Today in The Journal News
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Aug 02, 2009 
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The Yankees were thumped again by the White Sox much to the chagrin of Joe Girardi.
The Yankees adjusted their rotation. This notebook also has updates on CC Sabathia, Jerry Hairston Jr., Shelley Duncan and Alex Rodriguez.
The Baseball Beat looks at the coming pennant race between the Red Sox and Yankees.
Rick Carpiniello talked to Marty Appel on the 30th anniversary of Thurman Munson’s death.
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Don’t forget, the deadline to submit a question for our Q&A with Yogi Berra is tomorrow at noon. See this post for more details.
Could de Caster get a shot with Ransom struggling now…?
I think I was the only one who predicted a sweep by the White Sox.
Bunny
they said the same thing about santanna & then we pounded him.
go away.
It won’t be much of a race, Pete.
Liste up, I’m predicting that the R*d S*x will end up winning the division by at least 8 games.
Mitre & Ransom…where do they get these guys from, they should be playing for the Reds or KC
year of the streaks
Yesterday was another wretch of a game, made all the worse for my family and me–at US Cellular–by the rank, vile, and profane behavior of a few groups of so-called Sox fans around us. It was disgraceful. Hopefully is a better day and game, and hopefully Sabathia goes 7+ strong innings. I’ll be at the stadium again with the family, celebrating my 40th birthday in the upper deck behind home plate. Fingers crossed.
It’s thirty years to the day that Thurman Munson died, and I still remember it as if it were yesterday–the punch in the gut that my favorite player, my appreciation for whose toughness and clutch hitting in the 1976 World Series made me a lifelong Yankees fan, had died in a plane crash. To be honest, the memory is still a little painful.
Y. K. W.
i won’t make a prediction but we still have to play the game today & we will be hungry after 3 losses in a row.
my money is on the yankees.
i wouldn’t give arod off today with an off day on monday.
don’t worry after mitre gets pounded we will see igawa.
yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
how did they not address one of these needs, a #3-4 SP,a RP & a OFer. VMART would have looked nice on this team, Catcher( & future catcher) DH, and the Sox gave up Masterson to get him ???
Cashman will regret not making any moves at the deadline for sure. Waiver wire will be the deciding factor.
On Fox yesterday, Joe said he expected substantial (his word) activity in August regarding trades.
It will turn a lot of stomachs if Cody Ransom is in the lineup today. Jerry Hairston Jr. is here and Ramiro Pena can easily be called up sooner than September.
DFA the useless Ransom.
With 58 games left, the Yankees can no longer afford to give away games.
“You know what? I think I’ll Cody another go today. I like how he matches up against lefties.”
http://www.hulu.com/watch/1031.....idea-jeans
Not saying I blame C-Money for not making any deadline trades, especially if what other GMs were looking for is true. But pitching depth has been a problem for 2 years now, you’d think he would pay more attention to it. CMW was coming off a major injury and did not look good in ST and the went on the DL. Early in the season, IPK went out with surgery, Ace went into the pen and PH to the rotation. All this happened by the beginning of May. That’s 3 months before the deadline and all he came up with was Mitre. Somewhere along the line you’d think he’d have addressed the situation, because at this point they are just one problem away from Kei Igawa in pinstripes.
v mart is in a terrible slump,32 yrs old,terrible defensively they gave up more than masterson.
they gave up 2 more pitchers(3 total).
at least one is very promising.not sure about the 3rd one.
losing masterson hurts their pen debth & they lost a spot starter.
if masterson or any of the 3 pitchers ever become a # 3 starter & v mart is only ok with the rs then it is a bad trade imo.
if 2 become a # 3 or one a 3 & one a # 4 starter then it is a very bad trade.
time & only time will tell.
the puzzling thing to me is the refusal of the yankees to better the club or make any changes.
we need a pitcher badly.
hairston & hinske are nice bench players but i would rather not have them & gotten a solid # 5 pitcher & an 8th inning pitcher to add debth to the pen.
i would of justified the moves with the money from damon,matsui.pettitte,molina coming off the books.
if ajax gets you washburn you have to do it.especially since we are so close.
Bill
August 2nd, 2009 at 9:06 am
On Fox yesterday, Joe said he expected substantial (his word) activity in August regarding trades.
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he meant in baseball not with the yankees.
