Contingency plans? “Sure there are.”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Oct 15, 2009 
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It’s cold and misty here at Yankee Stadium, but the Yankees are on the field taking batting practice. They stretched inside, but put on their grey hoodies for BP. In the open air press box, the back row has become much more popular than the front.
While players were trickled into the clubhouse this morning, pitching coach Dave Eiland confirmed that the Yankees have some contingency plans to deal with bad weather over the weekend, but he wouldn’t go into detail.
‘We’ll deal with that when it happens,” Eiland said. “Are there contingency plans? Sure there are. But we’re not thinking about that until we have to.”
Chad Gaudin threw 50 pitches on Tuesday and said he’s been told to be ready to pitch on Friday. Not as a starter, but as a guy who could give the Yankees innings in the case of a rain delay or some other circumstance that limits the starter. I suppose he could start so that C.C. Sabathia isn’t burned out in the event of an early inning rain delay, but that would be one of those contingency plans that Eiland wouldn’t reveal. As for innings limits on a spot starter or fourth starter, should the Yankees decide to use one, Eiland said that’s not a significant concern.
“They’re not that far removed,” Eiland said. “Their pitch counts haven’t gone down enough to make it that big of a concern. Are they going to be able to go 120 pitches? No. But they have enough to get through the middle of the game.”
Yo can almost hear the wheels turning…..
The Yankees have this under control.
Thanks, Chad. Hopefully, it’ll work out and we’ll have continuous baseball on Friday.
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Repost:
Gaudin’s no Kazmir. But neither is Kazmir. I know Scott’s pitched better after the trade, but he won’t be pitching into the 7th or 8th if the Yankees do their jobs which is to really work him. Kazmir averages 5.6 innings per start. In contrast, “Brittle A.J. Burnett” averages 6.3 per start. And CC the horse of course, averaged 6.8 innings per start.
Betsy and Pat M.,
This article is a must read, but especially for you two. Pat M, I’m sure you’re familiar with the early stories especially about the scouts. Betsy M, you need not worry. Looks like Phil was born a competitor. lol.
http://www.ocregister.com/arti…..dad-novick
Erica – knew you’d know it!
Darrin good one
Just because it was such a good article (OC is really proud of Hughes even though he pitches for the Yankees.
)
Yankees’ Hughes bridges the gap
The former Foothill High pitcher has become a valuable setup man.
Mark Whicker
Columnist
The Orange County Register
mwhicker@ocregister.com Comments 0| Recommend 0
Philip Hughes III was playing third base. His father, Phil, was coaching him. Dad noticed his son would move in on bunt situations without being told. That was impressive, Philip III was 10.
The years went by, and the kid began to look like a pitcher. The Hugheses were living in San Juan Capistrano, and Phil wanted to pitch at Capistrano Valley, for Bob Zamora. But the school district said he had to play at Dana Hills. The family looked for alternatives and moved to the Tustin area.
First, a visit to Mater Dei.
“Phil walked onto the baseball field there and took a look and shook his head,” the dad said. “The fences were too close. Not a good place to pitch.”
These days Phil Hughes pitches in Yankee Stadium, and his dad often looks back at that journey and now recognizes the bread crumbs.
Hughes was always moving on an elevated track, until New York took him in the first round of the 2004 draft. Since then the path has been diverted a bit, but Hughes will pitch in the American League Championship Series against the Angels.
Without him, the Yankees don’t get there. He has handled the eighth inning that has slipped through Yankees fingers like quicksilver. He has struck out 96 in 86 innings and has a 3.03 ERA. They call him the bridge to closer Mariano Rivera, but he’s more like a funnel into Hades. His dad says Phil was always preparing for this, even if he didn’t tell anybody.
“As a kid, he really hated losing,” he said. “With the other kids, it was kinda like, OK, where’s the pizza? Phil wasn’t happy. We’d have to schedule something quick to get his mind off it, like jump into the pool or something.”
The parents, Phil and Dorianne, chose Foothill, primarily because of pitching coach Iran Novick.
“Before that senior year I took Phil aside and told him to get ready,” Novick said, “that a lot of people would be coming to see him during the season. He didn’t know what I was talking about.”
