The LoHud Yankees Blog

Our next live video chat will be Thursday from Atlanta. We can talk about the Subway Series, the Braves series, A-Rod or whatever you would like.

Go to our Pro Talk Live page and get your questions answered.

I’m flexible in terms of a time. The chat can be any time from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Vote in the poll over to the right and we’ll go with the majority. Voting will end in a day or so.

The chat is sponsored by Friedrich Air Conditioning.

For the Yankees and Alex Rodriguez, these are uncertain times as he tries to regain his form.

This from the Yankees:

OF Xavier Nady played in a simulated game, going 2 for 3 with two singles as the DH. He participated in an outfield workout prior to the game, making throws to second base and third base. Nady is scheduled to travel to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre tomorrow to begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday.

Catcher Jose Molina completed a workout and LHP Damaso Marte continued his throwing program.

UPDATE, 6:39 p.m.: Forgot to mention this before. CC Sabathia did not get treatment today. The Cubs and Braves are playing a makeup game at Turner Field and the trainer’s room was not available. He will try and throw in the bullpen tomorrow.

The Yankees are apparently not that concerned as no MRI was taken or is scheduled.

ESPN is reporting that MLBPA executive director Donald Fehr is stepping down after 25 years. MLBPA general counsel Mike Weiner will replace him, pending approval of the executive board.

If Fehr is simply retiring, it’s not an earth-shattering story. But if this is somehow related to the union’s long-standing resistance of drug-testing and backlash from clean players, than it’s major.

More than anybody else, Fehr and Bud Selig were responsible for baseball’s drug problem in that they were equally willing to look the other way rather than ask difficult questions. All too often, it seemed, the MLBPA was more concerned about the bank accounts of their members and not their health or the integrity of the game.

The new U.S. Open champion, Lucas Glover, is a Yankees fan from South Carolina.

“We gotta get the Yankees turned around New York,” he said during his interview with NBC. Good for him, even though the entire country was seemingly rooting for Phil Mickelson.

Hopefully somebody in the Bronx invites Glover up to throw out the first pitch. Guy deserves a little love from the Pinstripes.

The Yankees are 4-8 in their last 12 games. While some fans would like to see major changes, that is unlikely to happen. The Yankees are saying they will not be able to add any payroll. We’ve heard that before, of course. But let’s assume for now that is actually true.

So what could they do short of a trade? Here are a few thoughts:

More Brett Gardner: The Little G is 15 of his last 43 and has his batting average up to .284 with a .358 OBP. Melky Cabrera is 12 of 62 since his shoulder injury in Texas. He is down to .282 with a .340 OBP. Melky has more power and should play his share. But Gardner could add the energy the Yankees have lacked lately and is a superior defender.

More Dave Robertson: He has 23 strikeouts in 14.2 innings (59 in 45 career innings) and deserves more late-game, high-leverage opportunities. Joe Girardi is in love with Phil Coke and that is going to come back to bite him someday soon.

Release Angel Berroa: Is this guy actually going to play once a week when A-Rod rests? Ramiro Pena is not much of an offensive player, but he can play defense and add a little small ball from the No. 9 spot.

Call up Shelley Duncan or John Rodriguez: Shelley is at .294/.369/.628 for Scranton. J-Rod is at .292/.377/.521. Wouldn’t they be more helpful than Berroa? How could they not be, especially in National League parks over the next six games?

Release Brett Tomko/Call up somebody else: Mark Melancon, Anthony Claggett, Zack Kroenke, there has to be somebody in Scranton who would be better. As Tomko himself said yesterday, everything he’s throwing is getting hit lately.

Move Swisher up: Yes, Nick Swisher is an adventure in the outfield, but his 132 OPS+ is second on the team to Mark Teixeira. It’s a waste to bat him seventh or eighth, which he has 20 times. Second or sixth would be better.

More Phil Hughes: If they’re going to use him in the bullpen, then use him in the bullpen. Let him pitch when it’s 2-1 in the eighth inning, not when they’re down by a few runs. If he is not going to be used in vital situations, he might as well be starting in Scranton.

The LoHud Yankees Blog is going off-line from noon-1 p.m. today for maintenance.

I’m told by Jeff the Tech Guy that we’re upgrading the software and that’s a good thing. I’ve learned not to argue with Jeff as he is usually right about these things.

In the hour that we’re away, I urge you to sit quietly at the office and meditate. Or perhaps you could do some work. Just come back later, we’ll be here.

Thanks.

Celebrities for Charity is running a raffle and the prize is a good one: Two Legends Suite tickets for the Red Sox-Yankees game on Aug. 8. That includes free food and non-alcoholic beverages. Plus you get a night in the Marriott Marquis in Times Square and a $250 travel voucher.

Go to https://www.celebritiesforcharity.org/raffles/rosie_yankees.cfm to sign up. Raffle tickets are only $2 a pop with a minimum purchase of five tickets.

The proceeds go to charity and help a good cause. The deadline is August 5 at 11:00 a.m. EDT.

If you’re looking for some more traffic for your Yankees fan blog, the Hartford Courant could be the answer.

The Courant is looking for fan bloggers on both sides of the rivalry. Send an e-mail to sports@courant.com with your name, phone number and link to your blog.

They’re looking for anybody who blogs on the rivalry and really hates the Red Sox. The Courant is literally right between New York and Boston and plenty of folks follow the teams, so get involved if you’re proud of your work.

Greetings from the Olli Jokinen International Airport here in Fort Lauderdale. We’re waiting on a flight to Atlanta.

Only a handful of the Yankees traveled on the team charter yesterday as most of the players took off for other destinations. When the Yankees reconvene tomorrow at Turner Field, they will be at a bit of a crossroads.

The Yankees have barely had a pulse for two weeks, going 4-8. One of the wins was gift-wrapped by Luis Castillo and another came when Johan Santana was at his all-time worst. The pitching has actually been solid but the hitters are drifting off in all directions of the compass. The Yankees were held to three runs yesterday by Chris Volstad, who has been one of the worst starters in the NL in recent weeks.

Joe Girardi needs to get ahold of his team soon. The Yankees are too good to play this poorly for much longer. Another week of this and it’ll start to look a lot like last season.

Not much else to report at this early hour. The blog will be getting a software update at noon and we will be off-line for an hour or so. More on that later.

Here is a little good news via Chad Jennings: Ian Kennedy has rejoined Scranton and will start a throwing program. It’s uncertain whether he will pitch again this season, but at least he is moving down the road after having that aneurysm removed from his shoulder.