VMART is a proven ML player who can hit & catch ( he as good a Def catcher as Posada) & a nice clubhouse guy. I’ll take a proven player over unproven players anyday
“if ajax gets you washburn you have to do it.especially since we are so close.”
That’s a terrible trade if you consider the long-term future of the Yankees.
“He is a good fit for Boston and the only place you read differently is on this blog.”
He is a good fit for them because their offense was terrible. They gave up Masterson and their #3 prospect to get him. I’m not sure why people are suggesting we get him when he already can’t play catcher at age 30…his numbers aren’t great for a 1B/DH type.
Paging Mr. Paul Byrd, Paging Mr. Paul Byrd
it’s all a crap shoot when it comes to minor league players who have never played in the ML.
I wouldn’t classify as Masterson as ‘unproven’. In his career:
IP 160.1
Hits Allowed 140
BB 65
Ks 135
ERA 3.76
Not bad for a 24-year-old with a very live arm and exceptional demeanor. In all likelihood, he’ll still be relevant long after VMart has hit full decline.
Recently heard M. Kay suggesting that at some point the NYY will swap roles of Joba and PH.I don’t think that’s as easy as it sounds on paper. If anyone can pull it off it would be Joba and Phil, but it’s asking a lot and it’s risky. Take Joba who has been in the rotation all year and who is finally getting the hang of it and then make him the EIG, a role he hasn’t been in since last year, just in time for the stretch run and playoffs and expect him to be lights out. Then take Phil who has been lights out as the EIG and has been in the pen for months, put him back in the rotation, just in time for the stretch run and playoffs and expect him to be a solid SP. I don’t think it’s as easy as changing roles and “flipping a switch”. But if it comes to that I think Joba and Phil could pull it off. I do think C-Money will try to acquire pitching help before he tries the swap however.
Look at what the Reds are going through with Homer Bailey, they wouldn’t listen to any offers for him & he can’t get anyone out, there are a long list of can’t miss players who haven’t done a thing in the ML
Michael Kay kept reporting last week that the Yankees could have made moves, but did not want to take on any additional salary. If that’s the case, we, as Yankees fans, have to get used to a new approach. Of course, to me, it makes no sense, if you’re spending 200 million dollars on a team, and you need a few more parts to make it run better, then you get the parts. Better to spend 210 million and win than pay 200 million and not win – at least how I look at it.
We will see what happens on the waiver wire, but it is clear the Yankees need pitching.
And I do not understand the fascination by the Yankees with Cody Ransom. What makes him attaractive as a baseball player – and why – every year- do the Yankees try to use players at the end of the bench who are vastly inferior to other alternatives (Ramiro Pena,as an example, would be a better fit than Ransom).
bru, you are right, Joe meant baseball, but you have to figure that includes the NYY.
hobbie, was thinking the same thing about Byrd.
the Red Sox are as thin on SP as the Yankees after #1 & #2 if he was so good why didn’t they keep him
Cash is King
August 2nd, 2009 at 9:23 am
“if ajax gets you washburn you have to do it.especially since we are so close.”
That’s a terrible trade if you consider the long-term future of the Yankees
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you might be right but also might be wrong.
we need a pitcher & if we have an injury to one sp we are in trouble & it is going to cost more than ajax.that is for sure.
we do not know what ajax will turn into.
if he is bernie you might be right.
if he is melky you are wrong.
if we can get bannister or someone else for less i’m all for it but something needs to be done soon.
mitre is a disaster.
i give him one more start in hopes that he fixed his mechanics.
my question is to all is what happens if mitre gives up 6 runs in 4 innings in his next start???
most prospects never even make it.
pete suggested a huge package for halladay.sj also.
not all trades are bad.how do we know trading ajax for washburn would be a bad trade?
do the rs know if trading masterson & 2 other pitchers for v mart is a bad trade?
we are going to get a pitcher.this i am pretty sure of.
The fact that everyone is wasting so much energy complaining about Ransom is hilarious. He is a back-up IF. If he is the reason for the 3 losses to the Sox, then everyone else is getting a pass.
He’s not the reason. Nor is Angel Berroa. Nor is Molina. It is the front-line starting nine. It is the rotation. It is the bullpen.
Complaining about the 25th man on the roster and blaming him is ludicrous.