In late February, Hughes pitched a scrimmage at Canyon. Novick began counting the scouts. Eventually there were more than 100. Hughes wasn’t nervous, but his catcher was; Phil’s first slider hit him right in the mask.
“But through it all, he had such composure,” Novick said. “We played in a tournament in Arizona once when he was younger, and he gave up back-to-back home runs. I’d go to the mound, and he’d be fine. I thought, well, that’s unusual for high school.”
The scouts took their notes and left. Jeff Patterson of the Yankees didn’t. The elder Hughes said Patterson saw every game Phil pitched.
“I don’t know about that,” Patterson said, “but from the moment I went into his house and explained what was coming, I’ve never had a better experience with a player or a family. A lot of young pitchers have stuff. Phil just knew the game.”
Hughes won 21 games his junior and senior years and had ERAs of 0.64 and 0.69. At Laguna Hills, he threw a perfect game in 62 pitches (high school games are seven innings). “Nothing but strikeouts and little comebackers,” Novick said. “In our league, he really wasn’t challenged.”
Draft day came along. Nineteen pitchers went in the first 30 picks. Hughes was excited. It appeared the Angels would take him with the 13th pick.
They intended to. But then Jered Weaver, represented by Scott Boras, came slipping down the board. The Angels called his name.
“The draft wasn’t televised,” the elder Hughes said. “You just had to sit there and hope the Internet wouldn’t cut off. But when the Angels took Weaver we all looked at each other and said, ‘Oh, no.”’
Almost immediately, the phone rang.
“I think it was (scouting director) Damon Oppenheimer,” Hughes’ dad said. “They asked Phil’s agent if he would go for the slotted money if they took him at 23 and play for the Yankees. Phil said, ‘No problem.’”
Hughes got $1.4 million. Of the 14 pitchers taken ahead of him, just four — Weaver, Justin Verlander, Jeff Niemann and Glen Perkins — have been prominent major leaguers.
This year he cast aside a difficult 2008, came to spring without a real spot, came up from Triple-A and went to the bullpen. Through the sheer power of outs he worked his way back to the eighth.
Now his dad sits at home and fidgets and worries and watches.
“This eighth inning stuff is a lot more stressful than watching him start,” he said. “He used to be able to give up a couple of hits and be all right. But now the pressure is on from the beginning.”
As he realizes now, the game always was.
Uncle Ellsworth (much ado about nothing)
October 15th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Erica – knew you’d know it!
****
Did I ever tell you I actually auditioned to be on the show “Don’t Forget the Lyrics”. I figured the vast knowledge of song lyrics I keep in my head might finally come in handy.
Sadly, I did not get far in the audition process. I can’t actually sing.
Man, imagine if Moose had come back for 1 more season. CC, AJ, Andy, Moose. Light out, series over. No worries about short rest, Gaudin/Joba, how many starters, how rain might affect them, etc.
Blog debates are fun, but the speculation is getting old. Blame it on all the days off, of course. I trust the Yankees have a firm plan in place that considers the weather. Man, I can’t wait until Friday!!!
Not to mention Moose might actually have gotten that ring.
Moose getting a ring would’ve been sweet, but I still admire him for going out on top.
Mussina was great last year. Not good – but great. However, I think he was part of the group that “needed to go” in order for this team to adopt the mentality/attitude that it has this season. Mussina took shots at ARod (according to Joe Torre’s book) and was generally a very grumpy guy. I don’t think he would’ve fit in with this team and probably would have had a thing or two to say about the playful nature of this team.
2004 amateur draft – 1st round – where Phil Hughes was taken #23. It is so fascinating how many pitchers were taken before him (14) and how many of them have done well (3).
http://www.baseball-almanac.co.....raft.shtml
“‘We’ll deal with that when it happens,” Eiland said. “Are there contingency plans? Sure there are. But we’re not thinking about that until we have to.””
One thing I love about sports are the quotes which don’t mean anything.
This one’s great. If you have a contingency plan, that means you thought about things before you have to. If you haven’t thought about things before you have to, then you don’t have a contingency plan, right?
