A few late-night thoughts …
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jun 08, 2009 
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Caught the last few innings of the game tonight. I was hoping to see Phil Hughes go two innings, but Carlos Pena was 2 for 3 against him with two home runs. Scotty Proctor Coke can always use the work.
How strange is it that after the Yankees set a record with 18 consecutive errorless games they’ve made an error in six straight?
Tex now leads the AL in homers and Mariano has worked three days in a row. Who closes tomorrow night if they need one? Be kind of cool to see Hughes do it.
Finally, the Yankees sent this photo along today. It seems that Mariano was given a gavel and robe from the judge on The People’s Court, Marilyn Milian, because he’s the judge of the team’s kangaroo court. Whatever happened to Judge Wapner?
Heard that the weatheer in Boston tomorrow’s supposed to be something awful, so mo might get a night off no matter what.
Judge Wapner is still alive, and he’s 89 going on 90 this year. God bless him!
They should have had Judge Judy give Mo the robe and gavel.
Judge Wapner lives on Longboat Key, according to some sources.
Milian is very good. She yells too much though.
LOL @ Mo wearing the robe
didn’t see new thread:
“I really enjoy watching Hughes pitch but the best thing for his development is to go back to AAA and continue starting ballgames. There’s no doubt he’ll be back in the majors at some point.”
Part of the challenge for this season is how long can they hang on without making a bull pen trade.
That’s partly why winning now is so important.
If Bruney and Marte come back and are effective they can let hughes keep starting in the minors.
Hughes needs to throw another 70-80 innings and after that they can bring him up and safely put him in the pen if needed.
Hughes will likely be in the pen in the post season.
And he’ll be a weapon.
As good as this team has been in the regular season they should be a much better post season team.
Those power arms they have in the rotation coupled with being able to shorten the pen with Hughes and even Pettite will be brutal for other teams to face.
And of course, in my rush to ridicule B-Jobbers and Francessa, I totally botched that. Yuse to the eighth inning role!
Safe travelling, Pete.
Make Hughes the 6th inning man, Bruney in the 7th, Joba in the 8th and Mo closing. The yanks will only need 5 inning starting pitchers.
More importantly, where’s Rusty the bailiff and Doug Llwellyn reminding you to never take the law into your own hands but to take ‘em to court?
Judge Wapner is television judge, par excellence. I miss that guy.
Here’s the whole article to go with the pic:
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com.....8;c_id=nyy
I tend to think that this was a tune-up appearance for Phil tonight. They’re saving him to save for tomorrow.
It would be neat to see Phil close, but I think he’s being saved for Wang’s game on Tuesday. He only pitched one inning tonight, so I guess he should be ok for 2 or 3 innings (not sure)?
Relax everyone. I found Ernie Palladino. He did have a post today. You can find it here….
http://giants.lohudblogs.com/
“Hughes needs to throw another 70-80 innings and after that they can bring him up and safely put him in the pen if needed.”
Too simplistic, IMO.
What Hughes needs to do is continue working at getting major league hitters out.
I don’t believe that for a pitcher like Hughes, a minor league inning = a major league inning. He will dominate AAA hitters, he is not going to have to throw 100%, he could pick up bad habits. I don’t think it’s wise to have him throw in AAA, then come up for the post-season. It’s apples and oranges.
77513
June 8th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Make Hughes the 6th inning man, Bruney in the 7th, Joba in the 8th and Mo closing. The yanks will only need 5 inning starting pitchers
——————————
Why stop there? Wang the first, CC the 2nd and 3rd (he is our ace afterall), Burnett the 4th and Pettitte the 5th.
Aceves can fill in if anyone allows a baserunner.
“You can’t be a real judge without a robe,” Milian told the crowd of onlookers.
“Now I’m all business,” Rivera responded, laughing.
Then Milian gave Rivera a dark-red gavel with the words “People’s Court” on one side and “NY Yankees” on the other. It came in a red box with the interlocking N.Y. logo on the front.
