.”

    Joba will be tough too.
    It is a good match up and it will be an enjoyable game.

  321. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Tex showing off the Gold Glove.

  322. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Francesa is going to pollute the air waves if he doesn’t get to the 8th..Tex I’m starting to have a crush on you or your glove.

  323. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    I will be very disappointed if Tex doesn’t win the Gold Glove this year.

  324. Coach6423

    Ralphie,
    Its all mechanical.

  325. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    “Francesa is going to pollute the air waves if he doesn’t get to the 8th..Tex I’m starting to have a crush on you or your glove.”

    Brandon, be sure to let us know where you and Tex’s glove get registered. :P

  326. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    *shaking her head at the political comments*

  327. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    Francesa is going to pollute the air waves if he doesn’t get to the 8th..

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

    Especially with what happened to Mo yesterday. Be good Jobber. Please, or else tomorrow will be Jobber should be the heir to Mo day..again

  328. Trevor

    Is Garza going to hit a Yankee now?

  329. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    “Ralphie,
    Its all mechanical.”

    i guess that makes the most sense but is this common for young pitchers..maybe its just more noticeable for joba because he can throw 97 so that when you see 92 its a big difference..i guess another pitcher that would normally throw 92 but struggles to hit 89 is less noticeable

  330. 86w183

    I disagree. Joba’s fluctuating MPH readings are more a combination of pacing himself, which he has stopped doing and the ridiculous inconsistency of radar gun readings.

    26 pitches in two innings. That’s excellent efficiency. Could this be the first low scoring, homer free game in the new place?

  331. Sean Serritella

    RalphieD, I would say it’s physical. It takes him an inning or two to get warmed up. This is why they had him start throwing in the bull pen the last time out like he was simulating a game.

  332. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    Hahaha

  333. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    Nice break there.

  334. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    A-Rod lucks out there.

  335. Coach6423

    haha, gamedays first video highlight is pena getting hit by a pitch….talk about looking for stuff.

  336. Peter Abraham

    If your ambition is to get banned from commenting, make political comments of any kind.

    That is not going to be allowed on this baseball blog. Period, end of story.

  337. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    Rays have had some big names on the DL too.

  338. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    jet stream my…

  339. Sean Serritella

    I’m pretty happy that Federer won yesterday. I was always a fan of his.

  340. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Doesn’t look like there will be much offense today.

  341. d32123

    At least they’re making Garza work.

  342. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    Matsui has got to stop pulling those outside pitches. He gives away so many at bats doing that.

  343. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    if you believe in the fallacy of the predetermined outcome…if arod hustled and was on 2nd on the bloop and the inning played out the same…the yanks might of had a run…but who knows

  344. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    “if you believe in the fallacy of the predetermined outcome…if arod hustled and was on 2nd on the bloop and the inning played out the same…the yanks might of had a run…but who knows’

    He wouldn’t have made it to 2nd. That ball made it out to the outfield pretty quickly. And Alex doesn’t run as fast as he used to. Something about his hip. :wink:

  345. Bo knows

    No offense – the Yankees had three hits in the seventh inning yesterday, count them 3 hits. This inning, A Rod got lucky, Cano insists on making an out swinging at two pitches totally out of strike zone. Posada wants to be a hero and Matsui is pulling off the ball again – low outside tapper to the 2B. It is to weep

  346. Cash Quilt

    ah yes arod, the laziest guy on the team

    nice update pete

  347. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Tex is REALLY showing off now. :D

  348. Coach6423

    just give him the gold glove now….

  349. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    tex is really a beast with the glove…look at the range!

  350. Carl

    Mark is stupid good.

  351. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    WTH are you trying to make a highlight reel Tex :lol:

  352. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    Tex! Its really so nice to have someone at first like that again.

  353. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    Tex throws pretty well from his knees.

  354. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    I’ve got a man-crush on Tex, dude’s a beast.

  355. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Tex! Its really so nice to have someone at first like that again.”

    Hopefully LF/RF will get someone like that too. Well more RF.

  356. Coach6423

    wow, that 2nd pitch to Upton wasnt even close to being a ball….good job behind the plate blue.

  357. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    Good thing I think predetermined outcomes are a fallacy (especially in baseball!), I guess. :)

  358. d32123

    MVP! MVP!

  359. Mark-Cant Touch This (Milk man Rules)

    Throw Strikes to Upton…

  360. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    2nd time around Joba is having hiccups

  361. Jeff

    Can someone tell David cone that first baseman is plural and he doesn’t have to add an a

  362. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    “ah yes arod, the laziest guy on the team”

    It was in the Post the other day that after the home games, A-Rod works in the batting cage. Nobody works harder than this guy.

  363. d32123

    Calm down Joba!

  364. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    Nicely done, Alex.

  365. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    its hard to get by with pitches down the middle at 91-92…the extra velocity he doesnt have today makes a difference

    nice play arod

  366. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    barehanded play by Alex 8O

  367. Carl

    Man what a play Alex

  368. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Brilliant play from A-Rod.

  369. Mark-Cant Touch This (Milk man Rules)

    Why are the yankees not busting upton inside, backing him off the plate.

  370. Jeff

    I mean an s

  371. JCPD

    And how’s that fielding play from A-Rod. Is that OK for you Pete?

  372. rconn23

    Joba has got to start getting ahead of hitters.

  373. Mark-Cant Touch This (Milk man Rules)

    Well lets go offense!!

  374. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    good rebound joba with the assist to arod

  375. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    He’s not breaking his hands like in that Texas start, it’s going to be awhile before Joba shows the finished product.

  376. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    corner inf came up big that inning.

  377. Carl

    Swishaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

  378. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    there ya go swishy!

  379. Tom in N.J.

    Swisher!

  380. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Way to go Nate McLo…I mean Nick Swisher !

  381. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    Swishy!

  382. d32123

    SWISH!!!

  383. Trevor

    This is the second straight game that Joba has not been throwing many change ups.
    Coincidence or does Posada factor in?

  384. Tom in N.J.

    Nick-nack-paddy-wack-give-the-team-a-run!

  385. Vince

    As much trash talking I do about Swisher, he has been looking good at the plate lately. Nice timing as well, getting that run right there.

  386. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    That is one bad haircut on Swish.

  387. steve

    See Pete, this is why people complain that you are biased against A-Rod. You are quick to point out that he didn’t run out the dropped pop-up, yet you don’t say a peep about the great bare-handed play on Crawford. Just saying, fair is fair.

  388. Peter Abraham

    JCPD:

    I didn’t realize I was obligated to comment on every play. Yes, very nice play by Alex. Congrats to him and to you.

  389. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    he looked safe

  390. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Bang bang play.

  391. Peter Abraham

    Steve:

    I commented on that in light of Cervelli doing the same thing yesterday. Obviously if that sort of thing continues, Girardi is going to have to address it.

    I’m also not going to comment on every single play. It’s a long game and I assume most people are listening or watching.

  392. Maria

    Change up.

  393. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Oh look it’s getting up to 95

  394. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    2 changes to pena..looked very nice

  395. steve

    Do I detect a little sarcasm, Pete? Lighten up. It was a nice play, as was Tex’s that you made a point of pointing out, rightfully so. But when you are the first to point out the bad, and beat it ad nauseum, you can’t pretend to wonder why people accuse you of bias towards A-Rod when you don’t also compliment the good. It’s kind of the textbook definition of bias, no?

  396. JCPD

    Pete, I don’t expect you to comment on every play. But you do always point out his not so good plays. Just saying!!!

  397. Carl

    We all know he doesn’t like the guy just let it go.

  398. Nick in SF in Novato

    zomg, we’re only tied with Tampa, Joba is throwing too many pitches, we cannot win this game, Boston is only down 2 to Texas, they cannot lose, we are all but eliminated already, our next dynasty will never happen and the legacy of the team is forever tainted and they might disband the franchise because of this awful bullpen.

    Does that cover things or do I need to get into the locusts and the meteor that’s hurtling towards the Bronx?

  399. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Nasty slider.

  400. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    slider looks to be a little tighter this inning

  401. Patrick

    You A-rod apologists are a joke. He didn’t run out a pop-up, that’s a fact. Who cares what Pete says? Get the sand out of your you know whats

  402. Carl

    oooooo we Alex!

  403. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    “Does that cover things or do I need to get into the locusts and the meteor that’s hurtling towards the Bronx?”

    The locusts are all inside the meteor hurtling towards the Bronx, along with all of Jeter’s alien ex-girlfriends looking for vengeance.

  404. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    corner infield is showing off now

  405. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    1-2-3

  406. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    nice play arod!!…nice to see the defense have a good day after yesterday;s D

  407. steve

    Ah, I thought the first comment was directed at me. Fair enough, and I’ll be the first to admit that A-Rod hasn’t run hard down the line much during his first month back. I guess I’m just willing to forgive it a little more with him right now as he is coming off hip surgery, and I don’t think he’s been a major offender there in the past. At this point, having his bat in the lineup everyday clearly helps, and if it takes him a bit to get up to speed, I’m willing to accept him at less than that right now. The stolen base yesterday was a good sign I think.

  408. Patrick

    Looks like A-rod is regaining some range at 3B, that’s encouraging. The two areas I’ve seen the hip really effect him are in the field and on the bases. Hopefully both areas improve

  409. Rachel

    I have never seen a pitcher shake off Posada more than Joba and Veras do…lol

  410. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    haha Nick. That about covers all panic stations, I think.

  411. Carl

    He didn’t run out a pop up? Are you kidding me? He would have got thrown out you A-Rod hater.

  412. Joe from Long Island

    Nick – You forgot the swine flu.

    By the way, where’s Novato? You seem to be getting around.

  413. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “I have never seen a pitcher shake off Posada more than Joba and Veras do…lol”

    Except Joba has the better mind to do it with. :lol:

  414. Rachel

    Maybe the off day really helped Arod. He has looked much better in the field the last 2 days.

  415. bru

    if joba can learn to be more economical with his pitches & go deeper we will be better off.

    boston down 2-0

    porcello gave up 3 in the 1st but is winning 4-3 but 1st & 3rd,2 outs

  416. Coach6423

    All the people killing Arod, did you kill Cervelli yesterday when he didnt run out his pop up?

  417. 86w183

    Carl is right, now way on earth Alex would have been safe at second. Cervelli is a rookie, to imply that the same standard should be used with him and long time veterans is absurd… you think Jeter and Damon bust it out of the box on pop ups? Think again

  418. bru

    yes.porcello settled down & got out of the inning.

    he is one of my fantasy pitchers.

  419. Rachel

    They need to get Posada and Cano going. In Arod’s at bat Garza probably didn’t mind if he walked him or not. He would of but Arod swung at 2 bad pitches. Tex and Arod have been on base a lot but Cano and Posada haven’t hit a lot recently.

  420. Coach6423

    Texas up 4-0

  421. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    driving the pitch ount up , I can’t be mad at Robi, but wow he just doesn’t strike out. :lol:

  422. Pel

    >I have never seen a pitcher shake off Posada more than Joba and Veras do…lol

    Veras shakes his head until Posada asks for the ball high and away outside.

  423. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Tommy Hanson no hitter through 5 and Ryan Braun becomes his first hit/HR allowed to 2 – 2 Braves.

  424. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    “Cano and Posada haven’t hit a lot recently.”

    Last 7 days:

    Posada: .294/.368/.647/1.015
    Cano: .200/.273/.200/.473

    Cano is ice cold, but Posada has an OPS of over 1000.

    Still, not a good sign for Robbie.

  425. bru

    yes

  426. bru

    lets go sui

  427. GGBG

    Ole!

  428. Coach6423

    Rachel, I dont know what you want from Posada anc Cano….500 averages?

  429. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Still, not a good sign for Robbie.”

    But he’s making prductive outs, lately and having better ABs.

  430. Carl

    Matsui needs some time off.

  431. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Matsui rolls over another one.

  432. bru

    it is amazing that every time posada comes back from an injury he never skips a beat.

    it is amazing for his age & the fact that he is a catcher.

  433. Bo knows

    Someone go smack Matsui upside the head. Pull off the ball, why don’t you. Do the same thing over and over and expect different results.

  434. d32123

    No way Matsui’s in pinstripes next year. Wonder if he’ll retire, sign with another team, or just go back to Japan.

  435. Rachel

    It seems impossible for Matsui to drive the ball anymore. I know he hit the homerun against Texas but he looks old, slow bat and horrible. When he is batting you only need the pitcher, 2nd baseman and 1st baseman on the field. I really don’t think he should be in the lineup everyday especially against lefties and a pitcher throwing hard.

  436. Carl

    umm

  437. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Swisher makes right field an everyday adventure.

  438. GGBG

    Cue Bob Uecker: Juuuuuust a bit outside

  439. Carl

    I would have swung at that

  440. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    jussssssssssssssssst a bit outside.

  441. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    that’s a bad throw

  442. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    yeesh

  443. GGBG

    Jorge…rushed that one and didn’t have to.

  444. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Off throw from Posada. I’d rather have Navarro go to 2nd than break the arm of our #3 hitter.

  445. Carl

    Right after I read the Posada not missing a beat comment lol.

  446. Neil

    Probably come back to screw us

  447. bru

    one thing about matsui.you know he gives you 100 % every time out.
    he is a great guy.

    he broke his wrist & appologized to torre because of it.

  448. DEBORAH

    *I LOVE Joba Chamberlain!* I am actually feeling good about today’s game.

    That IDIOT Joe Girardi won’t do anything dumb today because of his embarrassing actions yesterday! All eyes are on YOU, Girardi.

  449. Rachel

    Good job Posada…The Yanks have made up for the errors the last couple of games that they didn’t have earlier. They have been sloppy errors, not running hard.

  450. bru

    i was talking about posada’s offense.

  451. Nick in SF in Novato

    Joe: Novato is in northern Marin County. It’s about 10 miles south of Petaluma. I am unable to watch the game here. :(

  452. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    The infield has been sparkling aside from Posada.

  453. Carl

    bru June 7th, 2009 at 2:38 pm

    i was talking about posada’s offense.

    LOL

  454. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    70 pitches for Jobber

  455. Serf

    Crazy how they go 18 errorless games and pick up 6 in 4 games.

  456. GGBG

    Joba’s doing what very good pitchers do. He clearly does not have his dominant stuff. We’re through 5 and it’s a 1-1 game.

    He’s already very good. I cannot wait to watch this kid get better and better.

  457. Rachel

    Girardi should treat Matsui the way the Rangers treat Andruw Jones. Only play him against pitchers who don’t throw hard. At this point he really has no chance. Play him like 3-4 times a week. The other days I would rather see Damon DH and Gardner in the outfield or Cervelli catch and Posada DH.

  458. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    DEBORAH June 7th, 2009 at 2:37 pm

    I LOVE Joba Chamberlain! I am actually feeling good about today’s game.

    That IDIOT Joe Girardi won’t do anything dumb today because of his embarrassing actions yesterday! All eyes are on YOU, Girardi.

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

    What exactly were his EMBARRASSING actions yesterday?

  459. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    If Joba maintains his new economical self, he’ll be a Top 5 starter in the AL as soon as next year.

