Today in The Journal News
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Today in the Journal News on Apr 06, 2010 
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A.J. Burnett pitched well at Fenway Park back in 2008, but last year he had two of his worst starts of the year in Boston. Tonight he’ll return to the mound hoping to erase the memories of last year and get the Yankees their first win of the season.
Sooner or later (hopefully sooner) Boston killer AJ Burnett is gonna show up, and when he does it’s cryin’ time up in Boston.
Maybe tonite’s the night ?
If not soon enough.
Matsui is a great player.
Damon is an excellent player.
Comparisons to Grandy and NJ, though inevitable, are not righteous.
Different players bring different things to teams.
Let’s give Grandy and NJ some time to prove their mettle.
They’re both gonna be good.
Is it just me, or are those new pop-down ads at the top of the page really annoying?
AJ,
Study that 2008 tape carefully. Hope you rediscover your inner Boston killer !
AJ was our best pitcher early in the season last year, no reason why he can’t be that again.
and since we are discussing former players, one of my old favorites (not b/c he was good, I just like him) Miguel Cairo made the opening day roster for the Reds, and is reportedly being asked to do some coaching.
Randy,
Good last post. I feel the same way.
i notice a lot of the comments are about critical articles by reporters about granderson, johnson, posada, the bullpen, etc.
with no disrespect to any one reporter, who cares what a reporter’s opinion is about baseball?
i personally don’t like to get anyone between me and my baseball . the games are on tv. you can see what has happened and how a player has played. forget the tv announcer too. the game is taking place right in front of us on the tv.
do we really need to have someone explain what is happening? does anyone need to have buehrle’s play explained to them? the video tells it all.
now what is the purpose of baseball reporters then? in the old days they described exactly what happened to the best of their ability. that’s useful if you are reading the paper and don’t have access to the live game or video of the game.
but now there are these “reporters” who give their opinion of the value of a play or a player and what should be done or should have been done. for instance john harper saying today that posada is a lousy defensive cather and should be the dh most of the time.
let’s forget whether he’s right or wrong. first of all, he’s not reporting what happened. he’s notbeing a reporter in that sense. he’s writing about his opinions of how good a player is at something and how he SHOULD be used.
so john harper is putting himself out there as an expert on something, namely baseball.
from my personal point of view, i ask myself whether harper is smarter than me. from reading him i don’t think so.
is john harper more experienced in baseball than i am? again i don’t think so.
does he have some deep intuitive understanding of baseball that allows him to see things that i don’t. again, i don’t think so.
so why should i care what john harper thinks?
the answer is i don’t and have read what he says maybe 5 times in the last year.
if i want to know about posada, i watch and i make up my own mind. i like to come on the blog and see what other people think about the yankees and posada in this case. i think the collective wisdom of the blog is more useful and insightful than someone like john harper. i would much rather see what cb, sj44, and pat m say, along with many more commenters, than what john harper says
there’s a value in discussing what you think about something that you’ve seen and have an opinion about. sometimes info is thrown in that can change your mind.
but to care what a baseball reporter who is not smarter, not more experienced, not more insightful than i am makes no sense.
now if a reporter actually because of his or her access has some news , that’s different. i’ll read it in a second. but most baseball reporting isn’t news anymore. it’s opinion about players and the game which isn’t by definition news.
give me a reporter who focuses on news and info i don’t have and i’ll be reading him or her every day.
give me a reporter who has opinions about the game and the players who isn’t smarter, who isn’t more experienced, and who isn’t more knowledgeable and i will have zero interest in that reporter.
as i said, i don’t need a reporter giving me his opinion about something i’ve seen with my own eyes
upstate kate -
Good for Cairo. (I liked him too, just did.)
Gardner had the awful throwing error, but outside of that he looked really good last night.
I like how the other teams defense has to adjust to his speed & will open up more holes for the offense. All I want from Gardner is good defense & getting on base to create havoc & score runs. I believe he is fully capable to achieve both.