Rivera smiled and laughed during the ceremony, playing with the crowd and posing for photographs. Immediately after seeing the gavel, he turned to his teammates warming up down the right-field line and shouted, “I’ve got a real thing! I’m coming after you!”
=================================
LOL @ Mo
Remember guys Draft tomorrow
tomorrow will be a laugher, Aceves will pitch the last 2 in a non save situation.
Okay Brandon, what’s your best pick? LHP or Stud OF, maybe Meier the SS.
the baseball draft is the worst draft of all the sports. most of the guys won’t be on the team for years if at all.
“What Hughes needs to do is continue working at getting major league hitters out.”
I see your point wave but I think it depends on what one’s assessment of what hughes is as a pitcher right now.
My feeling is that the primary reason he struggles to get out major league hitters is because he’s still largely a two pitch pitcher. And his problems remind me a bit of Burnett’s.
If Hughes’ curve ball is there he’s going to be dynamite. If he doesn’t have the feel for it he’ll struggle.
To me his primary problem isn’t the generalizability issue of getting experience at a higher level of competition. That’s an issue. But I think it’s secondary to the issue of his relevant skills.
I think he has a skills problem more than a adjustment to competition problem/ need to be challenged problem.
Ultimately the two are related. But to me his first issue is that his third pitch isn’t good enough yet and that’s going to make him inconsistent as a major league starter.
Out of the pen that two pitch arsenal will work very well.
But as a starer he’ll be inconsistent without that third pitch.
To me that’s the issue – do you think his primary issue of development is improving that third pitch or is it adjusting to a higher caliber of competition/ being challenged.
It’s not a straight forward question and I see both sides to it.
Even in his brief stint up here this time he’s clearly grown after having that disastrous 2 inning start.
Draft starts at 6 PM?
so we’ll be picking sometime in the 7th inning of the game?
Pete,
Re Hughes tomorrow: Suzyn reported in the post-game that Girardi said Hughes will not be available until Wed. Hopefully, we won’t need a closer because we’ve out-scored them by a large margin.
I didn’t think it was possible to see the Yankee bullpen throw 6 innings in the last two games allowing 1 hit and 1 walk along with 8 strikeouts and you still complain about the bullpen and how it’s being used. Most of you couldn’t manage a Burger King, but, you know baseball better than Girardi and his staff. Get a job on sports talk radio. You’re perfect for it.
Time alloted is 4 minutes a pick.
“so we’ll be picking sometime in the 7th inning of the game?”
I hope not…. 7th innings of Yankees/Red Sox games usually occur at about midnight
Wapner must be like 95.
she is sexy
CB, I think Phil for his own good needs to be sent to AAA. I really think he will pick up that 3rd pitch sooner rather than later – he works hard and he’s got an aptitude for pitching. He’s smart – I just can’t see how Phil will fail at this. We have to keep in mind how very young he is – the kid is 22, soon to be 23. Look how much experience he’s got in the big leagues already – he’s well ahead of the gam for pitchers his age.
Do you think the cutter can be a 3rd pitch or does he need a change?
I’m fine with Hughes not pitching tomorrow – I just wonder how many innings he can give on Wednesday
Oops, wow – Phil won’t even be available on Tuesday? Ugh……..
CB to add on to that I think Hughes needs to have a year under his belt where he stays healthy and pitches on a regular schedule.
In 2007 and 2008 he missed significant time with injury and finished each season way under his innings limit. I really think it’s important that he gets back on track and starts 25-30 games this year.
You’re right though, his third and fourth pitches are just adequate, nothing special yet. I think that his change-up has the potential to be a plus pitch. His cutter isn’t anything special, more a pitch to keep lefties honest. Starting ballgames will help him work on both pitches.
Phillip Hughes is going to be a very special Starting pitcher…..