  460. bru

    Carl
    June 7th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
    bru June 7th, 2009 at 2:38 pm

    i was talking about posada’s offense.

    LOL

    ————————————————————

    ammuzed easily.

  461. Coach6423

    awesome DEBORAH downer is back…

  462. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    I so wish there was an ignore function on this board.

    That thing on Garza’s chin is just gross.

  463. Nick in SF in Novato

    BTW, this update confused me:

    “Jose Molina was in uniform and doing some baseball activities. He thinks he’s 7-10 days away. “It’s not nearly as bad as last time,” he said. “But I need to be able to run.”

    When could he run?

  464. Carl

    Texas is so bad

  465. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    “That thing on Garza’s chin is just gross.”

    It looks like it’s alive!

  466. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    lol SA.

    Nice use of the caps lock key there.

  467. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Good pitching duel.

    The whiners and trolls must be sleeping in today. Yesterday took a lot out of them.

    Nick – you seem to be moving around a lot. Are you in the comedy protection program?

  468. GGBG

    Nick in SF

    LOL!

  469. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    I wonder how he gets it in that reverse volcano shape?

  470. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Swish likes facing Garza.

  471. GGBG

    Swisher is just getting hot again. Right in time for the Sox and Mets. Woohoo! Bring ‘em on!

  472. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    “That thing on Garza’s chin is just gross.”
    It looks like it’s alive!

    I wish Matt Garza’s name was Billy.

    Billy Goat Garza sounds cool.

  473. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    I hate it when Kay steals my material.

  474. Nick in SF in Novato

    DT: it’s work related. But I am within the confines of the Bay Area, so even though I had to cross the Golden Gate Bridge this morning, it still feels like I’m Almost Home.

  475. GGBG

    Playing hit and run with Swisher and Cabrera.

    What team is this? From what I’ve seen these last few years I thought we were only allowed to play station-to-station while waiting for the HR????

  476. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Crazy how they go 18 errorless games and pick up 6 in 4 games.”

    Well 2 of those games was Georgy. Melky that was a fine situational AB.

  477. GGBG

    All right. Back to back walks to open up the 5th. Lets make em pay here!

    Come on Cap!

  478. Bo knows

    I can’t believe the improved at bats by Melky this year, awsome.

  479. d32123

    Yay Melky!

  480. Joe from Long Island

    Nick – working on a Sunday, I’m impressed.

  481. Pat M

    Jeter will swing away now

  482. Patrick

    Girardi is such a dope with these sacrifice bunts, especially with Jeter up. Absolutely absurd.

  483. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Jeter can’t get the bunt down.

  484. Carl

    He better not hit into a dp

  485. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    not good

  486. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    Yes, its a bit goat-ish.

    I also bet Garza is a blast to be around on National Talk Like A Pirate Day, DT.

  487. GreenBeret7

    Two really bad bunt attempts.

  488. GGBG

    Good slide Melky!

    Wouldn’t have been two but a good, hard play.

  489. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Tough slide from Melky.

  490. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    nice baserunning take out slide Melky

  491. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    I got it Nick.
    Almost Home is better than Home Alone.

  492. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    I dont necessarily think Jeter’s sac bunt attempts are always called from the bench.

  493. bru

    hit n run

    rays started their pen going

  494. GGBG

    Damon is the anti-2008 Jeter. He does not hit into DP’s.

    2-1 coming up.

  495. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Yes, its a bit goat-ish.”

    Reminds me of Billy Koch

  496. Kevin S.

    Not sure why you’re ragging on fielding metrics, Pete. UZR agrees with you on Jeter: http://www.fangraphs.com/stats.....S#fielding

  497. Maria

    Since that Tex slide, we have been all about the takeout slide. I like it.

  498. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Garza dialing it up at 96.

  499. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    That chin hair does make him more goat-like

  500. Pel

    oh wow :roll:

  501. GGBG

    That’s an official “weird play”

    Good for Damon to get to 2nd at least.

  502. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Bad read by Swisher.

  503. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    “I also bet Garza is a blast to be around on National Talk Like A Pirate Day, DT.”

    Aye… It’s all good until he takes the mound with a patch over his eye.

    tough break for Damon, he didn’t mean to swing.

  504. Carl

    yikes only the yankees

  505. jennifer

    Still would have been an out, can’t really complain about what Swish did.

  506. stuart a

    can they get a big hit..

    in my lifetime…….

  507. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    The inning is gonna be up to A-Rod.

  508. jennifer

    Damon would have been out at first in all likelihood. Now you have 2 fast runners on base.

  509. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Wow, he got Tex.

  510. Carl

    only the yankees man

  511. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    damn. Wasted chances

  512. Maria

    Ahhhh Tex they were asking to walk you. Oh well. Joba time.

  513. d32123

    Should have scored this inning. Oh well Garza surely won’t go past the next inning now.

  514. Nick in SF in Novato

    Billy Koch? Why not Billy the Goat?

  515. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Damn that sucks, we had our foot on thier neck, can’t say that leads to good.

  516. GGBG

    Carl

    We’ve been good in that spot most of the season, especially lately. Difference between this year and last is last year’s team would lay down and die after not scoring there. This team just keeps going after it.

  517. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    one more inning for garza then the tampa pen..joba keeps it close (hes at 70) and i like our chances…biggest ab last inning was def damon…he killed it

  518. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Tex wishes he had a mulligan on that one.

    The good news – Garza is up to 96 pitches. Rays used 5 relievers yesterday.

  519. rconn23

    Pete,

    You’re right. Bad, bad baseball. Now Joba has to hold down the heart of the order.

  520. Taylor

    Can you please ask Girardi why he gives up so many outs with this moronic bunting? It’s Goddamn ridiculous.

  521. DEBORAH

    UGH! What is with Joe Girardi’s man crush love affair with Nick Swisher??? He stinks! Ozzie Guillen was right! Way to go Nicky boy, you probably cost us the game!

    I HATE Brett Gardner but I would rather see HIM than Swisher. No matter what, MELKY stays in the OF!!!

    Can someone TELL me why Swisher has played the second most amount of games as anyone on the team? He is one of the worst players, bone-headed base running moves, bad outfield plays, I could REALLY go on!

    Yeah he has a fun attitude but that means NOTHING when you stink. Become a comedian! Not a ball player! Overrated!

  522. Donnie - Will Meet Ben Zobrist Under the O'Neill Banner

    That was fairly miserable baseball right there. Nothing else to say about it. Bad breaks for us, and we just didn’t handle our good fortune well at all.

  523. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    “UGH! What is with Joe Girardi’s man crush love affair with Nick Swisher??? He stinks! Ozzie Guillen was right! Way to go Nicky boy, you probably cost us the game!”

    man you make me sick :)

  524. Rachel

    That is one time where you can say that was a terrible at bat by Tex. What in the world did he just swing at? They really let Garza off the hook. Jeter should of waited for Garza to throw a strike before he bunts at anything in sight. Then Damon who didn’t mean to swing. Tex has to take the walk in that spot. He swung at a ball and such garbage.

  525. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    hi 96

  526. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    “UGH! What is with Joe Girardi’s man crush love affair with Nick Swisher??? He stinks! Ozzie Guillen was right! Way to go Nicky boy, you probably cost us the game!

    I HATE Brett Gardner but I would rather see HIM than Swisher. No matter what, MELKY stays in the OF!!!”

    Without him, it’s 1-0 Rays. You’ve got to be kidding me.

  527. d32123

    Hopefully that was sacrasm. Most teams would kill to have a guy like Swisher starting for them and when we’re healthy he might not even be a starter for us. He plays hard and walks.

  528. GGBG

    6th inning. Last pitch: 96 MPH fastball

    “But…but…Joba should be in the bullpen because he won’t be able to keep up his velocity through the later innings game”

    Drones are strangely quiet today.

  529. Carl

    With Jeter up in that situation you have to bunt.

  530. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    dammit Robi is having a tough inning,

  531. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    time to buckle down

  532. jennifer

    DEBORAH June 7th, 2009 at 2:59 pm

    UGH! What is with Joe Girardi’s man crush love affair with Nick Swisher??? He stinks! Ozzie Guillen was right! Way to go Nicky boy, you probably cost us the game!

    ***********

    Don’t know much about baseball huh? He scored the only Yankee run. And Damon would have been out at first anyway. Get a clue.

  533. Pat M

    How does this Deborah person get through security ????

  534. GGBG

    DEBORAH

    You forgot “How DARE you account for the only run the Yankees have scored today, Swisher!”

  535. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    This is not good, we can’t give them so many chances…that pesky Zobrist

  536. Rachel

    Come On Joba!! It would stink to give it up now after what happened in the bottom of the inning.

  537. DEBORAH

    I’m not kidding. And the game should be WAY more than 1-1 and you KNOW that so dont get me started.

    What is with you? Swisher is just not that good, SORRY to crush your dreams.

    I was wrong, Girardi continues to be an IDIOT. He is so frustrating. I want Lou Pinella.

  538. GGBG

    He’s struck out Zobrist on the slider twice already. Go to it again?

  539. Carl

    wow melk man!!

  540. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    MELKY!!!

  541. bru

    thata boy melky.

  542. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    com’on one more out

  543. GGBG

    DEBORAH

    is a spoiled rotten tool lol.

  544. jennifer

    Wow Deborah, how do you figure it should be much more than 1-1. Did Nick make all the outs? That would truly be amazing.

  545. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    DEBORAH June 7th, 2009 at 2:59 pm

    UGH! What is with Joe Girardi’s man crush love affair with Nick Swisher??? He stinks! Ozzie Guillen was right! Way to go Nicky boy, you probably cost us the game!

    I HATE Brett Gardner but I would rather see HIM than Swisher. No matter what, MELKY stays in the OF!!!

    Can someone TELL me why Swisher has played the second most amount of games as anyone on the team? He is one of the worst players, bone-headed base running moves, bad outfield plays, I could REALLY go on!

    Yeah he has a fun attitude but that means NOTHING when you stink. Become a comedian! Not a ball player! Overrated!

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

    By AnY ChaNcE, ArE yOu ReLaTeD tO aNyOnE tHaT GoEs by ThE nAmE oF JoE FrAnCiScO(ransom sucks around here)?

  546. DEBORAH

    I love Melky Cabrera :) Most underrated player on the team!

  547. jennifer

    You know what. It isn’t worth replying.

    Nice play by Melky!

  548. Rachel

    Nice play by Melky. I really don’t like the fact that Joba shakes Posada off all the time. Posada obviously knows more than he does. Joba seems to want to throw his off speed pitches all the time.

  549. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Joba getting wild.

  550. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    he’s struggling this inning

  551. Carl

    Are we gonna see Phil today?

  552. Rachel

    Girardi needs to get Robertson or Aceves up in the bullpen…

  553. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    c’mon Jobber

  554. Neil

    Let’s walk a .214 hitter with 28 at-bats this season.

  555. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Bases loaded.

  556. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    oh com’on blue !

  557. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    Maybe we will see Youuuuuse today

  558. Rachel

    His stuff is not as good this inning and obviously command not good…

  559. GGBG

    Rachel

    At the end of the day it says “Winning pitcher” or “Losing pitcher” not “Winning catcher” or “Losing catcher”. Joba and Jorge have to get on the same page but it should be Joba’s page.

  560. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Is Deborah posting today? I didn’t even notice.

    I love the new Lohud IIF. (ignore idiot feature)

  561. Pat M

    Only a lefty cf makes that play…..Where’s Tricia, si she can chase this Deborah person away

  562. RS

    Throw strikes, Joba!

  563. DEBORAH

    I’ll say this last thing. You CANNOT deny that this game was absolutely HORRIBLY managed. These plays are KILLING me. Joe Girardi and his boneheaded have cost us games. He can’t continue on this way.

    But NOTHING can ruin my mood because my favorite player Melky is getting it done :)

  564. Pel

    womp womp womp wommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmp

  565. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    :evil:

  566. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    These 2-out RBI hits are brutal.

  567. Carl

    Happens every time

  568. Terry from NH

    Redsox just got a gift foul ball call that was fair after Bay misplayed it.. then blalock K’s the next pitch.. then Cruz hammers a triple off the wall.. It should be 5-3!

  569. GGBG

    Ugh.

  570. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    WTH these balls finding holes.

  571. DEBORAH

    Ugh.

  572. RS

    This stinks. That wasn’t hit well at all.

    And Cano hasn’t been in the right fielding position at all this inning.

  573. stuart a

    1 team gets hits when it counts the other does not.

    the yanks have not done jack with RISP except to tex yesterday…Zippo……….

  574. Rachel

    Ofcourse a hit to another scrub…off the fastball. His fastball location was just horrible this inning. Girardi is waiting to long to bring in Aceves. He needs to get Joba out of there…

  575. Donnie - Will Meet Ben Zobrist Under the O'Neill Banner

    No excuse for it. None. That’s .250-batting Gabe effing Gross, and you give up a 2 run, seeing-eye single because you got behind in the count. There’s is literally no excuse for that.

  576. Terry from NH

    Rays hit with RISP… The Yanks don’t! Simple as that!!.. Frustrating team.. Joba walks and loses composure.

  577. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    Was it Aceves throwing in the pen?

  578. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    With this team, a 2-run deficit is nothing, just have to keep it here.

  579. d32123

    Sorry but this has to be Joba’s last inning. Bring in Robertson or Aceves.

  580. Vince

    Ball found a hole, unlucky. But the pitch was up and out over the plate.

  581. Maria

    GET ME PORCELLO’S STATS!!!!111!!!!! Just kidding. Come on Joba. 1 more out. He doesn’t have his best stuff today, but he would have more run support if we could have brought them in last inning.

  582. rconn23

    That’s on Joba for walking Joyce.

  583. Rachel

    Girardi needs to bring in Aceves….He is going too long with him..

  584. stuart a

    gabe gross is getting big hits but do our mllionaire dolaar boys!!!!!!!

    miserable series…

  585. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    30 pitch inning. Yuck.

  586. Christina - Pictures from the Scranton WB Game- Melancon and Shelley!

    Jobber in the bullpen.

  587. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    one of those innings for joba..a ball hit a foot one way or another and it could be an enitirely different game…that goes for almost outs and actual outs…

    hughes gonna pitch today?

  588. Terry from NH

    2/3 of the Rays hitters are hitting in the .200’s.. but they are hitting when it counts as the Yanks don’t.. This is why i’m not convinced about this team.. This has happened year after year with RISP..

  589. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    That just sucked

  590. stuart a

    it is all about hits when guys are on base. the rest is BS…

    the yanks have not done it the last 2 days and there you go…….

  591. Vince

    The Rays lost their fear of the Yankees and Boston 3 years ago and haven’t let up.

  592. Nick in SF in Novato

    Ok, so all we have so far is the dreaded ‘quality start’ from Joba. We can score more than 3 runs and win this game!

    That is my PPOD.

  593. 86w183

    You keep walking mediocre hitters you end up paying for it. That’s show biz. Gotta get into that bullpen.

  594. Carl

    Didn’t Joe Nelson shut us down last time?