“so john harper is putting himself out there as an expert on something, namely baseball.
from my personal point of view, i ask myself whether harper is smarter than me. from reading him i don’t think so.”
In what way is expressing an opinion about something the same as putting oneself out as an expert?
A great morning!!! I love it when the underdog wins!!! Duke!!!!!
Tonight it’s time for the underdog to take down the 2009 world series champion Red Sox!!!
My praise of Matsui, Damon, Abreu and Melky play on opening day is in no way disrespect for Grandy and Johnson. I have seen Grandy play before and love his athleticism. His HR in his first game was a highlight. I have never seen NJ play before so can offer no criticism or praise.
But the four mentioned players happened to be among my favorites and I will still watch them play and cheer for their successes. That means that I will get to watch that much more baseball games and that can’t be bad.
I have high hopes for AJ tonight. The RSox know they are in for a tough game. Can hardly wait!
If only we had Babe Ruth to pitch out of the bullpen.
Frank,
Harper’s opinion is acceptable as a columnist. That’s his job.
Where he, and others, lose me is when they draw conclusions either falsely or too early based on a set of assumptions which are not always accurate.
What I’m trying to say is, the better sports columnists do a better job of forming their opinions based on more accurate assumptions because of their access.
Harper isn’t the beatwriter decribing what happened in a game, but a columnist that is paid by the Daily News to write articles in which his opinion is used as a basis for most of those articles.
Good for the Matsui on his debut!! He’s one guy I’ll never root against, even if he were a Sox! Hideki=Class!!!
Randy I.: Well written! I have played, coached and watched plenty of baseball during my 50+ years and all I need to do is watch the game. I have a pretty good idea of what I’m seeing. Reporters do provide “inside info” from interviews etc. and I read their opinions with a grain of salt, but I trust my eyes not their opinions.
“now if a reporter actually because of his or her access has some news , that’s different. i’ll read it in a second. but most baseball reporting isn’t news anymore. it’s opinion about players and the game which isn’t by definition news.”
Think you have to differentiate between reporter and columnist.
SJ44,
Sometimes, I question whether sports columnists of today believe half the things they write in their articles or are just trying to generate discussion about their articles by being controversial or provocative in their written opinion.
Pat, I agree??and that?s why I?m going to do my best to avoid the writers. It know from personal experience than I?m much happier living in ignorance of what they?re writing.
Randy, wow ? fantastic post; that really puts perspective on things. I agree with you most of all on the level of knowledge on this board ? this is where I come when I want my questions asked and when I want honest to goodness baseball talk. I think sportswriters in NY have a collective baseball IQ of 10 (but their National Enquirer IQ is off the charts) and they could take a few lessons from the posters on this board. Why should I let these mediots get to me like they have? They?re no different than you and me except they have a public forum in which to spout their opinions.
SJ, you?re right, lol. I was too dumb as a kid to realize what I was getting into rooting for the Yankees. What?s the expression? Grant me the serenity to accept what I can?t change? Well, I accept the general idiocy of the sportswriters; all I can do now is change my reaction to them (or just ignore them altogether, which I think I will do; ignorance really is bliss).
I think that sportswriters cause so much consternation because for the casual fan, a lot of opinion and thought is derived from what is written in the paper/online/magazine. Being a writer often gives someone credability when discussing anything, as long as the reader does not already know more than the writer.
A baseball lifer isn’t going to read an article and take it for fact, but a lot of other people will. There is a duty to the american people to write thoughtful and TRUTHFUL articles about baseball, but we know that does not happen. It is why sites like FireJoeMorgan existed.
We’re lucky to have some pretty good writers at LOHUD and on the Yankees side in New York.
There are the fair share of idiots too.
For every Posnanski, who fills each column with soul AND smarts, there is a Bill Plaschike, who is just selling ‘poetic slop’.
Betsy,
However, you do allow these mediots to get to you by expressing your displeasure about what they wrote or say on boards such as this one.
Um, excuse the question marks; I have no idea why they popped up in my post.