But the Yanks probably do have contingency plans, which means they have thought about things, which means that what Eiland probably means is that they won’t use their contingency plans until they have to, or until the contingency occurs, in other words. Which means the quote is meaningless, saying they’ll use their contingency plans when the contingency occurs! Well, duh…
These are the sort of things that you end up thinking about when you have to wait 5 days for the game. Let’s get this series started!
M, that as a wonderful article – thanks for posting! Aww, Phil as a ten year old, how cute. I’ve said it before, but I’m almost more impressed by Phil’s attitude than his stuff..and his stuff is awfully good.
Brian in NJ
October 15th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Mussina was great last year. Not good – but great. However, I think he was part of the group that “needed to go” in order for this team to adopt the mentality/attitude that it has this season. Mussina took shots at ARod (according to Joe Torre’s book) and was generally a very grumpy guy. I don’t think he would’ve fit in with this team and probably would have had a thing or two to say about the playful nature of this team.
*****
Swisher could have probably warmed him up by bribing him with candy and ice cream
Dodgers owner separating from wife/team CEO
By Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports
13 hours, 18 minutes ago
i think saturday will get postponed til sunday.
that team is worth over 700 million
she will cash in
Erica – LOL
I still can’t get over the game when Mussina complained about the 15 minute delay fro Tom Cheek Day in Toronto. That always rubbed me the wrong way re: Mussina as a person.
it’s probably already been posted but, here’s a good article on the comparisons of the ’98 yankees team to this years.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ne.....;type=lgns
bru
October 15th, 2009 at 11:54 am
that team is worth over 700 million
she will cash in
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Jamie McCourt looks to me like the brains in the family, undergrad at Georgetown, JD at U of Maryland, and MBA at MIT. She’s also taught at MIT, that’s pretty impressive.
Chad has to be stoked,in this environment.In regular season every game he started the Yankees won,even if he got the no decision.
I knew this was coming.Albert Pujols has told the Cardinal he wouldn’t sign an extension.He wants to wait a year to see if the cards put together a competitive team,since his contract doesn’t end until 2012.
The St Louis media has been all over Albert like rapacious wolves,because he refused to interview after the Cardinal’s sweeping loss.He pulled a LeBron James.
Imagine A Free Agent Pujols on the open market? The Cardinals couldn’t afford to keep him.How utterly stupid of them if he walks.
I think Pujols’ agent advise him to test the market,and not sign an extension.The Cardinals will need money to keep Pujols,Carpenter,Holliday,this is something to watch.Holliday has said all along he wanted to test the market.
So where would you guess Pujols would go, haiku? Certainly not the Yankees, as we have Tex, but I could see the Mets completely bending over for him.
Yahoo sports,sourced the Pujols article under the rumor tab upper right.
I wouldn’t count out the Red Sox going after Pujols either. Just about any team would become better by signing him,even though that means tying up a lot of finances in one player.
I think Pujols, just like Mauer, will be thinking about winning a championship or two as some of their drive toward FA.
Very Sorry but I am a new one.
Why would they not just roll over the roof on their new and most excellent stadium?
Certainly such an organization would not spend hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars to build such a coverless structure in a city with such inclement weather patterns.
And please cheer with much exuberance for my most favored players, Mr. Berroa and the excellent Mr. Veras!
Pujo;s bidders,Mets,Dodgers,Tigers, Angels,Giants,Socks.
Yankees would only get in to raise the price so Socks pay through the nose.
That’s a good, but pretty obvious list, haiku, but I don’t think the Sox would be fooled by the Yankees getting in considering Tex is signed long term and doesn’t play any other position.
The Socks and Yankees will try to keep each other from putting him in the division.I don’t think he will be on either team.
Cardinals will have to step outside of the typical Midwest mind set of not spending a lot for players,but expecting to win a World Series every year.My FAMILY AND FRIENDS(those who are Cards fans)LAMENT,this every year,Cards are cheap!
in minnesota i would think you only have to worry about a few weeks in april & october
a lot of teams have the same concerns
i saw a tv show about domes & they said the added cost wasnt worth i think they said 150 million for a few weeks of bad weather.
31 hours and 31 minutes until Game 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
repost for any who may not have seen it earlier:
Here are the results from the Division Series. As you can see Sam is in the lead.
http://members.cox.net/lsdorgan/POSTSEASON4.pdf
As I said I would, I will continue these charts through the World Series.