  595. stuart a

    the bottom of the rays order has killed us the last 2 games..

    making the plays, not real complicated…

  596. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    get cracking bats. Rally caps on

  597. Rachel

    You knew this would happened after the Yanks messed up the bottom of the 5th inning. Joba needs to do a better job in that situation. A walk and then a hit to a garbage lineup. You need to get out pathetic Gross in that spot. Falling behind in the count to a scrub and then giving up a hit..Just pathetic..

  598. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Rays hit with RISP… The Yanks don’t! Simple as that!!.. Frustrating team.. Joba walks and loses composure.”

    Rays are batting .280 w/ RISP, we’re batting .279

    http://www.baseball-reference......2009#bases

  599. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    being down by 2 with 4 innings left is nothing against this pen…this game is totally winnable

  600. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Didn’t Joe Nelson shut us down last time?

    no that was Ozzie Nelson.

  601. GGBG

    Joba’s problem today can be summed up in two words:

    Ball one.

  602. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    A-Rod is off his game.

  603. Christina - Pictures from the Scranton WB Game- Melancon and Shelley!

    Roy Halladay is amazing. CG shutout- 10th win of the season. What a man.

  604. Rachel

    They need to smack around this scrub Nelson like they should. Arod swings 2-0?? What happened to the patience with this lineup. Tex swings at ball 4 then Arod swings 2-0. Just horrible at bats.

  605. Mick the Quick

    That’s good baseball there by the “I” in this TEAM.

    2-0 count and weak pop to right by a guy who makes $30 million.

  606. GGBG

    This guy Nelson has nothing. If we’re patient, he’ll walk us or give us good pitches to hit.

  607. Pat M

    Nick in SF, Lakers opened at – 5 for game 2….It jumped to -6 1/2….Going to Staples later , I have them at -5….Magic will win one in Orlando….

  608. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Halladay threw a CG shutout on 97 pitches. 73 strikes.

    Nuts.

  609. jennifer

    Does Jeter bunt on his own?

  610. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Cano is ICE cold.

  611. Carl

    We ain’t winning this one.

  612. Mick the Quick

    ATTENTION YANKEE BATTERS: NOW PITCHING: JOE NELSON!

  613. Rachel

    They need to swing at strikes and be patient…Plain and simple. They don’t always do that. 2 easy outs for a garbage pitcher.

  614. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    It’s as predictable as the swallows to Capistrano – the whiners have returned.

  615. GGBG

    Forget Greinke. Halladay is the best pitcher in the AL. Amazing.

  616. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Joba’s thoughts: “Damn now I got to hear Diet Coke trying to stick me in the BP tomorrow”

  617. SJ44

    This entire staff gives up too many walks and pitches in too many bad counts to bad hitters. That gets you beat everytime.

    Can’t walk a .214 guy EVER in that situation.

    Since the bullpen stinks, they didnt pull him and Gross beats him a hit because Joba fell behind him again.

    Bad bullpen and starters who walk bad hitters is usually not a winning combination.

  618. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Quick inning from Yankee killer Joe Nelson.

  619. GGBG

    Carl

    is a spoiled rotten tool too lol.

  620. YankeeRay

    Cano has completely resorted to his old ways and is swinging at some horrible pitches. His discipline at the plate is gone and he will swing at lots of pitches inside and off the plate. Not good.

  621. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “ATTENTION YANKEE BATTERS: NOW PITCHING: JOE NELSON!”

    They think it’s Jeff.

  622. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    even the fake SJ44 has returned….

  623. Donnie - Will Meet Ben Zobrist Under the O'Neill Banner

    Nice to see them working the count against a guy who walks anything the moves and has an ERA of almost 6.

    This game has been some very, VERY bad baseball from the Yankees.

  624. Terry from NH

    It seems every game the Yanks have to come from behind.. Is that a recipe for a champioship team? Sooner or later they got to start getting ahead and keeping leads cause these come-from-behind wins will run out eventually.

  625. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Cano has completely resorted to his old ways and is swinging at some horrible pitches. His discipline at the plate is gone and he will swing at lots of pitches inside and off the plate. Not good.”

    Dude that’s actually the first time he’s K’d in awhile.

  626. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    It’s gonna be a long summer if they can’t beat an injury-riddled Rays team.

  627. Nick in SF in Novato

    Pat M: you know what they say, bet favorites early, dogs late.

    Good luck. Have fun at the game.

  628. jennifer

    I would be curious how many of these naysayers are the same people.

  629. RS

    This offense is pitiful in the middle innings. We cannot keep living on the edge, not with our bullpen.

  630. Carl

    GGBG June 7th, 2009 at 3:22 pm

    Carl

    is a spoiled rotten tool too lol.

    I’m a tool because I said we won’t win this one? Did you see who just went 1-2-3 with A-Rod Cano and Posada up to bat?

  631. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    So, are they maybe saving Youuuse for tomorrow?

  632. Rachel

    Cano is REALLY bothering me recently. His at bats are just pathetic. He swings at anything in sight and when he does take pitches it is almost like after 5 pitches he gives up and has to swing at garbage. Girardi needs to tell him swing at strikes or you are not playing. It is a joke already…

  633. Mick the Quick

    Will Hughes ever toe the rubber again?

    Why not today?

  634. GGBG

    Carl

    You’re a tool because you say “we’re losing this game” in the 6th inning after witnessing everything this team has done all year.

    Except of course if you have not been watching all year. Then you’re not a tool – you’d just be ignorant.

  635. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Aceves’ control looks suspect.

  636. Trevor

    When does Hughes get a chance to pitch?

  637. Dave Man

    All whiners out there –
    Save your kvetching till after the game. The Yanks are still in it. Just because they’re down by 2 in the 6th – they could stilll win!!

  638. Dave

    I’m not saying Joba should be in the pen but let’s not annoint him the next best thing quite yet. After Melky saves him in the field, he can’t walk the bases loaded and then give up the base hit. He has to come back and strand those runners.

  639. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    hit the cut off !

  640. jennifer

    Swish has a noodle arm!! :lol: bounced too early.

  641. Beulah

    Hungry Man Swisher has a terrible arm.

  642. GGBG

    Cue DEBORAH

    FREAKING SWISHER SHOULDA BEEN ABLE TO THROW THAT HIM OUT. WHAT A LAME THROW HE MADE!

  643. RS

    It makes me cringe watching Swish and Damon just airmail the ball.

  644. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Swisher should have tossed it to Melky and let him throw… lol

  645. sar515

    Yanks win this one 6-4 on a Posada HR…

  646. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    RS, I literally don’t know where it’s going to go.

  647. DC 212

    The 2008 Yankees have returned

    No clutch hitting, offense comes and goes, walks galore,

    Only difference is that team had a bullpen, this team doesn’t.

  648. Carl

    GGBG

    Do you know what are record is against Boston and Tampa? Probably not.

  649. GGBG

    RS

    Running full speed away from 1st that is a very long and very hard throw to make. Even guys with great arms would have trouble with that throw.

  650. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Yanks win this one 6-4 on a Posada HR…”

    Thanks for jinxing us.

  651. James

    Same old same old… offense decides when it wants to show up.

    That hot streak masked ALOT of our flaws

  652. Pat M

    DT, That’s exactly what I thought…Melky was moving that way, and had plenty of room to see the flip off from Swisher….

  653. jennifer

    Oh look Jorge threw the runner out. :-)

  654. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    Nice

  655. Dave

    2 wins vs. TB and BOS.
    Horrendous.

  656. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    someone missed a sign there… probably a hit and run

  657. GGBG

    Carl

    I watch almost every game. Yeah, in April they beat us. No ARod, Tex was a mess. CC was a mess. Wang was…well..wang. Bullpen was a mess.

    This is not the same team and your comments show that you clearly cannot make that distinction which makes you either a tool or ignorant.

    Which is it?

  658. YankeeRay

    Brandon.. “I not the manager either”
    June 7th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
    “Cano has completely resorted to his old ways and is swinging at some horrible pitches. His discipline at the plate is gone and he will swing at lots of pitches inside and off the plate. Not good.”

    Dude that’s actually the first time he’s K’d in awhile.

    ———–

    Brandon, it’s not the K’s I’m talking about. Watch the whole at bat not just the end results. He’s swinging at anything and mostly pitches in off the plate especially with runners on base.

  659. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    GO AWAY ! Carl Crawford !

  660. Kevlar

    We’re slumping, Tampa is red hot

    Wouldn’t shock me at all if we’re back in 3rd place soon. Yankees can’t handle prosperity at all. Just when it looked like we were poised to pull away, they stop playing fundamental baseball. Error in 5 straight games. no clutch hitting, pitching gives up key runs etc.

  661. sar515

    Brandon…

    No jinx…You can congratulate me later.

  662. jennifer

    GGBG June 7th, 2009 at 3:29 pm

    Cue DEBORAH

    FREAKING SWISHER SHOULDA BEEN ABLE TO THROW THAT HIM OUT. WHAT A LAME THROW HE MADE!

    ******

    You forgot I WOULD have RATHER see Brent out there. I DON’T LIKE him, but he WOULD have THROWN him OUT!

  663. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    Aceves!

  664. RS

    I’m worried about Hughes. If he doesn’t get into a game today or tomorrow, he might make his first ever relief appearence at Fenway Park on 7-8 days rest. That’s not exactly setting him up for success.

  665. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Brandon, it’s not the K’s I’m talking about. Watch the whole at bat not just the end results. He’s swinging at anything and mostly pitches in off the plate especially with runners on base.”

    In the last one yes, the 2 before that, nope.

  666. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    yawn….why do so many non-yankee fans post here…you can not be a yankee fan while constantly putting them down, its not possible..

  667. jennifer

    We had a great month, and had one bad game and everyone crawls out of their holes. Unreal. Get a grip! This team wasn’t going to play .800 ball for the entire season.

  668. YankeeRay

    GGBG
    June 7th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
    RS

    Running full speed away from 1st that is a very long and very hard throw to make. Even guys with great arms would have trouble with that throw.

    —–

    Only chance at a dbl play there is if swish flipped to Melky after the catch, Melky would have nailed him.

  669. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    GGBG June 7th, 2009 at 3:29 pm

    Cue DEBORAH

    FREAKING SWISHER SHOULDA BEEN ABLE TO THROW THAT HIM OUT. WHAT A LAME THROW HE MADE!

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

    LOL

    Someone seriously needs to contact Bellevue Hospital and have her computer privileges taken away. ;)

  670. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “No jinx…You can congratulate me later.”

    If not, can my foot congratulate you ?

  671. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    GGBG June 7th, 2009 at 3:29 pm

    Cue DEBORAH

    FREAKING SWISHER SHOULDA BEEN ABLE TO THROW THAT HIM OUT. WHAT A LAME THROW HE MADE!

    ******

    You forgot I WOULD have RATHER see Brent out there. I DON’T LIKE him, but he WOULD have THROWN him OUT!

    ——

    I HATE Gardner, but at LEAST Melky IS my FAVORITE Yankee. SWISHER is GARBAGE and should be OFF the ROSTER!

    Girardi SUCKS and makes HORRIBLE decisions and has a TERRIBLE haircut. FIRE him.

  672. Rachel

    The offense needs to show they can hit a good pitcher or a pitcher with his good stuff. They have yet to hit a good pitcher this season. Scoring 7 runs against garbage Orioles pitching is nice all but they need to do it against a good pitcher. They swing at bad pitches and just aren’t patient enough. It is always a home run and then they can’t put anything else together. They had their chance in the 5th but ofcourse they didn’t show patience and also can’t get the big hit. They need to wake up before the 9th inning.

  673. GGBG

    To read these comments you’d thing no team ever came back from 3-1 down in the 7th inning before.

    Did you all sleep through May? Hell, did you sleep through Joba’s last start when we scored 4 in the 7th? Seriously, you’re all a disgrace.

  674. bru

    if we can just get bruney back pitching well.

    ace,robertson,hughes should do well leading to the 8th inning.

  675. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    The “automatic outs” are coming up.

  676. sar515

    If so…you know where you can put your foot.

    Down 2 run with 3 innings left…
    Has any team in history overcome such massive odds?

  677. Carl

    This isn’t the same team but they are playing like it. I watch every game myself. This isn’t Baltimore, Texas, Detroit. I would love to see them come back, I just don’t see any life in this team up to this point.

  678. GGBG

    YankeeRay

    Yeah, that would have been the only way they get him there.

  679. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    “Only chance at a dbl play there is if swish flipped to Melky after the catch, Melky would have nailed him.”

    I wonder. If that play is made – do both outfielders get an assist? Is it a 9-9-8-3 double play?

  680. Maria

    Hopefully they can work the count. Especially Swisher.

  681. Maria

    Ball 4.

  682. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Hideki Matsui never knows when a 3-1 count is to his advantage.

  683. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Matsui pulls ANOTHER outside pitch.

    Channeling my inner DEBORAH there.

  684. Donnie - Will Meet Ben Zobrist Under the O'Neill Banner

    A.) That 3-0 pitch wasn’t a strike. At all. It was up around his elbows.
    B.) The 3-1 pitch WAS, and Matsui popped it up.

    We are getting very few breaks this game, and wasting the ones we DO get.

  685. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Swisher has a BA below .280 and yet has an OBP close to .400.

    Matsui should take lessons.

  686. RS

    Can we maybe get someone on base??

  687. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Rays are gonna take 2 out of 3

  688. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Running out of outs.

    Joe Nelson has been Dennis Eckersley so far for the Rays.

  689. Dave

    Ralphie D,

    It’s one thing to have a positive outlook but it’s another thing to wear blinders. This team has some problems and if they don’t figure out how to solve them, they may not make it to the postseason. We can be positive all day long – right up until the time they finish 3rd and out of the postseason again. The Yankees HAVE to beat the Rays and Sox. If they don’t figure out how to do it, they’ll be on the outside looking in.

    I’m as big a Yankee fan as anyone but you have to be able to see the forest for the trees.

    One other thing: I can’t remember the last game where Girardi’s managerial skills have not been called into question. Again in this game, Jeter bunting? How big are those potential two runs now?

  690. Maria

    Big Papi just tried to….steal????

  691. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Easy 1-2-3 for Cy Nelson.

  692. Pel

    the tremendous yankee offensive

  693. d32123

    Yuck at least we got our top half of our lineup coming up.

  694. GGBG

    Time for the Rays to bring in their lights out closer.

    Who is it again?

    Randy Choate.

  695. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    I think Jeter was bunting on his own…

  696. Mulls

    6 up…6 down against a guy with an era near 6. and 6 easy outs.

  697. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    I wish I could trade Matsui, srsly, I know he’s a power bat but how pitiful are those type of ABs 3-0 , 3-1 he swings for the fence on ball 4, 5, 6, 7, 8…what’s going on w/ him this year !

  698. Betsy

    Ok, can someone explain why Phil Hughes is not in the game? This is sooooo stupid – he hasn’t pitched in a week.

  699. sar515

    Hey Brandon…
    Why don’t you head up to Fenway…your team is down by 2.

  700. Trevor

    Matsui is a shell of his former self. Still got some pop. but his OBP is in the tank so is his BA.
    He won’t be back next year.

  701. Mrs. Kekich

    Don’t worry, Yankees will rally to tie it, especially if it’s Choate.