Tonight’s going to be tough against Lester; I just hope AJ pitches well. If he does, then everything will take care of itself. If he doesn’t, it’s certainly no referendum on the rest of his season or his relationship with Posada. It would also be nice to put his year at Fenway behind him; that was not the same pitcher who has destroyed the Sox in the past.
Craw, yes I know, but I’m promising myself to just avoid sportswriters altogether, even when the Yankees win.
Really? They all have a ‘baseball IQ’ of 10 but they make a living off writing about it while the best you can do is post on an open message board?
I’d be careful before chucking insults at people simply for writing something different than you feel…
I don’t read the newspapers much when it comes to ballgames, particularly games I actually watched for myself. I look for updates regarding possible injury situations or managerial decisions gone wrong, but I usually stay away from reading an entire article about how a game transpired.
I am fairly comfortable saying that a lot of sportswriters have a collective IQ of 10
I need only to point to the myriad of articles about how Scott Podsednik is a gamer, and why A-rod is unclutch.
“Think you have to differentiate between reporter and columnist.”
The changing media landscape has sadly blurred those lines.
Beat writers sometimes inject opinion into game stories and have by-lines on articles involving players lives outside the lines.
The 24/7 news cycle and electronic media have made the game story in it’s pure form a thing of the past.
And I think it is hard to just ‘ignore’ sportswriters. I want to keep my finger on the pulse of the game from all facets: Watching it myself, Reading what other FANs are saying, reading what the media is saying, and then reading what the players are saying.
The media influences the fans.
Making a living off of something doesn’t mean you’re an expert at what you’re writing about.
Also, boards like this is for expressing your opinion whether it’s insulting to media members or not.
If you don’t like reading such opinions then stay away from blogs like this one.
Just because they get paid to spew their anti-Yankee rhetoric does not mean they are intelligent.
It just means they are blessed to be anti-Yankees. I say that with love. Being a Yankees fan, and a New York fan, is a “gift and a curse.” Quoted from the Tv show Monk.
The 24/7 news cycle and electronic media have made the game story in it?s pure form a thing of the past.
–
So a thing of the past that some students created a program which takes the play-by-play information and box score and creates a ‘game story’ based on it. Which leaves Beat Writers where exactly?
Anybody watch tv show Californication?
There is this funny scene in Season 1 where Duchovny says to his daughter’s bf, “check yaself before you riggity riggity wreck yaself”
LOL
Thanks for reminding me of that Check Youself!!!!!
“And I think it is hard to just ?ignore? sportswriters.”
I’m not so sure about that, but it is not difficult to limit their influence on how you think about sports.
Check yourself, thanks for your opinion. Now when you’re ready to man up to your comments, we’ll still be here posting on this open message board.
MTU, do you forget AJ pitching 7+ innings @ home against Boston? And looking damn near untouchable doing it? I still remember the movement he had on a 95 MPH fastball that damn near killed Kotchman….
Randy, there is a difference between reporters and columnnists, but all of that aside, I think you answered your own question.
1. Reporters are useful if you have today’s newspaper and missed last night’s game action and need to read about it beyond checking the box score.
2. Reporters are useful if they have inside or behind the scenes information, which is why it’s important that this blog is written by beat writers who travel with the team.
Now, if you want to talk about the absolute definition of “totally useless and clueless”, look it up in the dictionary and admire the photo of Lupica.
John Harper’s a moron, plain and simple. Anybody who doesn’t understand that Posada’s offensive value at the C position more than offsets any and all defensive deficiencies he possesses is a moron and unfit to express his opinion on baseball and influence others’ opinions.
Just tell me the news, don’t make the news! This is a contributing factor to why newspapers are dying, I’m sure of it. It’s also the primary reason ESPN has become event only TV for me.