It is A-Rod’s fault, Posada’s fault, Jeter’s fault, AJ’s fault, CC’s fault…wasting so much time critizing Cashman for Ransom is stupid.
Funny thing is…a few months ago..EVERYONE on this board was crying about Berroa and waiting breathlessly for Ransom’s return.
It is not about the 25th man…it is about the starters. Catch a clue, kids.
Clueless Joe Part II – The Curse of the Man Crush (with co-stars Nick Swisher as BoBo the Clown and Cody Ransom as Gomer Pyle) August 2nd, 2009 at 9:28 am
I wouldn’t classify as Masterson as ‘unproven’. In his career:
IP 160.1
Hits Allowed 140
BB 65
Ks 135
ERA 3.76
Not bad for a 24-year-old with a very live arm and exceptional demeanor. In all likelihood, he’ll still be relevant long after VMart has hit full decline.
————————————————————
then why would that even think about making that trade
problem is that Ransom is getting two starts a week
Bill
August 2nd, 2009 at 9:31 am
bru, you are right, Joe meant baseball, but you have to figure that includes the NYY.
hobbie, was thinking the same thing about Byrd.
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i agree.
i don’t know the answer but something needs to be done.
we have a ton of prospects & should of used some of them to get a pitcher.
if cash tried & teams wanted to rip us off then ok i understand not doing nothing but we should try the waiver wire or bring up mcallister,nova,etc until one sticks.
my concern is it is getting late.
i wouldn’t of traded for halladay or lee but ajax for wash is something i would have done.
sabathia
burnett
washburn
pettitte
joba
is exactly the type of move we make in the 90′s imo.
cone,wells,etc….
Good point on Homer Baily, joeman. He was rated higher than Phil Hughes by almost all the so-called ‘experts’.
Bailey could still end up being a good pitcher (early failure is more the rule than the exception).
Clueless Joe Part II – The Curse of the Man Crush (with co-stars Nick Swisher as BoBo the Clown and Cody Ransom as Gomer Pyle) August 2nd, 2009 at 9:45 am
Good point on Homer Baily, joeman. He was rated higher than Phil Hughes by almost all the so-called ‘experts’.
Bailey could still end up being a good pitcher (early failure is more the rule than the exception).
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as you know the list goes on & on…no sure thing when it comes to SP in the minor leagues
Anti-Matt
August 2nd, 2009 at 9:35 am
The fact that everyone is wasting so much energy complaining about Ransom is hilarious. He is a back-up IF. If he is the reason for the 3 losses to the Sox, then everyone else is getting a pass.
He’s not the reason. Nor is Angel Berroa. Nor is Molina. It is the front-line starting nine. It is the rotation. It is the bullpen.
Complaining about the 25th man on the roster and blaming him is ludicrous.
It is A-Rod’s fault, Posada’s fault, Jeter’s fault, AJ’s fault, CC’s fault…wasting so much time critizing Cashman for Ransom is stupid.
Funny thing is…a few months ago..EVERYONE on this board was crying about Berroa and waiting breathlessly for Ransom’s return.
It is not about the 25th man…it is about the starters. Catch a clue, kids.
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the problem is cody should not be in our lineup when we have hairston on the team & pena in the minors.
the other thing is girardi left ransom in & refused to pinch hit.
monday is an off day & we rest damon & matsui?
go with your best lineup & rest one regular at a time.
girardi gets to creative & goes by the book to much.
put the best lineup out every single day & rest one regular at a time.
why not bench arod against righties????
I have been saying the Yankees financial picture has changed with unsold high end seats. Waiver wire deals are for expensive players. I just don’t see the Yankees picking up a pitcher owed multiple millions for the next year or two. I think, as scary as it is, they will succeed or fail with the players in the system. Maybe they need to get George to watch Mitre pitch again to see if he can stomach it any better than the rest of us.
The Red Sox made the trade because:
- they didn’t have to give up Buchholz, Bard or Bowden
- Mike Lowell has as much lateral movement as the statue of David, thus Youkilis at 3B as often as possible
- other reasons exist, I just hate thinking about the Red Sox this in-depth
in short, he gives them flexibility w/the lineup w/out sacrificing offense on a team w/enough dead weight already.
I’m not saying Justin Masterson is the next Walter Johnson, I’m merely saying he’s a proven big-league pitcher.