  702. jennifer

    Does Lohud take ads from anyone? First the half naked strippers, now half naked people that shouldn’t be. :lol:

  703. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    “Ok, can someone explain why Phil Hughes is not in the game? This is sooooo stupid – he hasn’t pitched in a week.”

    I’m guessing in case Andy’s back flares up.

  704. Dave

    Matsui has been utterly predictable lately. His bat speed is down, as is his plate discipline. The injury not withstanding, he’s become more of a liability than an asset.

  705. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Hey Brandon…
    Why don’t you head up to Fenway…your team is down by 2.”

    Dude have you seen Matsui’s ABs lately, tell me 3-0 or 3-1 he doesn’t do that.

  706. Maria

    Not that it is good for Phil’s personal development, but they may be waiting to use Hughes tomorow if Andy goes short again. Also, they may be trying to hold back on him if he is needed heavily in Fenway. Especially when Wang is pitching. Wang has always struggled the most against Boston hitters. Is he still on an 80ish pitch limit or could he throw 100+ now?

  707. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Just a hunch –

    Yanks will score 2 runs in the 8th. (since Joba is the king of no-decisions)

    Girardi will be faced with the choice of bringing in Mo with a 3-3 tie in the 9th.

  708. Mrs. Kekich

    Matsui will be gone and they’ll sign Holliday or Jason Bay to replace him.

    Sorry Brandon, who would trade for Matsui? a washed up DH is not trade bait.

  709. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    HELLO!!! My name is DEBORAH.

    I think that if I USE random words in CAPITALS it will make me look SMART! I am a REAL yankee fan after all!

    PEASANTS! the LOT of YOU!

    I am a YANKEE fan, but I HATE this team! They SUCK!

  710. Betsy

    I can’t blame this game on Joba – the offense just has done absolutely nothing. The Yankees SP generally have not outpitched either Boston or Tampa’s starters – that’s a problem given how great our staff was supposed to be. It’s nice that the Yankees beat up on ordinary teams, but if they don’t come back in this one, they will be 2-10 against their main rivals. That’s pretty sad – we’re talking swings of two games everytime they lose one of these. I’m not giving up on the game because the Yankees never give up, but it’s just not a good sign that they are close to going 0-5 I believe at home against the Rays…….with a weakened lineup to boot.

  711. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    Because they may need to use him to start in Andy’s place, Betsy.

    Big picture and all.

  712. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    “HELLO!!! My name is DEBORAH.

    I think that if I USE random words in CAPITALS it will make me look SMART! I am a REAL yankee fan after all!

    PEASANTS! the LOT of YOU!

    I am a YANKEE fan, but I HATE this team! They SUCK!”

    This is gold.

  713. Spyder

    2-10 vs. TB and BOS

    Great message they are sending. They can beat up on the pretenders but can’t beat the two best teams in their division.

    So much for being the best team in baseball.

  714. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Sorry Brandon, who would trade for Matsui? a washed up DH is not trade bait.”

    Hence I wish, I know we can’t.

  715. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Everyday Freddie is dealing.

  716. Betsy

    Maria, that really sucks if that’s the case – that is a lousy way to treat any pitcher other than the mediocre long men of the world. Ugh – I’m very, very annoyed right now. The Yankees just have NO clue what they are doing with Phil……disgraceful.

  717. West side

    And another game where the offense does absolutely nothing early. You ain’t rallying against good teams.

  718. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    One other thing: I can’t remember the last game where Girardi’s managerial skills have not been called into question. Again in this game, Jeter bunting? How big are those potential two runs now?

    ***********************************************************

    Why do people assume Jeter’s bunt attempts are called from the bench?

  719. jennifer

    Does ANYONE realize that those FIVE LOSSES against Boston came in APRIL! When we were WITHOUT Alex.

    :-)

    Channeling my inner DEBORAH. :-)

  720. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    “Maria, that really sucks if that’s the case – that is a lousy way to treat any pitcher other than the mediocre long men of the world. Ugh – I’m very, very annoyed right now. The Yankees just have NO clue what they are doing with Phil……disgraceful.”

    He could have asked to go down to AAA and start. He chose to go to the bullpen instead.

    Everyday Freddie is nasty.

  721. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    Aceves!!

  722. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Many have already put this game in the loss column.
    It’s amazing.

    If I said the Red Sox lost 2 of 3 to the Rangers this weekend – those same people would tell me the Sox game isn’t over yet.

  723. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    What choice do they have, Betsy?

  724. GGBG

    In another topic, Aceves is a god-send. He’s the 2009 version of Ramiro Mendoza.

  725. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    That was hilarious, he rocks them to sleep.

  726. Betsy

    Angel, I don’t buy that excuse. It’s always something with the Yankees – if Andy can’t go, then scratch him. Holding Phil back in case Andy can’t go or Wang craps out in Boston is lunacy – this kid needs to pitch consistently. It’s unbelievable that he is not in this game.

  727. d32123

    Aceves:

    Wild but effective!

  728. Mrs. Kekich

    “Hence I wish, I know we can’t.”

    Oh sorry! misunderstood/misread/misremembered!

  729. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    The Freddie changeup has been nasty.

  730. d32123

    No more Nelson time to smash Balfour!

  731. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Grant Ball Four is in.

  732. Betsy

    Angel, who says Andy can’t go? If he is in such iffy shape, DL the guy no matter what he says. If Phil isn’t going to pitch, he should not be up here. He shouldn’t be anyone’s security blanket at this point. It’s always one thing or another – he can’t pitch because maybe Andy can’t (I haven’t read anything that says he can’t go next out) or he can’t pitch in case Wang sucks. Exactly when can Phil pitch?

  733. Carl

    Come on Yanks!

  734. Betsy

    Oh, and Joe bunting Jeter is absolutely ridiculously anal…….pathetic.

  735. Mrs. Kekich

    How can anyone count this team out the way they have played this year? Jeez, haven’t you been watching this year? One walk, and a Stadium special home run and this game is tied.

    2-9 vs Boston and Tampa – many of those games with Teixiera in a funk and ARod in rehab.

  736. Jay Pinstripes

    Maybe we’re not as good as we thought

    They say you are never as good as you look when you are hot and never as bad as you look when you’re cold.

    Maybe this is what we are. A team with a lot of fight but an inconsistent offense, OK starting pitching, and a horrendous bullpen.

    Considering how down the rest of the AL is, maybe we are not the great team we thought we were.

  737. Dave

    I can’t buy that Jeter was on his own with the bunt. And even if he was, why wouldn’t Girardi tell Jeter NOT to bunt after he saw him attempt it at the beginning of the AB. That was absolutely not the time to bunt. With Ramiro Pena up, perhaps, – but not with Derek Jeter up. Why give away the out?

  738. David

    Even if the game is tied, what good does that do? That means MO comes in again against a team that owns him… or Coke/Robertson/Tomko/Veras.

    Considering we were tied in the 9th against the Rays in all 3 games against them this year at home, and lost all 3, does not inspire confidence.

  739. Vince

    Aceves was a good find. Time to scour the Mexican League for bullpen help.

  740. GGBG

    Mrs. Kleich

    ALL of those games (except these two vs. the Rays) were with no ARod and virtually no Tex.

    The bridge jumpers have to get it out of their system whenever they can. This team is too good for them to give them many opportuntities.

  741. Terry from NH

    5 outs to go.. and a weak 4 hits to show for this game… 2-10 against the rivals isn’t a good sign for the Yanks.. Remember i’m a realist, not a hater!!

  742. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    We’re being rocked to sleep here.

    Dave, Jetes couldn’t hit Garza it’s that simple, we choked that inning

  743. Coach6423

    If he moves them over, you can take the lead with an out. If he grounds into a dbl play (which he did minus the good slide) you people kill Girardi for not bunting.

  744. jennifer

    Because it is Jeter can he can do what he wants.

  745. RS

    Why would Jeter swing at a 2-0 pitch? Maybe Balfour would have walked him. He should at least take a pitch in that spot.

    Oh well. Let’s go Tex!

  746. RS

    Why would Jeter swing at a 2-0 pitch? Maybe Balfour would have walked him. He should at least take a pitch in that spot.

    Oh well. Let’s go Tex!

  747. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Damon with a single. Aside from the usual noodle arm he’s been very good this year.

  748. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    a blast from Tex would be nice right now

  749. Stop The Walks

    The difference in TB, BOS, and NYY right now is what we saw in the bottom of the 5th and top of the 6th. NYY has 2 on, 0 outs, and get nothing. Jeter and Damon had horrible ABs in this situation.

    TB has 2 on and 1 out in the 6th and got 2 runs while knocking Joba out of the game.

    That is the difference. Until we can stop trying to hit every ball out of the park, we will only be fighting for the wild card.

  750. GGBG

    Vince

    The bullpen is not nearly as bad as it’s made out to be. Don’t let April and the media fool you. Check the stats yourself.

  751. Ollie

    We’re 2-10 against our division rivals

    The only game where he out pitched them was the Burnett/Garza game.

    Other than they, they have had their way with us. We just cannot hit their pitching. And the one day we did (Beckett) Burnett and the pen imploded.

    We just can’t ply a complete game against our rivals.

  752. Beulah

    Teixeira looks like he is ready to break into a flamenco-style song and dance when he stands at the plate.

  753. Maria

    Betsy, I agree it may not be the way to properly handle Hughes, but I think the Yankees are hoping they don’t have to use him with Andy tomorrow. However, even though they are expecting Wang to come back strong eventually, he was rushed up to the major league level which is a mistake they can’t take back and it is likely he is going to struggle before he gets 2 or 3 starts under his belt and gets more comfortable and confident as a starting pitcher again. Unfortunately, with the lack of a bullpen, Hughes’ is the best option besides Aceves to keep up here as a long man to bail Wang out if necessary. I strongly believe Wang will return to his 19 game winning form, but it will take time for him to develop a bit more arm strength and confidence as a starting pitcher again. I think it is worth the wait though.

  754. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    Its not an excuse, Betsy.

    Just because they haven’t outlined and put up a bulletin board the plan for him, doesn’t mean they dont have one either. I don’t think they handled Wang well at all, but I’ll reserve judgment until Andy makes his start and Phil still hasn’t been used.

    Personally, I think he should have gone down, rather than putting him in the bullpen, so he could pitch consistently. But he also wanted to be in the bullpen so he has to be aware that he’s not going to be used like a starter either.

  755. Carl

    Tex is so clutch.

  756. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    I <3 Tex.

  757. Carl

    Come on Alex!!!!!!!!!!

  758. GGBG

    Tex hit it too hard to be a double. JUUUST missed lifting it enough to get it out. That ball was SMOKED.

    COME ON AROD! DO SOMETHING GOOD HERE!

  759. Beulah

    here comes the double play

  760. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    dam tex why did you have to hit it so hard :P

  761. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Al, OBP % please.

  762. Trevor

    Lets go Alex!

  763. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Let’s go Lightning Rod.

  764. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    That is fine also

  765. Dave

    Now here it is, Arod with a runner on 1st – classic dp set up for him. I am rooting for the hit but expecting the dp. It’s just what he does.

  766. Donnie - Will Meet Ben Zobrist Under the O'Neill Banner

    That’s another tough break. That had the distance to be a double, but he hit it WAY too hard.

    If A-Rod GIDP’s, I am going to lose my mind, seriously.

  767. Maria

    Thanks Tex! Come on Arod no DP no DP.

  768. Buck Showalter fan club

    Please Alex, we need this one.

    What is a-rods stats in late inning situations

  769. Vince

    C’mon A-Rod.

  770. RS

    Please get a HR, Arod. We need a lead, not just a tie game.

  771. GGBG

    Ollie

    More to your point, in April that was the case. This is not the same team and you thinking it is shows how little you actually see.

  772. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Arod needs to go the other way

  773. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    The ice-cold Cano on deck. Come on A-Rod.

  774. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    this is to mess w/ Al’s head.

  775. GGBG

    Buck

    Don’t have them offhand but from what I remember, they’re not too good.

  776. Maria

    Come on Arod. I’ll take anything, but a DP. No need to swing for the fences.

  777. Buck Showalter fan club

    He has such a freaking long swing!

  778. Trevor

    Missed that pitch.

  779. Vince

    Just in watching him over the time he has been here, A-Rod really swings right through a lot of fastballs right down the pipe.

  780. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    I dont know, I’m just basing that thought on the shakiness of Andy’s last two starts – he clearly hasn’t been 100%. Wang also hasn’t built up arm strength yet either, which was clear last time. So it would make a little sense to save him for those two starts.

  781. Carl

    Prove me wrong Cano

  782. GGBG

    All right ARod. We’ll take it.

    Pass the baton.

  783. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    The baton gets passed to the ice-cold Cano.

  784. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    that’s what I’m talking about

  785. Trevor

    Cano hits one into the gap here.

  786. Buck Showalter fan club

    A-rod is no pujols

  787. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    robbie please…please robbie please!

  788. d32123

    Let’s go Cano!

  789. Maria

    Come on Robi! Now is the best time to break out of your little slump!

  790. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    How ever it turns out… the Yanks like to make things exciting!

  791. Neil

    Please Cano, no DP!

  792. Donnie - Will Meet Ben Zobrist Under the O'Neill Banner

    Please, Robbie, for the love of CHRIST, do not screw this up.

  793. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    Robi shut these people up about your bad ABs

  794. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    please PLEASE please PLEASE get something FROM

  795. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Biggest AB of the game thus far here. Hopefully Cano doesn’t have an anxious AB.

  796. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    Cano is horrible with the bases loaded, but today may be his day. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

  797. Kevin S.

    Not nearly as ironic as Homer Bailey. Josh Outman at the other end of the spectrum.

  798. RS

    We’ve played 7 games against TB, and I think all of those games, except the 15-2 blowout that Swish pitched in, have been decided in the 8th inning or later.

  799. rconn23

    Cano is the bigger threat for the double play. He’s got to be patient here.

  800. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    *FROM this

  801. Buck Showalter fan club

    I need to hear enter sandman today

  802. Dave

    Here it is – another golden opportunity. Let’s see if Cano can wait for his pitch and get this game tied. It’s coming through in situations like this that separate the pretenders from the contenders.

  803. beedogs

    first pitch GIDP

  804. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    The only complaint I have is why Cano is above Posada in the order, considering he has been at the Mendoza line for the past week.

  805. Vince

    Eeesh, Cano is almost a guarantee for a DP. Crossing my fingers that I am wrong though.

  806. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    Lets go, Robbie.

  807. Buck Showalter fan club

    Confidence builder right here

  808. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    “UPDATE, 4:03 p.m.: Ball four from Balfour. He’s out of the game. Based loaded and one out for Robbie Cano. He’ll face lefty J.P. Howell, the son of Thurston and Lovey Howell.”

    don’t be so sure about the Howell kid. They was a lot of hanky panky on that island.

  809. Maria

    Patience Robi. PLEASE.

  810. Buck Showalter fan club

    Come on buddy!

  811. Betsy

    I’m not saying they don’t have a plan, Angel, but Phil needs to pitch – it’s not doing him any good to be sitting around, waiting for something bad to happen. Maria, Phil shouldn’t be the long man – they are screwing with his development. If he doesn’t pitch tomorrow in Andy’s game, he’s going to likely have to wait until Wang’s game (unless AJ collapses early) – that’s a long time for him to not pitch.