“Think you have to differentiate between reporter and columnist.”
frank-
does the daily news with john harper’s articles?
this is what they themselves write:
Only Jorge Posada’s bat will keep him behind plate for New York Yankees
JOHN HARPER
Tuesday, April 6th 2010, 4:00 AM
do you see anything that says “columnist “?
they make that distinction in other areas of the paper :
http://www.nydailynews.com/opi.....index.html
harpers name isn’t listed there.
actually here is where i think he should be listed:
GOSSIP HOME
TIGER WOODS
CELEBRITY PHOTOS
FASHION
JoeKuh-
Nope. didn’t forget.
Just waiting for it’s re-appearance.
I’m hoping we see 2008 AJ. AL East Killer. All season long.
He did it once. In my book that means he can do it again.
Randy,
For you.
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....index.html
Randy,
He’s the baseball columnist for the DN.
In fairness, he doesn’t write the headline.
JMO but, the headline doesn’t really match up with what he wrote in the column.
I’ve always thought that the more I read, the more chances I have to learn something.
I also think that just about anyone might have something useful to say, even if I think I’m smarter than they are. Of course, they might not, either, but how would I know if I don’t read it? And of course it may turn out I’m not so smart after all.
You never know when someone will have an interesting take on things. No man is island, entire of itself.
WYH-
“No man is island, entire of itself.”
Paul Simon doesn’t agree with you.
MTU, don’t you feel Paul Simon was perhaps being a tad ironic?
WYH-
It was just another one of my poor attempts at humor.
Sorry, MTU, I knew you were, I needed the proper wink emoticon after my reply but I only know how to do a smiley face!
It seems the general opinion of posters on this blog is that the ESPN New York website may not be the best source for constructive Yankeee information…. which to this point, I would have to agree with. However, I do check in there to glance at the stories.
Today I’m reading an apparently un-authored blog entry from either Wallace Mathews or Andrew Marchand that I would like some one with a more sound thought process to explain for me….link:
http://proxy.espn.go.com/blog/.....id/168/168
Are they really suggesting that Thames might start over Granderson against Lester tonight??
People are already giving up on CG? Is there really anyone that could justify sitting our newly aquired center fielder in the second game?
I could possibly see Thames going in for Gardner… but certainly not for Granderson.
Hope I can get some better analysis from this blog than I have been from ESPN NY, these guys are not impressing me
WYH-
I’m kind of partial to the smiley so you’ve got most of it covered.
Now Betsy. She’s on an entirely different plane when it comes to Emoticons.
She’s scary good.
Welcome to the first MUST WIN game of the season!
Matthews is a hack and Andrew Marchand is nearly sinking to his level. I never realized how awful Marchand was when he was just giving updates on 1050 to Michael Kay, but he truly is.
This is how I feel about sportswriters. They are
and 
They make me very
Upstate-
Tick Tock.
JNG:
They are indeed suggesting exactly that. In fairness, the suggestion is driven by Girardi suggesting Thames could be in the OF tonnight, but they are jumping to the conclusion that it’s Granderson and not Gardner that he’d be replacing.
I personally think Granderson is going to be in there everyday, tough lefty or not, until they are convinced it just won’t work. One AB against Scott Schoenweiss will not be the deciding factor.
How is it possible that people are criticizing Nick Johnson for “clogging up the bases” and going “station to station” once he’s reached base, which he does well over 40% of the time?! Is Joe Morgan speaking in tongues through these baseball fans who are supposed to know that it is pointless to try and spin a negative out of a slow player reaching base but not hitting 35 HRs since that’s what big slow first basemen are supposed to be doing? The idol worship of “clutch hitters” and “proven winners” isn’t exactly a proven metric for evaluating a personnel decision; nor is criticizing a legitimate skill like getting on base which a lot of players simply can’t do consistently in the majors.
I think sportwriting has a lot in common with deciphering Hieroglyphics.
The pictures are great but getting the meaning can be difficult or trying sometimes.
A blessing and a curse to be a fan of the Yankees. That really hits at the gist of it.