Now I don’t get why he didn’t pitch more than 1 inning tonight. I guess that reason (it’s Cokey’s job to get Pena) was the real reason Phil was pulled and not the fact that he was going to caddy for Wang.
Betsy
I’m fine with Hughes not pitching tomorrow – I just wonder how many innings he can give on Wednesday
__
Given that he has pitched one inning since May 31st, I think 50-60 pitches.
Patrick, Let’s not forget that he shutout both Detroit & Texas who are forst place teams & did this on the road….All he needs is more starts and not in AAA…..Until then he’ll be in the pen ….
Patrick
His cutter isn’t anything special…
__
FWIW, Pettitte said it was Mo-like tonight.
Good ending for the Yankees. Great appearance by a rusty Phil Hughes.
Betsy, I wanted to congratulate you. You are no longer at the bottom of the freak-out totem pole.
I don’t know if that “Deborah” is for real or not. If those are “her” real emotions or not. But she really knows how to push the buttons.
Phil Hughes has to close tomorrow,Mo did 3 in a row.
Clearly, the organization has no faith in Wang.
Which begs the question why he was rushed into the rotation if they basically expect him to be lit up. “Saving” a guy like Hughes to back up Wang is a joke.
Thanks, M! You should see me in the game thread though, defending the Yankees from the trolls and “those who call themselves Yankee fans but really are not”. I get nervous and that’s why I’m sometimes negative, but I would never trash the team I love – I couldn’t do it. DEBORAH reminds me of these ridiculous commercials for some show called Bridezillas. I refuse to believe these women are for real – they are all lunatics, freaking out because their bridesmaid looks better than they do or a mistake was made with the cake. The fact that DEBORAH may be faking it is pretty sad, though, lol
brent
Phil Hughes has to close tomorrow,Mo did 3 in a row.
___
If the Yankees are fortunate enough to have a lead in the 9th, I think Aceves will close.
More likely Aceves will close than Hughes, if I had to rank the Yankees pecking order now it could be this:
Mo
Aceves
Coke
Robertson
Tomko
Hughes
Veras
Did I see the wave being done in Yankee Stadium tonight?
I once single handidly stopped 2 guys from trying to start the wave back in 78.
Kills me to see that in the new stadium.
Pete,
Do you see Hughes in a set up role or closing Games the way the Sox did with Pops?
Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? I saw some marlin with cream all over his face on espnews. Caption said he hit his first career homerun. I hope it was a walk off. Wouldn’t want to cheapen the “pie”.
1 inning, 11 pitches and Phil is unavailable for 2 days?
Look, Hughes is shadowing Wang. They gave him an inning today to warm up for Wednesday. Remember the rule they used for Joba, one inning, one day rest etc. They need to keep him down to 150 innings and keep him pitching at the same time. He could also use some AAA time to work on his secondary pitches. He looked very good today, so everything is going smoothly.
Jeff NJ – Everyday Aceves
More likely Aceves will close than Hughes, if I had to rank the Yankees pecking order now it could be this:
Mo
Aceves
Coke
Robertson
Tomko
Hughes
Veras
__
To borrow from Borat:
Mo
Aceves
Coke
Robertson
Tomko
Hughes
horse
dog
Veras
Being serious, I think Hughes can move up in the pecking order very, very quickly.
Veras
I don’t like all these plans being made to make Phil a fixture in the pen. I feel like you guys will turn on him in a New York second when Phil has a bad relief appearance.
I think Phil shadows Wang until he’s settled and if and when Bruney’s back, then he’ll returned to the regularly scheduled programming.
I just don’t like how you guys are looking at Phil like a shiny toy.
But, he did look terrific. Kid just wants to pitch.
If Hughes goes tomorrow he is unavailable for Wang’s game
No way they will let him go 3 days in a row
Hughes is Wang’s caddy. I suspect Wang will have a very short hook on Wednesday.