  812. Tom in N.J.

    Big Pitch here

  813. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Patience from Cano!

  814. Dave

    take a walk

  815. Neil

    Come on throw it wide, so he can’t swing!

  816. Pel

    howell’s looking to induce a grounder this entire at bat

    and cano looks like he really wants to swing

  817. RS

    Please just take a walk here. Put the pressure on the pitcher.

  818. Donnie - Will Meet Ben Zobrist Under the O'Neill Banner

    Don’t get greedy, Robbie.

  819. Maria

    PLEASE DON’T SWING AT BALL 4!!!!

  820. Carl

    Who put Veras and Coke in a Tampa uniform?

  821. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    good job robbie!!

  822. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    CLUTCH WALK

  823. Pel

    awesome eyes, sir cano.

  824. Maria

    Thanks Robi!

  825. Vince

    Don’t you know, Robbie Cano! Nice.

  826. Tom in N.J.

    Pass the baton

  827. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    good AB Robi !, Georgy do not mess this up !

  828. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    How bad a pitcher are you to walk Cano with the bases loaded? LOL!

  829. RS

    Omg, we can’t screw this up now, can we? Would love to take the lead here, but at least tie the game up.

  830. Dave

    There we go – now a Posada HR – didn’t someone call that earlier on?

  831. d32123

    Yeah!!!

  832. Joe from Long Island

    Great AB by Robbie. He’s had trouble with the bases loaded, and to take a walk in this situation really speaks to his maturing as a hitter.

  833. Oh please.

    Boots it!

  834. Mrs. Kekich

    Cueing up my Hives CD:

    HATE TO SAY I TOLD YOU SO!

  835. Neil

    Thank you Aybar

  836. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    THANK YOU WILLY AYBAR!

  837. Benny Blanco

    I killed robbie to walk. He hated it.

  838. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Posada is up. Put all the runners in motion! Triple Steal ;-)

  839. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    so why is he batting RH ! OMG did that just happen Geor..erroe !

  840. Beulah

    YEEEEAAAHHHH

  841. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    thank god no longoria

  842. Maria

    Lucky! I’ll take it!

  843. Tom in N.J.

    We’ll take it!

  844. Carl

    Aybar looking like Aybar in the WBC

  845. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    Thank you, Error God!

  846. Pel

    CREDIT TO AYBAR FOR BAILING POSADA OUT!

  847. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Chevy Player of the Game: Willy Aybar

  848. Donnie - Will Meet Ben Zobrist Under the O'Neill Banner

    Finally, a break goes our way.

    Get another 2 runs, maybe more, and close this mother out.

  849. Dave

    Maybe that’s the break we need! A sure DP but no – everyone is safe, tie game and still only one out. Need a break it open hit now.

  850. Buck Showalter fan club

    the ghosts have traveled over here for sure

  851. YankeesLuv

    Almost a dp, whew lucky! :)

  852. Benny Blanco

    YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

  853. Kool Aid Man

    OH YEAH!

  854. Tom in N.J.

    Bad knees, big hustle!

  855. Carl

    GGBG was right. I was wrong.

  856. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    LOOK AT THOSE WHEELS…HE PUT GARDY TO SHAME lol

  857. RS

    What a lucky break! And the Yankees take the lead!!

    That’s karma for the 10 hopper that scored 2 runs in the 5th.

  858. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Matsui hustling! Terrible AB, but credit for the hustle.

  859. Pel

    OL’ CREAKY KNEES GOJIRA WITH THE CHOP!!!!!!!!!!

  860. Dave

    Matsui – wow…he’s got wheels.

  861. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    I rest my case. You can not count this team out.

  862. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    oh Matsui :lol:

  863. Coach6423

    GRITTY GUTTY HIDEKI MATSUI

    ENTER SANDMAN

  864. PreteFunkEra

    Thank god for the blinding speed of Matsui :)

  865. Donnie - Will Meet Ben Zobrist Under the O'Neill Banner

    God bless you, Hideki Matsui. As bad as he’s looked at times running, he BUSTED IT down the line that time.

  866. Maria

    Matsui knew he couldn’t let that DP happen.

  867. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    :lol:

  868. Vince

    Who didn’t see that bag of bones Matsui grounding into a DP. Got really lucky with that.

  869. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    That can’t be good for the Godzilla’s knees. But we’ll take it.

  870. Carl

    Cano steal home

  871. Dave

    swish hits one out here

  872. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Say what you want about Matsui, but you can’t deny the guy’s 100% effort.

  873. Carl

    Dude is getting squeeeezed

  874. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Where did all the 2-10 against Tampa and Boston whiners go?

  875. RS

    Come on Melkman! Give Mo some breathing room (I can’t believe I’m saying that).

  876. Buck Showalter fan club

    This is just unbelievable! I love this teams heart. We never give up!

  877. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Melky in another close and late spot. He’s hitting nearly .500 in these situations.

  878. Dave

    Time for the Melkman to deliver again.

  879. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    LOL

  880. Buck Showalter fan club

    Walks!

  881. Tom in N.J.

    Low and away.

    Every first pitch.

  882. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    So much for Matsui being a ghost, lol.

    Ran fast enough to beat that out.

  883. GGBG

    LMAO AT THE TOOLS WHO COUNTED THIS TEAM OUT!

    BWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAH!

  884. Mrs. Kekich

    Tampa going nowhere this year.

  885. Bryan

    they are so lucky

    the guy cant throw strikes and Posada and Matsui come up hacking on the first pitch

  886. Tom in N.J.

    Bull!

  887. GGBG

    Come on Mo!

  888. Pel

    bull$hit

  889. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    what kind of call was that !

  890. Carl

    Are you serious on that strikeout?

  891. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Didn’t look like he went.

    Time for Mo.

  892. RS

    Second day in a row we get called out on a questionable check swing.

  893. Maria

    Didn’t look like he went there. Ah well. Mo redemption time.

  894. Johan Halladay

    Multi-millionaires got lucky in this inning. If it wasn’t for the sloppy ray’s defense, they would have choked as usual.

  895. d32123

    Great inning.
    Now time to close this thing out!

  896. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    just need 3 outs from Mo

  897. Kool Aid Man

    I miss NYC! I want to move back!

  898. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    i want to see the overhead on that but LETS GO MO!!!!

  899. Dave

    No so sure he swung there. Very questionable call. Maybe a replay will indicate that he did swing but from here in my living room – not so much.

  900. Benny Blanco

    Now its a save situation for mo…

  901. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    “Multi-millionaires got lucky in this inning. If it wasn’t for the sloppy ray’s defense, they would have choked as usual.”

    I thought all the whiners had crawled back into their holes.

  902. Trevor

    He didn’t go.

  903. jennifer

    Was that a srike?

  904. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    “Multi-millionaires got lucky in this inning. If it wasn’t for the sloppy ray’s defense, they would have choked as usual.”

    sorry buddy…go enjoy the cry you take in the corner

  905. Terry from NH

    If there was ever a perfect time for Mo Rivera to redeem himself, it would be now.. COME ON MO!!!

  906. RalphieD (OPPC all day)

    dont forget they got longoria to pinch hit

  907. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Player of the game shoulda been Willy Aybar.

  908. Benny Blanco

    Johan Halladay
    June 7th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
    Multi-millionaires got lucky in this inning. If it wasn’t for the sloppy ray’s defense, they would have choked as usual.

    stop hating hallady, dont be mad bc your the only pitcher on your team that can win a game.

  909. Maria

    The best part of this board is the way it goes from: The Yankees are horrible. Tampa and Boston are so obviously superior. to: Tampa going nowhere this year.

  910. Angel (F) - 'Cos you know I was OPP(C), hell from the very start

    Yes, it was lucky, that they didn’t help the pitcher out (who couldn’t throw a strike) by expanding the zone and swinging at balls.

    :roll:

  911. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    Mo should do well here. It’s not a tie game. :P

  912. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    “Multi-millionaires got lucky in this inning. If it wasn’t for the sloppy ray’s defense, they would have choked as usual”

    I would punch you out if I didn’t have to wipe my a.. w/ this 100 dollar bill.

  913. Donnie Baseball23

    As long as Girardi doesnt Int.Walk anyone we will win..

  914. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    OMG I love THIS team, MELKY is SO hot, I’ve ALWAYS said that I had FAITH in THEM.

    You NEGATIVE peasants should be ASHAMED of yourselves.

    GIRARDI is the BEST manager in BASEBALL!

    /DEBORAH

  915. RS

    Would love to see Mo throw a 1-2-3 inning against the bottom of the Rays lineup. I’m sure Longoria will be pinch-hitting at some point.

    Btw, Sox down 3 runs in the ninth inning :)

  916. Laura - Stay in 1st place together, strike out alone!

    “I miss NYC! I want to move back!”

    So do I. And I will once I hit Mega Millions. :)

  917. Jones

    “Multi-millionaires got lucky in this inning. If it wasn’t for the sloppy ray’s defense, they would have choked as usual.”

    Why don’t you go choke on a piece of popcorn?

  918. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    I think Aybar deserves the victory pie if the Yanks hold on.

  919. GGBG

    Johan Halladay

    Apparently you never heard that you make your own luck…or that the harder you work, the luckier you get.

    This team never quits, even if some “fans” do.

  920. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Mo is 10000000000000% nastier in a save situation.

  921. Maria

    Yeah Mo!!!!

  922. Carl

    This is baseball right here. Mo and Longoria.

  923. Maria

    I want Mo to strike him out more than anything.

  924. Benny Blanco

    Hey giradi, walk longoria.

  925. Pel

    OMG PLEASE INTENTIONALLY WALK LONGORIA!!

  926. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    0-2.

  927. Buck Showalter fan club

    LETS GO MO

  928. Pel

    i’m kidding btw

  929. Dave

    one strike away

  930. Benny Blanco

    Hey Giradi, are you watching?

  931. Buck Showalter fan club

    He is not messing around this time

  932. Oh please.

    Thanks, Mo!

  933. Kool Aid Man

    YAY!!!

  934. JCPD

    No, I’m not worried about Mo!!!!

  935. Pel

    game.

    blouses.

  936. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Longoria needs a Segway to get to 1st nowadays.

  937. Maria

    Big smile on my face right now. Watching Mo succeed just makes you feel good.

  938. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    Yup, Mo looks done. ;)

    Yankees win! Theeeee Yankees win!

  939. RS

    That’s the Mo we all know and love!

    And wow, roughly 2/3 of this team’s wins are the come-from-behind variety.

  940. Coach6423

    6 games up on Tampa in the loss column. Boston 3 outs away from 2nd place.

  941. Brandon.. "I not the manager either"

    credit Georgy, Mo wanted FB outside and he jammed Evan inside.

  942. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Mo and the Yanks make the OPPC proud. :-)

    The Yanks are 2-10 vs. the Red Sox and Rays.

    ooops…. make that 3-9. I got confused by all the whiners.

  943. Benny Blanco

    Mo retiring longoria makes giradi look like a buffoon for not pitching to longoria yesterday.

  944. Betsy

    Great job by Mo – he looked very good.

    Nice win, but boy was that ugly…….

  945. Dave

    Let’s hope this win gets them going as they play this team again and then battle Boston. They need some big MO – both of them.

  946. Joe I

    Longoria can’t run for spit. What are the Rays doing putting him out there if he’s in that bad of shape?

  947. sar515

    And the trolls head for the exit holes!!

  948. Carl

    Wow great job MLB.tv cutting off the interview.

  949. d32123

    Great win and a lucky win for us!

  950. d32123

    Great win and a lucky win for us!

  951. rconn23

    Rangers up 6-3. Lowell hits into double play. One out away from first place.

  952. sar515

    Brandon…

    No jinx

  953. Brandon.. "Jus get 'em out"

    Good comeback, we need to get them tomorrow. Big time.

  954. Donnie - Will Meet Ben Zobrist Under the O'Neill Banner

    There we go, Mo. Much, MUCH better outing. The pitch he used to strike out Gross had potentially the best movement of any pitch he’s thrown all season.

    Good win for the guys. Could’ve and should’ve been a much larger score, but a win is a win, and we’re back in first place.

  955. Carl

    Yeah thanks to the umps we got a win today. It goes both ways, just like yesterday.

  956. Brandon.. "Jus get 'em out"

    “Brandon…

    No jinx”

    You said 6-4 :lol:

  957. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Boston one out away from 2nd place.

  958. Benny Blanco

    we need to win tomorrow. Andy will pitch better and we will pound sonnanstine.

  959. Pel

    ortiz strikes out.

    red sox lose.

  960. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Ortiz strikes out to end the Sox game.

    Yanks back in first.

  961. d32123

    And Ortiz strikes out!

    FIRST PLACE!!!!!!

  962. d32123

    And Ortiz strikes out!

    FIRST PLACE!!!!!!

  963. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Ortiz K secures the Yankees 1st place.

  964. Vince

    The Rays gift-wrapped that game for us, but it is a win nonetheless.

  965. rconn23

    “Longoria can’t run for spit. What are the Rays doing putting him out there if he’s in that bad of shape?”

    Because he wasn’t in there to run. They put him in there for one reason. To crush the ball.

    Sox lose:) Ortiz strikes out.

  966. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Sonnanstine has an ERA over 7. The Yankees better not make him look good…

  967. michelle b. (X is the best letter in the alphabet!)

    Does anyone think A.J. is going to go over to the rays clubhouse and Pie Aybar….(knock, knock, can wily come out for a second)

  968. S.A.--The sun will come out tomorrow; I'm down with the OPPC

    Hopefully a decent outing from Andy tomorrow and maybe a little Youuse sprinkled in

  969. GGBG

    I wonder where all the naysayers went to?

    Suspicious by their absence.

    How can you not love this team? They never, ever quit.

  970. RS

    Great win for Aceves. One more and he’s tied with CC for the team lead.

  971. Vinny D-Rock

    THATS MO LIKE IT!!

  972. Tom in N.J.

    Aceves should have a bigger role in the ‘pen.

  973. Buck Showalter fan club

    mo best ever

  974. RS

    This win means the Yankees are still undefeated in games which they give up 3 runs or less. This offense is a lot better than we sometimes give it credit for. No 3-2, 2-1 losses all season (there seemed to be a lot of those last year).

  975. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    20-0 when holding opponents to 3 runs or less.

    Pitching is the key indeed.

  976. Mo

    Some pretty poor logic here. Just because he got Longoria today does not mean Girardi made the wrong call yesterday. You never let the other team’s best player beat you with a base open.

  977. Brandon.. "Jus get 'em out"

    michelle b., I see Nick from SF or DT are rubbing off on you :lol:

  978. Joe from Long Island

    They’ve faced Sonnestine before, less chance of looking bad than if they’ve not seen him.

    So Lowell GIDP, and Ortiz K’d – so, it’s not just our guys who can have problems with the game on the line?

    I do agree with Pete, though, Matsui has been brutal. AT this point, I play Gardner instead of Matsui – at least, Gardner can run, and his OBP is better.fd Rotate Damon and Posada, maybe Swish thru DH.