It IS a blessing; why else would sports journalists, trolls, and internet tough guys
invariably take on the Yankees? Because of success. Making a name for themselves
at the expense of #1. Kinda like in the Old West…. everyone came to town looking
to outdraw Wild Bill. No one ever came to town looking to outdraw Percy Postlethwaite,
the local banker. And, no tough guy ever DID outdraw Wild Bill; he was shot in the back.
Reminiscent of trolls, who talk smack behind the back what they would never say, face
to face. So, like the Jolter: Thank God for making me a fan of the Yankees.
Oh, and Betsy:
haha!
It’s easier to ignore the media when you don’t get a newspaper and when you have other things to listen to than WFAN.
I listen to MLB home plate on XM which is actually a great station. The hosts are sometimes moronic but a lot of them are former GM’s, former players, former coaches, etc. It’s really interesting to listen most of the time. I check in on WFAN as well from time to time because for all of the hate that goes Francesa’s way, he does conduct a good interview and most of the time he has fairly intelligent opinions. Other than that, I only read articles from sports writers I like and respect and the occasional decent article that the hacky writers put out.
The bottom line is, it doesn’t matter what writers say. The only thing that matters is what happens on the field and the writers have very little to do with that.
Jonny No Game,
Girardi has said a couple of times over the past few days that Thames may start tonight. He said that he kills lefties and that’s why they signed him.
I think it’s silly too; but we don’t make the decisions.
Chuck-
Don’t forget Billy the Kid. Shot in the back by the heroic Pat Garett.
crawdaddy-
thanks for that listing where the daily news does list the baseball columnists.
that’s good , but it doesn’t change the fact that no distinction is made with a sports news article and and a sports columnist article.
to clarify, with the distinctions that have been made by others on the blog, there isn’t a single baseball columnist that i want between me and my baseball.
lets face it , with the exposure to an actual game with live viewing in addition to video afterwards, we see the same thing that sportswriters see .
depending on our understanding of what we are seeing, we may or may not need to have it explained to us.
it’s a new world for reporters because we see it for ourselves. i was initially responding to many on the blog pointing out that there were a lot of negative articles about some yankee players. i ‘m really just saying that’s all they have.
they don’t have news to tell us because we’ve already seen it firsthand ourself.
i’m also pointing out that the blog has replaced to a large extent reading someone like harper. but it’s not just him. i used to buy and read 5-6 papers a day just to read yankee news. now online in the morning, i hit espn news first just to check headlines, then i move right to the lohud yankee blog.
i’ve already seen the game. i’ve already looked at video replays. i’ve looked at the boxscore.
there is nothing a baseball columnist will come up with that i won’t find on the blog because there are so many opinions expressed.
seeing the games directly is a powerful primary experience of the news. someone like harper really has a problem because he really has a difficult time adding something i don’t already know.
now he can come up with some controversial opinion as a columnist to try to get my attention, but almost always it’s already come up here on the blog.
so i guess i’m simply saying guys like harper are really on the outside trying to get into the party.
and that i’m just not very interested in them.
it’s really not a problem for me.
i was just explaining why i thought others should take what they say with a grain of salt.
I honestly don’t know why anyone would still get Yankee news from the Daily News or Post. All they give is their opinion; it’s not like they’re breaking news. And when a guy like Sherman does write the occasional article where he breaks a story, you’ll see it linked on the various blogs that I’m sure most of you read.
For the most part, guys like King and Madden write whatever they think will get the most play from the Yankee fan base….and that’s usually something negative.
Do yourselves a favor and just don’t read.
MTU – that’s a good example. Thanks!
I think John Wesley Hardin was also shot from behind.
Patrick,
I’ve given up on WFAN as well and if I’m in the car and not listening to music, I also listen to the MLB channel on XM. To me, there’s an equal respect with what the Yankees do and the Red Sox do on there that it’s never slanted one way or the other.
After listening to XM/Sirius for awhile, I can’t go back and listen to regular radio and incessant commercials and the 20/20 updates that beat death old scores and schedules 3 times an hour.
That radio format needs to be changed if it’s really going to survive. There’s no reason to listen to it, unless you have to.