Bo Knows, Wang is pitching Tuesday……
Hughes is up here to be Wang insurance basically.
As soon as Wang shows himself to be right and Bruney comes back, Hughes goes back down.
His availability or lack of is tied to Wang’s starts. His primary role here is to be his “caddy”. If we don’t need a long man in Wang’s starts, then Joe might use him a couple times in high leverage, short stints.
Wang is pitching Tuesday……
=================================
Isn’t AJ pitching tomorrow/later today (weather permitting) and Wang Wed?
Does anyone here have faith that Wang will pitch a good game in Fenway on Wednesday?
Exactly. That’s what Hughes is for.
Oops, I THOUGHT Wang was pitching Tuesday – guess I’m wrong. Ok, nevermind my mini-rant, lol.
Wang is not going to have a short hook on Wednesday. He needs to build his arm back up and he can’t do that unless he’s throwing 90+ pitches.
They’ll keep an eye on him and probably take him out when he starts to tire.
Then who pitches Tuesday? It can’t be CC on 3 days rest…..
Burnett
Burnett Wang Sabathia Joba Andy
wow, I forgot today was Monday…..and therefore that tomorrow is Tuesday. Oops, lol
Franco – You think they’ll leave him in there if he gives up 6 runs in the 1st?
Betsy:
vs. Boston
Tues-AJ
Wed-Wang
Thurs-CC
I guessed I missed the story of the Kangaroo Court.
Can someone explain what it was an what happened during it?
I would hope the priority is winning games, not getting Wang “stretched out” even if he gives up runs and takes us out of the game
“I don’t like all these plans being made to make Phil a fixture in the pen. I feel like you guys will turn on him in a New York second when Phil has a bad relief appearance.”
Are you saying that the people who think Mo is done after every so-so outing, will turn on Phil if he has the nerve to have one bad relief appearance. What’s next, people in here giving up in the early to middle innings of a game when the Yankees are trailing by less than 3 runs? Oh, nevermind.
Wang needs to get stretched out. With AJ and CC in 2 of the 3 games, we are more than capable if winning this series.
Here you go Dr. Cox: Mo is the judge
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com.....8;c_id=nyy
R+ June 9th, 2009 at 12:16 am
Franco – You think they’ll leave him in there if he gives up 6 runs in the 1st?
—————
Way to be optimistic. This team is better with Wang in the rotation and he needs to build his arm strength back up.
Wang does have this thing called pride. I don’t think he’s going to get hammered like the whiners do.
If the game gets rained out, that means Burnett on 8 days rest on Wednesday?
Then what do they do with Wang? You can’t take CC out of the Boston series.
http://www.nj.com/yankees/inde.....t_for.html
Here’s the video of Mo today….lol AJ sounds so excited for his wife.
Arizz,
They’ll probably push CC to the Mets series.
Don’t think they want to inconvenience with Wang like that when they are trying to get him in a groove. Of course if we lose that 1st game, then who knows.
Pete – give the Coke/Proctor comparison a rest for a while. Its not even close at this point.
Coke had thrown 20 2/3 innings through the end of May. In 2006, Proctor’s zenith year of Torre abuse, he had already thrown 34 innings through the end of May. For nostalgic purposes, lets take a look at Paul Quantrill in 2004 – 30 2/3 IP. Tom Gordon logged 53 total innings through May between 04 and 05. How about Luis Vizcaino you say (another Torre burnout) – 26 innings through May. Lets check out Tanyon Sturtze, to further drill home the point – 23 innings in 2005.
The numbers just dont add up Pete.
Quantrill
Gordon
Sturtze
Proctor
Vizcaino
In other words, Death Row.
The big question is if Mo got to keep his WWE belt?
PS. I went back 1 more year, to 2002.
Mendoza and Karsay logged 60+ innings between them by the end of May!!!
Take a look at the careers of all of these guys after Torre was through with them, they were never the same.
Nice numbers Don. Man he killed Proctor.