  979. Benny Blanco

    Tom in N.J.
    June 7th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
    Aceves should have a bigger role in the ‘pen.

    How many times are going to keep saying this? LOL. He’s pitched in almost every type of scenario this year.

  980. 86w183

    I don’t get all the downplaying of this win. They beat a good team with a good pitcher. Yeah, the Rays helped the Yankees score, but the Yankees aided the Rays too.

    Quality start, outstanding middle and a great inning from Mo… try to enjoy it people!

  981. Johnny D.

    Scrapped that one together, but a nice comeback win.

  982. GBOOF

    Mo made a point by getting a hobbled and broken down longoria to ground out?
    sorry..

  983. Betsy

    I’m still PO’d at Joe…..

  984. RhapsodyInBlue

    Mo’s Flat Cutter. Ha Ha Ha.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6CAeDN9er8

  985. Negative Nellie

    This team can’t beat Tampa and Boston. They are 2-10.
    It’s going to be a long year. They will be in 3rd place by July. 5th place by August. 7th place by September.
    They are terrible. Mo is finished.

    Ooops. Where did all all my other negative pals go?
    What?? The Yankees won? Grrrrr.. Crap!

    Make room in the sewer for me trolls! Here I come!

  986. S.o.S.

    O.k. my turn.

    “Ortiz eyes a strikeout and the red sox go back to where they belong. First loser.”

    your turn.

  987. brent

    Mo knew what he was talking about yesterday, *Joe looks*
    *stupid. MO KNOWS* !!! The Yankees are digging deep to win
    THANK YOU GUYS.

  988. RS

    Today was a great win. Win tomorrow and we gain a game on TB.

  989. Betsy

    86, another error again……..5 games with at least one error? That’s not playing good ball……The Rays gave this one away. I hate saying that a team deserves or doesn’t deserve to win – in fact, I never say it. In this case, I think it fits – this was an ugly game.

  990. David Cone's camera face

    That was a great win, though I wish joba could have gotten some runs. Francesa will probably argue that this was a bad start for gritty gutsy joba.

  991. Ollie

    Betsy – Joe’s job is to win games, not get Hughes into games.

    People complained the same thing about Wang and how he was getting no work… you can’t manufacture innings for him when you always play close games.

  992. marcus

    Ah, that’s better.

  993. Joe from Long Island

    86 – Absolutely. We’ve been on the wrong side of more than enough games like this one in the past. I’ll take it.

    Cone was talking, during the top of the 9th, that Mo seemed to have better mechanics – something about coming more over the top, maybe randy can understand it better – If that was a factor yesterday, then I certainly feel better that rumors of Mo’s demise are greatly overstated. Everyone can have simple mechanical problems.

    And Tampa is definitely not as golden as last year. They were lucky to hold on yesterday, and their pen blew it today.

    I’ll take it.

  994. Bo knows

    Tampa must be chewing the leather seats. Both Posada and Matsui grounded into DPs swinging on the first pitch. The Yankees should thank them for the gift. Do nothing for the first seven innings and then screw up royally on your way to a win.

  995. James

    You have Pettitte, AJ (on extra rest), and Wang going the next 3 days.

    It’s basically a lock that we see Hughes at some point for an extended period of time. If not, that is great news for us.

  996. RS

    Funny how yesterday the Rays and Yankees both smoked the ball in the 9th inning, but today, the go-ahead runs in the 5th and then 8th inning were all on weak grounders.

  997. Trevor

    Hughes is probably being saved as a long man for tomorrow with Pettitte with his recent back problems or Fenway.

  998. timo

    Balfour 1.54 ERA last year, now at 6.31 in ‘09.

    That’s what’s scary about the notion of giving up prospects for a set up guy.

  999. R-Tek

    Betsy – Hughes is our long man. Tomko can’t throw more than 40 or so pitches, he isin’t the long man. Aceves has graduated to stressful innings.

    Hughes will come in when a starter gets bombed. If anything, you should be angry at Cashman for wanting our prized prospect to be a long man. You can’t blame Joe if Cashman didn’t give him specific instructions. Cashman said Joe can use him whoever he wants him.

  1000. Brandon.. "Jus get 'em out"

    I can’t wait till later tonight

    What a matchup

    Randy The Wolf vs Tony The Basterd

  1001. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    Nelson Cruz had a monster day for Texas. Double, Triple, Homer. That kid is scary.

    Padilla wins for Texas. Maybe it’s good he didn’t get suspended. ;-)

  1002. Johnny D.

    BTW, more proof that Disuke is a worthless POS pitcher after today.

  1003. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    “I can’t wait till later tonight

    What a matchup

    Randy The Wolf vs Tony The Basterd”

    I forgot Antonio Bastardo was starting tonight. Sweet.

  1004. Joe

    There’s only five teams in the division. Good win for the Yankees. RiverDogs play at 5:05, as Banuelos won last night.

  1005. Ice Cold

    Wait, people are complaining that Hughes isin’t in the game?

    lol

    And if Andy gets shelled or Wang gets shelled, where do we go? Tomko?

    Hughes is insurance for the other starters. Considering we have 2 shaky ones and another on innings limits, it onyl makes sense to hold him back.

  1006. Betsy

    Ollie, I’m sorry – you can not keep Phil on the bench for 8 days. Joe said he’d use Phil in close games – here was the perfect opportunity. The kid is wasting away – he’s not growing or developing at all on the bench. I hope fans won’t blame him when he gives up a bunch of runs whenever Joe decides to use him (next week? next month) because of rust. The highest priority with Phil should be developing him – he’s not a mediocre long man. If they can’t or won’t use him, then he should be in AAA.

  1007. Brandon.. "Jus get 'em out"

    “I forgot Antonio Bastardo was starting tonight. Sweet.”

    Best name in all of baseball.

  1008. 7 UP

    FYI… Bastardo’s next start after tonight is Friday in Fenway vs. Dice-K.

  1009. Hmmm.... (2)

    They did it AGAIN.

    This team gives me heart attacks.

  1010. Wangawa

    Haha, we totally lucked out today. I don’t know what Posada was doing swinging at the first pitch, which should have been an automatic double play. I’ll take the W, though.

  1011. GreenBeret7

    I have to laugh at the idiots that have been declaring this game a loss since before the game even started. And them the real whining and pathetic posts started when Tampa scores first. It’s like watching “special ed” kids whining over crayons. Now, you’re already declaring a loss for tomorrow and no less than 2 losses in Boston.

    Oh, yeah….The “Boston Super Power” swept their way to another bashing of Texas on their way to opening up a huge gap in the standings.

  1012. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    “Best name in all of baseball.”

    No kidding.

    Kid’s got good stuff too.

  1013. Chris A

    Hey if anyone is interested head on over to 161stStree.wordpress.com for a live blog right now.

  1014. Yankee 200

    Betsy – If this were Melancon he was doing this to, you wouldn’t say a word. Clearly, you are attached to Hughes.

  1015. Brandon.. "Jus get 'em out"

    Romine w/ a 3 run HR, his bat is coming.

  1016. Chris A

    I’m sorry I meant 161stStreet.wordpress.com

  1017. sar515

    Maybe this Mo guy can help our bullpen

  1018. CB

    I don’t buy the idea that this was a “lucky” win or that it was a “gift” from Tampa Bay.

    The Yankee offense puts constant pressure on the opposition by putting a ton of runners on base and hitting for power and taking a lot of pitches.

    On average all of those attributes lead to wins.

    Why did Aybar screw that play up? He didn’t do it in a vacuum. He clearly rushed the play because he knew the game was on the line.

    Aybar’s error wasn’t simply a random mistake – it was a mistake in execution that was related to the context of the game. A context that the yankee’s offense created.

    When JP Howell and Balfour are out on the mound losing the strike zone part of why they are doing so is because 1) they know the yankees are a disciplined team that generally does not expand the zone; 2) they know that the yankees have come back late in games time and time and time again.

    That ball that Matsui hit is just baseball. That’s the way it goes – softly hit ball produce runs sometimes.

    But they only do so if your team can put men on base and generate a high OBP.

    The yankee’s offense is first in baseball in OPS, first in wOBA, first in slugging %, third in BA, and third in OBP.

    The Rays’s made mistakes today but the yankee’s offense put the pressure on them that foreced them to make those mistakes and for softly hit balls to turn into runs.

    Long season. Good teams have to win games like today’s. No one’s winning 95 games + with everone of those wins being a dominating performance.

    But these are the kinds of games that separate 89 win teams and 95-97 win teams.

  1019. Net Income

    We won the game, are back in 1st, and people are complaining about who got into the game and who didn’t.

    Such miserable fans.

  1020. RS

    “The Rays gave this one away. I hate saying that a team deserves or doesn’t deserve to win – in fact, I never say it. In this case, I think it fits – this was an ugly game.”

    Both teams had 6 hits and 1 error. Garza only lasted 5 innings, and it wasn’t like TB’s go-ahead hit in the 5th was hit any harder than Posada and Matsui’s grounders. There’s no way you can say TB deserved to win…Aybar did make a very crucial error in the 8th inning.

  1021. Joe I

    “FYI… Bastardo’s next start after tonight is Friday in Fenway vs. Dice-K.”

    Next Saturday vs Boston at Philly. Phils will throw Blanton, Bastardo and Happ vs Boston.

  1022. Hmmm.... (2)

    Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, as the 86 Mets learned.

  1023. Hmmm.... (2)

    Tampa Bay deserved to lose. They had a shot to make the play they had to to win and they didn’t. Such is baseball.

  1024. stuart a

    you need to win games like this when you dribble outs, get walks etc. 0 for 9 today with RISP.. tampa was 1 for 8.

    aceves has been huge…

    need to get melancon and robertson going…………….

    they need to figure out hughes soon, he needs to throw the ball………

  1025. Betsy

    R-Tek, Joe said he was going to use Phil in all sorts of situations………Cash never said Phil was just going to be a long man. The kid needs to pitch – I don’t see how anyone can question that. Wow, he’s being saved in case Andy and Wang crap out – terrific. That means that at most he can pitch one day a week (if he pitches in an Andy game, he can’t pitch when Wang starts and vice versa). LOL at Cash saying they wanted to keep this kid stretched out…..There’s just no excuse good enough to explain Phil rotting on the bench.

  1026. Pel

    Girardi’s YES post-game reaction audio:

    http://www.zshare.net/audio/61075731e17beb2f/

  1027. Hmmm.... (2)

    Anyway, there WAS an inning left.

  1028. Joe from Long Island

    GB7 – Personally, I think it’s a combination of pre-adolescents, mental midgets, and Boston and Mets trolls. I just ignore them. Life is too short, why get aggravated, especially after a come from behind win?

  1029. Scott

    Yeah Betsy, and if Hughes came in today and gave up 2 runs, other people would be killing Joe for using him in a tight spot right off the bat when this is his first relief appearance, rather than going to Aceves or Robertson. Especially if we came back in the 8th and were trailing by 1 run becaus Hughes gave up runs.

    Whatever Joe does, he is going to make someone unhappy.

  1030. stuart a

    dice k is terrible. he is a 5 inning pitcher, last years record was pure luck.

  1031. Hmmm.... (2)

    When Joba gave up that dribbler of a hit, I felt kind of bad but not really. He did load the bases to get to that point, after all.

  1032. Doreen

    GB7 -

    Don’t insult special ed kids. Please. :)

  1033. Chambliss

    Christmas came early with that gift from the Rays. Nice to see Mo bounce back with a little extra on his pitches today. You get the feeling that Mo paces himself very carefully, and every once in a while digs down for a little extra gas. His cutter had a lot of movement today, more than normal IMHO.

  1034. Chambliss

    Christmas came early with that gift from the Rays. Nice to see Mo bounce back with a little extra on his pitches today. You get the feeling that Mo paces himself very carefully, and every once in a while digs down for a little extra gas. His cutter had a lot of movement today, more than normal IMHO.

  1035. Vince

    Why must talk about Mariano like he is a baby, or some unproven reliever. Show some respect. What a disgrace she is.

  1036. Hmmm.... (2)

    Hughes in the ninth would have been ridiculous. PHIL HUGHES IS A STAHTIN PITCHA’!

  1037. vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)

    Everyday Freddie kinda looks like Sidney Ponson now.

    A superpowered Sidney Ponson.

  1038. Brandon.. "Jus get 'em out"

    please cut the interview Kim.

  1039. 86w183

    I’m not denying it was a “fortunate” win, but it would have been a fortunate win for Tampa too. My point is I’m tired of grousing over wins. I don’t criticize complaining after losses, but when they win (however they win) it would be nice to focus on all the things they DID instead of what they didn’t.

    Timo — good point on Balfour, which is wqhy I owuld only make a move for a guy with a proven track record like Huston Street. Although who’s to say that Aceves and/or Robertson can’t be just as effective?

  1040. Chambliss

    Dice WP is become a $100 mil disaster for the Sox. Too bad that the Yankees will not see this week.

  1041. Hmmm.... (2)

    I don’t care if they make 20 errors as long as we win.

  1042. Buck Showalter fan club

    aceves is a funny dude

  1043. Pel

    YES Booth Report with Nancy, Kay, and Cone:

    http://www.zshare.net/audio/6107574969d42488/

  1044. Chambliss

    meant to say “see him this week”

  1045. RS

    “Next Saturday vs Boston at Philly. Phils will throw Blanton, Bastardo and Happ vs Boston.”

    Man those Sox are lucky. They missed Sabathia in the first two series against the Yankees, missed Halladay twice, missed Verlander AND Jackson in the same series, and now get to miss Hamels.

  1046. Mariano Rivera

    Told you I could get out Longoria! Das’ it.

  1047. Betsy

    Net Income, if you can’t understand why it’s a problem that Phil hasn’t pitched in 8 days…..then, ok.

    CB, good points -I never thought about it like that. I never complain about the Yankees getting runs on soft hits because I know that they have often been victims of bad luck (like any team) where their line drives find a glove…….

  1048. Joe from Long Island

    Betsy – I respectfully disagree. Phil is a starter. So, instead of 4 days, he’s not pitched in 7 or 8 days. That’s not exactly “rotting”. His arm strength hasn’t deteriorated yet.

    I don’t think Phil will stay in this “role” for too long (maybe they’re more worried about Andy than they’re letting on), at some point he will go back to Scranton, if for no other reason than he will need to pitch to reach his IP goal for the year.

    We won, have a glass of wine, go to dinner. Enjoy it.

    Tomorrow is another day.

  1049. Pel

    Ace’s YES post-game reaction audio:

    http://www.zshare.net/audio/61075882d1f19caa/

  1050. Pel

    Joba’s YES post-game reaction audio:

    http://www.zshare.net/audio/610758983627c79f/

  1051. Nick in SF in Petaluma

    So what happened in the game? Was Master Philip developed any more???

  1052. Don

    Hughes was warming up yesterday and would have come in if there was a 10th inning

    Maybe they made him throw an extended BP session or something and was unavailable.

    As usual, there is always more to the story than the fans know.

  1053. brent

    Putting Padilla on waivers really motivated him.
    *money talks,and is still the best way to get your message* *across,to a *moody ,non team player*

    GO YANKEES, (I can scream that,can’t I?)