Chuck-
If John Wesley Hardin was a Yankee ballplayer with that name alone you’d have to figure he be good for 50 Hrs. a year.
Randy,
Those of us that are familiar with the Daily New or NY Post, knows which of those writers are columnist or beatwriter.
Chuck, I like your Old West analogy, lol. I forget how to make that winky smiley, but either way, lock him away.
The reason I check the blogs/papers on line when I go on-line in the morning (or later on in the evening) is because I would like to read analysis of the game or read articles about the players. It’s just becoming so reactionary, however, that I don’t think I can deal with it anymore without it just driving me crazy. For my own peace of mind, I need to avoid them.
If Joe benches Granderson, it will be like the AJ/Posada thing; he’ll be starting something that he won’t be able to control. Granderson should be in against all lefties, again and again and again and again. He’s an everyday player; if they traded AJax and Kennedy to get a platoon player, than they made a mistake.
Jesse James (the real one) was also shot in the back…
If Thames plays today I think it will GGBG who sits not grandy.
“Other than that, I only read articles from sports writers I like and respect and the occasional decent article that the hacky writers put out.”
That’s my routine too. I never read Lupica for instance.
Jesse James! That’s right – thank you, Betsy.
MTU – concur. I have high hopes as well [along those lines] for Slade Heathcott
MTU (aka GBURL) April 6th, 2010 at 10:50 am
If Thames plays today I think it will GGBG who sits not grandy.
———————————
Correct.
Betsy-
“Jesse James (the real one) was also shot in the back…”
Glad you threw the qualifier in because I was about to say I hadn’t heard about it (though it wouldn’t surprise me).
Today is one of the times where it makes sense to play Thames over Gardner. LF in fenway is a joke, Thames should be able to play it without completely imploding.
Infact, I think it might make more sense to put Gardner in RF and Swisher in LF at fenway.
Oh, and on Thames/Gardy/Curtis, I concur with Betsy.
If Thames plays today, he’ll be in LF and Granderson in CF.
How else will Granderson get better against lefties, except
by actually facing them?
Well, I guess I am a Liberal because I will read those stories, opinions and junk. If it says Yankees I’m game. But like Randy, it doesn’t change my opinion of what I have seen or watched. In my 50+ years I have been a Yankee Fan every day since the age of 4. No one is going to change that! LOL! Not George S, Billy Martin, Reggie J, ARod, Jeter, Phil Linz, Yogi, Straw, Sterling, a sports writer, M Kay or a blogger. I like to ponder where these thoughts originate and what is their purpose. Sometimes it seems like sheer ego or disdain, and sometimes it feels like jealousy. But sometimes it makes me think & that is good. I like to hear all sides at least once, but when the nonsense is repeated on and on I grow weary. (Like some blog posts.)
All that said, I really enjoy the insights of this blog and the discussion. Yes I even enjoy the sabermetrics discussions. (Did I say that out loud?)
We have to understand, even though it is hard too, that some folks hate the Yankees! Some secretly want them to fail! Some wonder what it would be like if their team could surpass them (Pete?)! But the best thing I can think of is to take a positive out of all this crap we read and say how greatful we are that all Yankee news is relevant and big news. Dare I say go back to the late 60s or early 70s.
wave your hat-
i like getting as much good info as i can too.
one thing the blog does is function as an aggregator of the news . if someone somewhere puts out a good article about the yankees someone on the blog will provide a link to it.
i think chad and sam know they have a bit of a monster under them with the blog.
the blog really does do some things that replaces what old time sportswriters used to do.
i know it’s changed how i access yankee news.
the blog comes next after actually seeing the games on tv for me( and video and the box scores).
i used to read guys like gammons and olney everyday. now almost never unless someone references something they’ve written.
it’s a whole new world for baseball news.
the guys like harper are on the way out and the guys like chad or sam who are feeling out this blog thing are the ones who’ll be there when the dust settles.
if you notice, there is very little that either one says that annoys anyone. they give facts . they express opinions , but make it clear they are their opinions.
i think partially the blog has changed the way they do their reporting.