If anyone wants to add LCS predictions I will take them up to the time of the first pitch for the series in question.
Please be sure to put my name in the post so that I can check for predictions that way.
***************************
I will post this in different threads throughout the day and up to the Yanks first game. LCS points go to 3; WS points go to 5.
If you put my name in the post, I will definitely get your picks.
the cards would have gotten the best years out of pujols
to give him an 8 or 10 year contract at 30 million a year would be foolish
How’s Aceves these days? Why not make him the #4 starter if necessary?
Pujols schmoo-holes…
I hate all this waiting.
sevrox
October 15th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
How’s Aceves these days? Why not make him the #4 starter if necessary?
he is not stretched out as much as cg & i think cg is a better option
Pujols will be 30 in Jan.The CARDS GOT HIM AT A BARGAIN,he has a ring,I think he’s want the money. jmho
game today or tonight & we only have about
32 hours
hinske off for guzman????
I thought Pujols’ arm was falling off last season? What happened?
30 million or 25 million can be better spent getting 2 or 3 good players
the cards can sign 3 players for 30 million & get over 300 rbi & 3 position players or 200 rbi & a 15 win pitcher
The year Pujols becomes a FA, Beckett will also be a FA, so that could be an interesting offseason for the Sox.
Carl Crawford and Mauer will also be available…that should be very interesting, because the Yankees might have a better grasp on how Jackson and Montero fit on the team by then, and whether or not they need to go out and get a catcher or outfielder.
RS, crawford will probably be dealt long before his contract is up… i personally wouldnt mind seeing how he fits in pinstripes if the price is right since my only major problem with our team is the lack of good defenders in our outfield.
nature boy
October 15th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
hinske off for guzman????
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the problem with that is if gardner or guman pinch run for the dh we dont have a bat off the bench with pop
i would drop marte for guzman
“Pujols will be 30 in Jan.The CARDS GOT HIM AT A BARGAIN,he has a ring,I think he’s want the money. jmho”
Agreed.
The Mets need a heck of a lot more than Albert Pujols. Too many holes (no pun intended) to fill.
crawford would be perfect for us
3 yr/30 million
maybe 36 million
Hinske has to stay on the roster, he is better than a rally monkey. On ’08 Rays, AL champs, on ’07 Sox, WS champs…on ’09 Yankees, WS champs!?!
I think Crawford being dealt is dependent on how the Rays are in the standing when it gets near the ASB. If they are behind they will deal him to get better than picks from a draft. If they are contending then I think they will keep him and he goes through FA. I don’t see the Rays having the money to sign him to an extension unless he gives a big discount.
I think the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, are teams that would love to have Crawford and can afford him. There will be a decent number of teams looking at him. He will be looking for more than just 3 years, imo.
I wonder if the Mets have the money to sign Pujols if he goes to FA. The owner got caught up in that ponzi scheme and lost a ton of money. Add to that the economy we are in, which doesn’t look to change all that soon, and the obligations they have, I think they will steer clear of him.
The Red Sox have a number of moves they need to make. I think they will be in rebuilding mode the next two to three years even though they will compete. Pujols will be tempting, but their pitching will be a more pressing need unless they pull off some miraculous trade this winter.
I could see the Angels, Dodgers, and Giants as teams that may get into the mix for him pretty seriously. The Cards will not if they hadn’t been able to sign him before he hits the market.
the mets will have the 3 core players back & if they are smart they get a good starter
they need a 1b & a solid number 2 pitcher
if they can get prince fielder or ag along with a webb or lackey type they are set
they can get by with furcal & their 2b.
if they can get a good catcher also they would be nasty
they have wagners & delgatos money coming off
m October 15th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I thought Pujols’ arm was falling off last season? What happened?
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He had gotten injured, I think his wrist was hurt on a play. He stayed in and played, but he was not much of a factor in the playoffs.
Given a big salary increase, it can really handcuff a team long term to sign a player like him when they are a smaller market team. Add to that he will be looking to have some other good players with him signed on for a decent length of time, it will be tough on them.
the mets are making a ton of money
probably about 150-200 million a year after payroll
maybe more
they have to make a splash this winter to sell tickets is what i hear