  1054. Dutch Hugo

    If the Yanks didn’t “deserve” this win, who did? Tampa? Did they make the plays to win the game? It’s got nothing to do with “deserve.” A win’s a win. Quit whining. Sometimes you win ugly, sometimes you lose ugly. You want to complain about how hard the balls Posada and Matsui hit in the 9th were? How hard was Luis Gonzalez gw “hit” in game 7 of the 2001 series, off Mo? You put the ball in play, good things can happen.
    3 observations from the peanut gallery:

    1. Tex seems to be in the middle of all of our late-game rallies.
    2. Matsui should change his number to 43.
    3. Robinson Cano with a clutch walk! Who knew he had it in him?

  1055. Betsy

    Scott, Phil is going to have to pitch sooner or later. The next time he comes in, it’s going to be his first. If Joe is afraid of people complaining, then the Yankees should have taken the easy route and sent Phil down to AAA.

    Padilla pitched against the Sox today – sheesh. I’m glad the Sox lost, but man – that bum should have been suspended

  1056. Hmmm.... (2)

    There’s no way you use Hughes. I would still trust Mo more with big outs, and guess what? Girardi was right. Mo got it done, and he looked like Mo.

    Hughes probably pitches bullpen sessions. He’ll be in the minors when Bruney comes back.

  1057. Lone Star

    If you are a long man, you don’t get to pitch with regularity. You pitch whenever your number is called. Back to back days or once every 10 days.

    The problem to begin with was having Hughes up here as a long man. That falls on Cashman, just like the Wang disaster.

    But anyway, let’s enjoy this unlucky win for another day and hope Andy finally shows up tomorrow.

  1058. Carl

    Lol at the Aceves interview. Thanks a lot Pel.

  1059. Brandon.. "Jus get 'em out"

    Can we now DFA Veras ?

  1060. Trevor

    “please cut the interview Kim”

    Excellent English…..

  1061. brent

    *Pel thanks always man for the audio,nice touch,really*

  1062. Pel

    >Thanks a lot Pel.

    you’re welcome.

  1063. Distd

    Hughes was ready to pitch the top of the 10th yesterday, FYI.

    Maybe once he was warming up yesterday and he wasn’t needed, they decided to just throw an extended BP session and make him unavailable today or something.

    You guys are really underestimating management if you think they are going to let their prized prospect rot on the bench.

  1064. GreenBeret7

    Joe from Long Island
    June 7th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
    GB7 – Personally, I think it’s a combination of pre-adolescents, mental midgets, and Boston and Mets trolls. I just ignore them. Life is too short, why get aggravated, especially after a come from behind win?

    ————————————————————

    Some are, yes, and a few may be impersonators. but, their are too many regulars that are just as bad. If they aren’t whining about Girardi’s decisions, it Cano’s at bats, or Swisher, or Posada;s game calling, throwing, breathing and everything in between. I won’t mention names…they know who they are and so do most others…unless they’re too busy whining to read the posts. Jesus…they need to quit watching, quit posting…They’ll either end up with a coronary, ulcers or in Belleview.

  1065. CB

    “Tex seems to be in the middle of all of our late-game rallies.”

    His at bats are so impressive. He’s both remarkably disciplined and then selectively aggressive at the same time. Very, very few hitters can do that.

    Some guys who generate a very high OBP by being patient are somewhat passive in situations where a run needs to be knocked in. They don’t change their approach much.

    Tex does both. He’s selective. But when he gets that pitch he’s been waiting on he explodes on the ball.

    Very impressive hitter.

  1066. Betsy

    Joe, good point……..Maybe I’ll see things a bit clearer after dinner……..

    86, you’re right – and this is the first time I’ve ever said the Yanks didn’t deserve to win. I’m annoyed and maybe that’s clouding my judgment.

    Dutch, can’t argue with you…….

    RS – the Sox really do get lucky, don’t they? However, I don’t usually spend much time worrying about it. In Toronto, they lost 2/3 despite not facing Halladay.

  1067. GreenBeret7

    ***impersonators, but, there are***

  1068. Hmmm.... (2)

    Show some love for Matsui. He hustled down the line.

  1069. Brandon.. "Jus get 'em out"

    “Tex does both. He’s selective. But when he gets that pitch he’s been waiting on he explodes on the ball.”

    Some of that goes to Al, they are flipping 2-3 fastballs in his ABs.

  1070. Hmmm.... (2)

    Ladies and gentleman, the ghost have returned.

    I’m not calling it official until it happens vs. the Sox. But if Melky believes it, so do I.

  1071. Hmmm.... (2)

    Did you know RAB did a study and they are actually throwing LESS fastballs to Tex since A-Rod returned?

    I think it’s more a matter of good timing. A-Rod came back right when Tex got hot.

  1072. Nick in SF in Petaluma

    Who finishes this season with more wins:

    1. Joba
    2. Hughes
    3. Wang
    4. Aceves

  1073. GreenBeret7

    Doreen
    June 7th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
    GB7 –
    Don’t insult special ed kids. Please.

    ————————————————————

    Yes….that was uncalled for. Those kids don’t deserve to be lumped in with some of these posters. I feel so ashamed.

  1074. Erica - newly OPPC

    Hi Everyone. I know I am a little late tot he party, but can I channel my inner DEBORAH too???

  1075. Tim Sherman

    So let me see if I understand the people that were complaining about how the Yankees won this one. Now it’s not good enough that they win. They have to win in a manner that suits some morons idea of what a win should look like? A win is a win is a win. They come in all shapes and sizes and the Yankees did enough to win and Tampa Bay did not. End of story.

  1076. Dutch Hugo

    CB — He seems to be that rare case of a star who is actually better than everyone thought once you get a chance to see him/root for him every day. Everyone said Tex wasn’t clutch. I thought they might be wrong based on a big grand slam he hit against us while with the Angels last year (game that Nady had 6 rbis and we ended up winning). He’s been clutch and more.

    Hmmm – you’re right, Matsui did hustle,and that’s great. Give him credit. But the guy is back to his first-year form in the U.S., when he couldn’t handle the two-seamer and just hit ground ball to second after ground ball to second. Not giving up on him, though. He’s still got pop and hope he makes an adjustment.

  1077. Hmmm.... (2)

    Nick in SF in Petaluma-Joba.

  1078. Betsy

    Wow, very interesting stuff :

    http://www.nydailynews.com/blo.....human.html

    Hi fans, Anthony McCarron back for more pinch-blogging for Our Man Mark. I consulted FOB (Friend of the Blog) Evan Grant, who covers the Rangers for D Magazine and has an excellent blog about the team, for some Ranger reaction to A.J. Burnett’s suspension. Grant asked Nelson Cruz, who delivered the following quote about what happened when Burnett buzzed him: “When I was on the ground, he said, ‘Hey, that’s my fault’ and apologized and so it was just part of baseball to me. He had a clubbie (clubhouse attendant) come over again (Thursday morning, before the series finale) and apologize. I’m a little surprised he was suspended, but, you know, if you are going to hit somebody, you just shouldn’t throw at the head.”

  1079. Mark-Cant Touch This (Milk man Rules)

    Wins like this are great but we wont be able to beat Boston like this they have guys with 2 ERAs coming out of the pen, scoring some runs in the first 7 innings would really help.

  1080. GreenBeret7

    Amazing…you’ll hammer Matsui for the ground outs, but, not a word about Jeter’s four pathetic at bats.

  1081. S.o.S.

    Are you the original Hmmm from a few years ago?

  1082. Hmmm.... (2)

    Dutch Hugo, a 250 hitter with above avg. pop is a useful DH.

  1083. Nick in SF in Petaluma

    Sorry, my list wasn’t inclusive or mischievious enough:

    Who finishes this season with more wins:

    1. Joba
    2. Hughes
    3. Wang
    4. Aceves
    5. AJ
    6. Andy

  1084. Uncle Ellsworth

    How many bases did the RAYS steal on Posada?

    I’ve been to 3 games this year. Andy has pitched all three.
    The Yanks have won all three.

    Guess who is going to the game tomorrow???

  1085. Brandon.. "Jus get 'em out"

    Alan Horne relieved in AA (less said the better)

    Michael Dunn 2 IP, 5 K’s

  1086. Mark-Cant Touch This (Milk man Rules)

    Amazing…you’ll hammer Matsui for the ground outs, but, not a word about Jeter’s four pathetic at bats.
    ______

    its sad but that is how it is.

  1087. Hmmm.... (2)

    S.o.S., someone asked me that before. No, I’m not. I had no idea there was someone else with my name. When I figured it out, I added a 2.

  1088. Erica - newly OPPC

    Nick in SF in Petaluma
    June 7th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
    Sorry, my list wasn’t inclusive or mischievious enough:

    Who finishes this season with more wins:

    1. Joba
    2. Hughes
    3. Wang
    4. Aceves
    5. AJ
    6. Andy

    **
    Don’t rule out Robertson aka King of the one-pitch win :-)

  1089. Tom in N.J.

    The thing that is most impressive about Teixeira is the way he plays the game. He’s a Baseball Player. I remember posters calling him soft, or machine-like, or corporate. He plays with a lot of fire.

  1090. Erica - newly OPPC

    Uncle Ellsworth
    June 7th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
    How many bases did the RAYS steal on Posada?

    I’ve been to 3 games this year. Andy has pitched all three.
    The Yanks have won all three.

    Guess who is going to the game tomorrow???

    ****
    Do you have a set t-shirt/jersey/other type of clothing you always wear to the games?

  1091. Brandon.. "Jus get 'em out"

    And Kevin Russo is back terrorizing AAA at .429

  1092. Uncle Ellsworth

    Call me crazy.
    call me unconventional
    call me Mr. Vegas.

    But the Yanks 8th inning guy is Aceves. All he does is get guys out.

  1093. Bret the Hitman

    Aceves alone should fetch Heath Bell.

  1094. GreenBeret7

    Uncle Ellsworth
    June 7th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
    How many bases did the RAYS steal on Posada?

    I’ve been to 3 games this year. Andy has pitched all three.
    The Yanks have won all three.

    ***Guess who is going to the game tomorrow*** ???

    ————————————————————

    Isn’that the movie with Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Sidney Portier and Casey Syengel?

  1095. GreenBeret7

    ***Casey Stengel*** ?

  1096. Doreen

    That was a sweet win.

    Gotta tell ya, I wasn’t feeling all that optimistic this time. But happy to be wrong. CB is right – they do put so much pressure on the other team, and now that the come-back wins are mounting, you know the other team is thinking about that. So, as the game gets later, if it’s close, the other team is not comfortable.

    I will say it would be very nice to have an “easy” win soon, for all our mental health.

    And last, but not least – I guess Mo is still Mo. :)

  1097. Hmmm.... (2)

    Aceves is having an incredible season.

    He’d be starting on the Phillies.

  1098. Dutch Hugo

    Green Beret 7 — I didn’t “hammer” Matsui, I just stated the obvious. When Jeter is hitting .250 and grounding out 3/4 of his at-bats, I’ll state that too. Jeter is hitting over .300, just came off an incredible hot streak where he was getting on base nearly 50 percent of the time. Everyone’s entitled to an off-day. With Matsui, it’s been a problem for him in the past and has returned this year. I’m not the only one who’s talked about it. I like Matsui, and I root for him. But it’s obvious he is back to where he was in his first year over here. He needs to make an adjustment.

    And Hmmm, you just restated what I said in my other post. I said he still has pop in his bat. I didn’t say he was useless. Stop trying to drum up controversy when there isn’t any. All I said was Matsui is grounding out to second a LOT and that I hope he makes an adjustment. That’s a fact and can’t be disputed.

  1099. Brandon.. "Jus get 'em out"

    “Aceves alone should fetch Heath Bell.”

    Say who ?

  1100. S.o.S.

    Welcome hmmm. The origianl hmmm was a lohud blog of famer. He called people out when the just spewed stupid crap(ala GB7). One of my blog hereos. Long story short, you have a very reputable name, make us proud.

  1101. Hmmm.... (2)

    Dutch Hugo, when was I stirring up controversy? I was agreeing with you and pointing something out that people didn’t seem to notice.

    Getting a little paranoid? I know the feeling. ;-)

  1102. CB

    “He seems to be that rare case of a star who is actually better than everyone thought once you get a chance to see him/root for him every day.”

    Agreed. In the off season and last year I described Tex as a very, very good player but not a great one.

    He’s been a great player this season – both at bat and with the glove. No doubt.

    One of the main thing that’s kept him from being a truly great player have been his slow starts. He’s often had “good” first halvess and terrific second halves and on the hole that’s led to very good seasons.

    Last year he had a truly great season – much of that was related to how utterly insanely he played with the Angels.

    Last year Manny got alot of attention for his play with the dodgers after the trade deadline and deservedly so. But Tex was almost as good.

    Some question on Tex I was wondering abotu coming into this season was whether he was still getting better? How would playing on one team with a settled line up around him impact him? How would playing with a deep team of talented players help him (as oppsed to the Braves and Angels teams he needed to carry the past two seasons…).

    He’s on his way to a great year. Very impressive player to watch.

  1103. Giuseppe Franco

    Here’s your latest sample of morons today with some repeat offenders. It never fails.

    Carl June 7th, 2009 at 3:21 pm

    We ain’t winning this one.

    ————————————

    vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF) June 7th, 2009 at 3:24 pm

    It’s gonna be a long summer if they can’t beat an injury-riddled Rays team.

    ——————————————
    Dave June 7th, 2009 at 3:32 pm

    2 wins vs. TB and BOS.

    Horrendous.

    ——————————————–

    Kevlar June 7th, 2009 at 3:33 pm

    We’re slumping, Tampa is red hot

    Wouldn’t shock me at all if we’re back in 3rd place soon. Yankees can’t handle prosperity at all. Just when it looked like we were poised to pull away, they stop playing fundamental baseball. Error in 5 straight games. no clutch hitting, pitching gives up key runs etc.

    —————————————

    Carl June 7th, 2009 at 3:37 pm

    This isn’t the same team but they are playing like it. I watch every game myself. This isn’t Baltimore, Texas, Detroit. I would love to see them come back, I just don’t see any life in this team up to this point.

    —————————————-

    Spyder June 7th, 2009 at 3:48 pm

    2-10 vs. TB and BOS
    Great message they are sending. They can beat up on the pretenders but can’t beat the two best teams in their division.
    So much for being the best team in baseball.

    —————————————–

    West side June 7th, 2009 at 3:50 pm

    And another game where the offense does absolutely nothing early. You ain’t rallying against good teams.

    ——————————————–

    David June 7th, 2009 at 3:56 pm

    Even if the game is tied, what good does that do? That means MO comes in again against a team that owns him… or Coke/Robertson/Tomko/Veras.
    Considering we were tied in the 9th against the Rays in all 3 games against them this year at home, and lost all 3, does not inspire confidence.

    ——————————————

    Terry from NH June 7th, 2009 at 3:56 pm

    5 outs to go.. and a weak 4 hits to show for this game… 2-10 against the rivals isn’t a good sign for the Yanks.. Remember i’m a realist, not a hater!!