Ok back from game.
I’ve beeen to 4 games this year Andy started all yanks won all. What were the highlights of the game thread???
Ps the WAVE really annoyed me! crowd is different but I;m not blaming it all on the new st5adium the writing has been on the wall for a while.
S.A.
Thanks!
Crap… I can see it now. Phil Hughes dominates in the bullpen. And then when September roles around and Joba is nearing his innings limit. The Yankees send Joba to the bullpen to keep his innings limit down, after being very productive as a starter, and send Phil to the rotation to give him some more innings, and Phil struggles in his first start….
Starting the great Keep Phil Hughes as 8th inning man debate!
So HOW MANY bases did the RAYS steal on Posada in this series?
Betsy, now you know that tomorrow and Tuesday are the same day? You should go back to the previous thread an re-read our conversation.
Small m, you’re annoyed that commenters were too excited about Master Philip’s strong inning of relief? Shiny new toy??
Okay Uncle, what were your impressions, you were there? Six hits, four HRs, did it seem odd?
Uncle Ellsworth, for me the highlights of the game thread were 1) all the good folks who wrote Andy off both for the game and completely and 2) when Trisha called me “special” and said I bit the hand that fed me.
I’m sure there was more.
“So HOW MANY bases did the RAYS steal on Posada in this series?”
Shades of DEBORAH there.
Bo knows
June 9th, 2009 at 12:50 am
Okay Uncle, what were your impressions, you were there? Six hits, four HRs, did it seem odd?
Yes odd.
the fact that there was a sucessful wave was more disheartening.
After 2 outs in the ninth no one stood up. I tried to rally the troops but to no avail.
A cpouple a holes booed Alex at one point to which I turned around and gave a general death stare – and they stopped (actually one guy stopped but if they had all seen the death stare they all would have)
We are dealing with the Stepford Fans!
vb03 (Gehrig to Gardner: Memoirs of a Utility IF)
June 9th, 2009 at 1:00 am
“So HOW MANY bases did the RAYS steal on Posada in this series?”
Shades of DEBORAH there.
Explain. The caps?
These must be the Affluent not the effluent fans. There are standards that must be maintained. They need training in rabidity and form. Someone on another blog suggested an anti wave maneuver that I would favor, stand up during the sit down.
Don
June 9th, 2009 at 12:30 am
Pete – give the Coke/Proctor comparison a rest for a while. Its not even close at this point.
Coke had thrown 20 2/3 innings through the end of May. In 2006, Proctor’s zenith year of Torre abuse, he had already thrown 34 innings through the end of May. For nostalgic purposes, lets take a look at Paul Quantrill in 2004 – 30 2/3 IP. Tom Gordon logged 53 total innings through May between 04 and 05. How about Luis Vizcaino you say (another Torre burnout) – 26 innings through May. Lets check out Tanyon Sturtze, to further drill home the point – 23 innings in 2005.
The numbers just dont add up Pete.
Quantrill
Gordon
Sturtze
Proctor
Vizcaino
In other words, Death Row.
——————————————————-
Yeah Girardi does a good job of not overworking his relievers and burning them out like Torre did. Look at Coke’s game log there is times he goes 3-4 days without pitching.
The fans have done the wave the past couple of years. I hate it as much as you, but it’s not a “new stadium” thing.
Why do people keep saying Hughes is insurance for Wang? Didn’t Cashman explicitly say that Hughes is tied to Bruney? Furthermore, wasn’t it Aceves who relieved Wang in his last start? Could it just be that they don’t want Hughes pitching on back to back days?
I don’t think it would be cool at all to see Phil Hughes close today – look how bad closing messed up Phil Coke. Closing is a different animal than being a middle reliever. I think there is a certain security a pitcher feels pitching the 8th inning know that Mariano or someone else is there to bail you out if you get into trouble. When you close – you’re it – either you win the game or you blow it there is no middle ground.