  1104. Texeiramvp

    Hey guys, I haven’t disappeared. I HAVE decided to try and blog a bit less, so you may see me dip in less often, but I’m here.

    So far I’ve agreed with Hmmm…(2) a lot. Today’s win was what it was; a win. Wins are not gifts. We played better than Tampa Bay; they made a huge error with the bases loaded to put us in position to win. We didn’t. Therefore we deserved to win.

  1105. Erica - newly OPPC

    Guiseppe-

    You forgot to post anything said by DEBORAH. Or does that just go without saying? :-)

  1106. Texeiramvp

    Ah, Franco’s famous moron list…still funny.

  1107. sar515

    Nice job Giuseppe,

    Saves me time going through the “experts” anal-ysis.

    Thanks

  1108. S.o.S.

    Uncle Elseworth,
    I agree with Aceves pitching the 8th for now. If he had a fastball at 95 there wouldnt be a question about it. Unfortunately we are taught to think of a fireballer for the 8th and 9th innings. He doesnt get those macho style points. Hey, didnt we start i looong winning streak the last time you missed one of the game threads to go to a game?

  1109. GreenBeret7

    Dutch Hugo
    June 7th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
    Green Beret 7—I didn’t “hammer” Matsui, I just stated the obvious. When Jeter is hitting .250 and grounding out 3/4 of his at-bats, I’ll state that too. Jeter is hitting over .300, just came off an incredible hot streak where he was getting on base nearly 50 percent of the time. Everyone’s entitled to an off-day. With Matsui, it’s been a problem for him in the past and has returned this year. I’m not the only one who’s talked about it. I like Matsui, and I root for him. But it’s obvious he is back to where he was in his first year over here. He needs to make an adjustment.

    ————————————————————

    Yeah, that first year in the states was pretty brutal.

    I mean, imagine a .287 average, 42 doubles, 16 homers and 106 RBI. Throw in that whopping 86 strikeouts and that was a clue to send him packing.

  1110. Dutch Hugo

    Hmmmm, maybe I am getting a little paranoid. Or just didn’t read between the lines when you wrote:

    “Dutch Hugo, a 250 hitter with above avg. pop is a useful DH.”

    For the record, Matsui is a very streaky hitter. I know he takes a lot of flak when he’s going badly, but I haven’t given up on the guy. Hoping for an extended hot streak from Godzilla soon.

  1111. Uncle Ellsworth

    ****
    Do you have a set t-shirt/jersey/other type of clothing you always wear to the games?

    Not anymore. I used to wear a helmet to all games.
    Fun fact about the helmet:
    Puchaseed at my first trip to Shea when I was 11 or 12.
    Was intentionally dropped from the upper deck of Shea by a met fan “Friend” when I was 18. (sucessfully recovered but almost got my butt whooped.)
    painted a Number 2 on it in white out for Murcer. also at 12.
    Applied Giant faux Heineken cap to top on an opening day in the 80s. (it looked like a stick up air freshener)
    Drunk friend “borrowed” helmet at Yanks Cleveland playoff game. He lost it and found it again – minus Heineken lid.
    I had a spare Heineken Lid.

  1112. Texeiramvp

    Dutch Hugo, people have called Godzilla finished twice this year, and twice he has gone on great hot streaks to put him back on the map.

    He shouldn’t be counted out.

  1113. CB

    “Aceves alone should fetch Heath Bell.”

    Aceves has been tremendous. And the thing is – he’s really miscast as a reliever.

    Now I’m not saying in any way that for the yankees he shouldn’t be in the pen – they absolutely need him there.

    But the more you see him the more confidence you get that he could be a successful back of the rotation starter – even for a winning team.

    He’s got excellent command, throws four pitches for strikes, and really understands how to set up hitters.

    He’d be a successful starter. Now on the yankees he won’t get that opporunity barring a nubmer of injuries.

    But if Aceves ever did get into the rotation and was successful they could get a considerable amount back for him in a trade.

    Cost controlled quality starting pitcher. They could get a lot for that.

    That said, every year the yankees should make sure they have at least 6 quality starters to turn to.

    Having Aceves working out of the pen moving into the future gives them that flexibility.

    He can pitch.

  1114. Texeiramvp

    And I know you don’t count him out Dutch Hugo, just saying.

  1115. Heath Bell

    Give me the ball. I will setup mo

  1116. Pel

    6/7/09 Joe Girardi Show audio segment 1:

    http://www.zshare.net/audio/610765951dcae966/

  1117. Texeiramvp

    CB, Hmmm…(2) did mention that he’d be starting on Philly.

  1118. Betsy

    GF, that’s hilarious – thanks!

    I don’t think Tex is a great player, but he is a GREAT first baseman. He’s better than Tino, better than anyone that I’ve seen not named Mattingly (but then, no one will ever trump Donnie in my eyes and my heart).

  1119. Tom in N.J.

    Uncle, that helmet may come in handy if you ever find yourself under the Paul O’neil banner.

  1120. Texeiramvp

    What? No welcome back?

    Just kidding.

  1121. Texeiramvp

    Tex really is an incredible player…incredible.

  1122. Betsy

    CB, since I sort of flipped out about Phil (and have subsequently calmed down so as not to get an ulcer, lol)……..what are your thoughts on his lack of use? My concern is that Cash and Joe said one thing on Phil and completely gone around and done the other thing (said he’s not here as a caddy to anyone – we think he can do the job in the pen and we are not hesitant in the least to use him in close game). Thanks!

  1123. Dutch Hugo

    Jeez, Green Beret 7, I never said he sucked or should be sent packing in his first year or anytime. Why are you trying to drum up an argument with me here? Maybe you’re having a bad day and want to pick a fight. Who knows? All I said was he has been grounding out to second a LOT, which he did in his first year here, when even HE admitted he had to adjust to the two-seam fastball? He was rolling over on it alot that first year. Everyone knows that — Matsui admitted it! He made an adjustment in following years, and for some reason he has fallen back to that. Now, if that’s not clear enough and you need an interpreter, I’ll try once more and write more slowly so you can understand this: I NEVER SAID WE SHOULD GET RID OF MATSUI OR THAT HE SUCKS. I SIMPLY STATED THE OBVIOUS — THAT HE IS GROUNDING OUT TO SECOND BASE A LOT. OK? Or do you want to dispute that?

  1124. randy l.

    “Welcome hmmm. The origianl hmmm was a lohud blog of famer. He called people out when the just spewed stupid crap(ala GB7). One of my blog hereos. Long story short, you have a very reputable name, make us proud.”

    persoanlly, i think “hmmm” should be an officially retired username.

    i just can’t get used to a new poster using it.

    pretty big shoes to fill.

  1125. Pel

    6/7/09 Joe Girardi Show audio segment 2:

    http://www.zshare.net/audio/610769148e534673/

  1126. hmmm..(2)

    Don’t worry. I’m an infrequent poster anyway.

    Tell you what: After today you could retire the name and if I decide to post again I’ll use a new name.

  1127. Dutch Hugo

    Texeira MVP — I am not one of those people who said Matsui is finished. So don’t use me to illustrate that point. I stated in a previous post, just a couple of minutes ago, that I realize Matsui is a streaky hitter and I’m hoping he goes on an extended hot streak.

    This board sometimes…

  1128. CB

    “Hmmm…(2) did mention that he’d be starting on Philly.”

    He’d be starting on a lot of teams – not just ones in the NL that have poor pitching staffs like the Phillies. The Phillies have the third worst team ERA in the NL and Brett Meyers just got hurt.

    Aceves could start for teams with much better pitching staffs.

    He’s getting AL hitters out consistently and doing so in a very uncovnetional way for a reliever. He’s mixing 3-4 pitches out of the pen. He’s throwing like a starter out of the pen.

    The Rays have the second highest OPS in all of baseball. Now they’re dealing with a ton of injuries now. But Aceves cut through the heart of their line up.

  1129. Uncle Ellsworth

    SoS – I think missed the threads for other reasons.

    I did miss the DEWBORAH thread though.
    Admit it you guys want her to come back.

    Tracy Hepburn wow. who played the daughter?

  1130. Pel

    6/7/09 Joe Girardi Show audio segment 3:

    http://www.zshare.net/audio/61076987f27c2c2a/

  1131. Pat M

    CB, I got to watch Texeria almost every game when he came over to The Angels….Man he’s the real deal…At this rate he’ll be a HOF as he’ll hit 500’s dingers as a switch hitter and I do believe he’ll pick up 2 MVP’s……Tyler Matzek last night in the Orange County HS Championship came on in the 5th inning in a 0-0 game at Anahiem Stadium…..He hits a 3-0 fastball into the seats and then gets the win as Capostrano HS wins the Championship….He’s going to picked in the top 5-6 come Tuesday….Very mature kid, much like Phillip Hughes was without all the expectations that Phillip had throughout his prep years at Foothill HS…..

  1132. Pel

    6/7/09 Joe Girardi Show audio final segment:

    http://www.zshare.net/audio/6107703737b9b727/

  1133. KO

    I’ve ripped Girardi countless times, but even I didn’t mind his intentional walk to Longoria. I would have done the same thing. But after seeing his at bat today, they had to be at least a little distressed about not pitching to him after all yesterday. Longoria looked horrible up there today and even though he was ordered not to run hard he doesn’t look very healthy still. Considering the games he’s already missed I wonder if putting him on the DL would have been the better move.

  1134. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    I love watching the NESN recap when the Sox lose. Today they had a question from a viewer that had me ROFL.

    (and they seriously debated the issue, which was even more comical!)

    The Question: “On catching ability alone should Jason Varitek be given Hall of Fame consideration?”

  1135. randy l.

    “Isn’that the movie with Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Sidney Portier and Casey Syengel?”
    “Casey Stengel ?”

    gb 7-
    no need to correct spelling . if everyone is like me they’ve learned to translate you by now.
    i sped up the process by getting the english (american)(green beret 7) version of rosetta stone.

  1136. Texeiramvp

    Dutch Hugo, did you see my post right after that?

    Chill, dude. Chill.

  1137. Texeiramvp

    Just in case you missed it Dutch Hugo…

    “And I know you don’t count him out Dutch Hugo, just saying.”

  1138. Bret the Hitman

    CB,

    Great take on Aceves and I agree. I think he’s already valuable in a trade but they need him as 6th-starter insurance until some of the arms in the lower minors develop and become more major league ready.

    I would still like to add Heath Bell to this bullpen.

  1139. GreenBeret7

    Uncle Ellsworth
    June 7th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
    SoS – I think missed the threads for other reasons.

    Tracy Hepburn wow. who played the daughter?

    ————————————————————

    The daughter, Joanna was played by a pretty redhead, Katharine Houghton. Casey Stengel played himself.

  1140. Uncle Ellsworth

    Tom would a helmet be classified as a weapon??
    We may need to consult Rebecca.

    No WEAPONS UNDER THE BANNER! (little brothers, sisters neices, nephews are permitted though)

  1141. CB

    “I got to watch Texeria almost every game when he came over to The Angels….Man he’s the real deal…”

    Pat M,

    As usual, you were right on Tex. I thought he was a very good player but not a great one so there was an argument to be made on whether he was worth $150M + contract.

    It wasn’t until I really sat down and figured out how many additional wins signing Tex would mean for this team given their aging line up did I really think they should go all in and sign Tex to that kind of contract.

    He’s been worth every penny and more.

    He played the best ball of his life for the Angels last year. But was only OK for the Braves before that.

    He’s been something of a superstar vagabond the past several years so maybe he just needed to settle in to put together a consistent year that would get him to that MVP level.

    But he’s there now. No doubt. He’s the team MVP so far and he and Youkilis (who will cool down…) would be vying for the AL mvp right now were the season to end.

    And you were all over Tyler Matzek. He’s going to make a lot of money for himself in a couple of days.

    I’ve heard almost nothing negative about him at all. A high school left who throws in the 90’s and already throws 3-4 above average pitches? That’s a very rare thing.

    Heard somewhere that he was up to 94-96 in some recent starts. Does he have room to add that kind of velocity consistently?

    Let’s hope the yankees get lucky in the draft. Tyler’s not lasting past the top 7-8. Hopefully they can get another high ceiling guy.

  1142. Dutch Hugo

    Tex MVP — yeah I did. But you did direct that post at me so I felt obligated to correct the record for anyone else out there who just saw your first post and then would use it to attack. Which seems to happen a lot around here. Just sayin’.

  1143. Nick in SF in Petaluma

    Maybe they meant ‘on *C*aptain ability alone’?

  1144. GreenBeret7

    randy l.
    June 7th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
    “Isn’that the movie with Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Sidney Portier and Casey Syengel?”
    “Casey Stengel ?”

    gb 7-
    no need to correct spelling . if everyone is like me they’ve learned to translate you by now.
    i sped up the process by getting the english (american)(green beret 7) version of rosetta stone.

    ————————————————————

    Damned you. You’ve caught me by surprise and I don’t have a smart remark for you.

  1145. Texeiramvp

    Understood Dutch.

  1146. Pat M

    CB, SJ the other day indicated that he heard whispers that Baltimore was grabbing him at # 4 ( ? )…..He has taken it up to 96 several times…He’s very smooth in his delivery with a sound foundation…His has a very mature mental approach when he’s on the mound, opposite of Cole last year….He’ll get to AA ball within 2 years and be very good….Baltimore is a team on the rise since MacPhail took over

  1147. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    “Maybe they meant ‘on *C*aptain ability alone’?”

    Nick – they discussed that too. It was laughable. Varitek has caught 4 no-hitters. They said if he catches two more (they brought up the Lester near one last night), he would have to be considered.

    Depends should be a NESN advertiser, I swear.

  1148. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    “He’s been something of a superstar *vagabond* the past several years so maybe he just needed to settle in to put together a consistent year that would get him to that MVP level.”

    CB – I think you mean hobo. That other word has filter issues. :-)

  1149. DT - OPPC member (it's in our blood)

    “He’s been something of a superstar *hobo* the past several years so maybe he just needed to settle in to put together a consistent year that would get him to that MVP level.”

    I don’t know how CB got that one past the goalie.

  1150. CB

    “the other day indicated that he heard whispers that Baltimore was grabbing him at # 4 ( ? )…..He has taken it up to 96 several times…”

    I could see that. Almost every name I’ve heard them linked to has been a pitcher. Question there is whether they’ll go college or HS for the arm.

    If Tyler’s hitting 96 then that’s just ridiculous. If he has room to fill out and get to 92-95 as a lefty with several plus pitches he’s on his way… A left handed pitcher with command and even a couple of plus secondary offerings will fly through the minors. If he gains some velocity and is throwing 3-4 pitches… that’s something.

    McPhail has done an amazing job in Baltimore. That Bedard trade was a franchise changing event for them. Adam Jones is going to be an absolute star. He looks amazing this year. And Chris Tillman is one of the top arms in the minors.

    They are going to be very formidable in a couple of seasons. Not too far off. They have a lot of good pitching in the minors. Tyler at 4 would only help… unfortunately.

  1151. Jason

    Hey Pete, I understand second guessing is a part of the game, but as you said last week, don’t suppose you know more about the Yankees than Joe Girardi. If he bunted with Jeter, then so be it. He had his reasons.

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