I think you have to play Thames today. It’s the whole point the guy is on the roster. He’s there to hit Lefties and playing LF in Fenway will limit his defensive ineffectiveness since it’s a small LF.
You sit Gardner, even though he had a great game offensively the other night and see what Thames is going to do in this role you gave him the roster spot to do.
And you don’t bench Granderson and turn him into a platoon player this early, otherwise it looks dumb to have traded what you traded for him in the first place.
That said, I hope Gardner gets some starts against lefties unless Thames rakes against them all year earning the spot.
Nah play Gardner tonight. Its only Game 2. Let him get some chemistry with Granderson in the outfield and play against a tough lefty. Good reward for a good night on Sunday.
RayVT, you have a strong constitution, sir!
I do more like Randy does – enjoy the game, then read the blog.
This IS a pretty good source of info [and, not always just Yankees
or baseball news; lots of pertinent breaking news gets out here
quickly. Good case in point was the recent Baja earthquake].
G. Love,
One of the only things that really bothers me about MLB home plate is that every host tends to rip Milton Bradley. Like they’ll be talking about a completely different subject and somehow tie it back to Bradley and how much of a jerk he is.
Chemistry with Granderson in the outfield? Is that a joke?
Chuck58 April 6th, 2010 at 11:07 am
LOL! I spend too much time here, but I enjoy it. I read a lot more than I post.
I am a strong fan of Posada & Cano. I am open to being wrong, as with Joe G last year & hopefully Gardner this year. I miss Damon & Matsui, but I believe NJ & CG are better and the Yanks made the right move.
i think a guy like granderson has to play almost everyday for him to do extremely well when he does face righties.
i doubt he’d have the righty numbers if he always sat against lefties.
and he’s going to have to face lefties to implement the new adjustments long has helped him with.
so i’d like to see granderson in there.
i’d also like to see thames in there to see how he handles lester and left field.
i like the idea of having gardner on the bench to pinch run and steal a base in a key moment in the latter part of the game.
gardener can’t steal first, but he can be put on first by girardi in almost every game if girardi wants.
I get much of my info via the blog as well. I often google certain players and, in so doing, I run across articles I ordinarily wouldn’t have, but a lot of times, I’ll find out about stuff here. Sam and Chad are great in many ways; one of the best is that I have no idea how they feel personally about players. It’s fine to know how they feel if they like someone, but I don’t want their dislike of a player seeping into their coverage. Clearly that happened before they took over – and I don’t feel that it’s in danger of happening again.
Granderson is the every day CF, he will play almost every game. If they take him out, the only sub is Gardner who’s also a lefty.
I think Gardner can handle the every day job, I really do think he’ll be able to get on base consistently. However, this is a game that Thames is probably the right choice. His defense doesn’t really hurt you in Fenway and Lester is a tough lefty.
randy – I absolutely agree. I’m a longtime newspaper reader – I started out reading boxscores on the back page of the Daily News, and Dick Young columns. I get Newsday and the NY Times delivered to my house, and still go there for my current events.
I get my Yankee fix from watching the games (which are all televised and replayed), and then this blog. I’ll go to the print for a Tyler Kepner, Jack Curry (when he was with the Times), or Ken Davidson in Newsday. But, like you, I find most of the name columnists are linked (Sherman, Olney, Heyman). Those who read those guys on a regular basis, I’ll bet, go to ESPN website for their sports fix, because they don’t have a place like this.
A big part of it is due to the writers. Pete did a great job getting it started. Sam and Chad bring ther own flavor, but as you say, they report objectively and give stated opinions without being offensive. They show respect for the intelligence of their readers, as opposed to going for the lowest common denominator. And they really don’t sensationalize.
Now if we could only get rid of a couple of trolls and dopes….
Girardi has his work cut out for him this year. What a difficult job. The outfield will be criticized on a daily basis, depending on the outcome of the game played the night before. Girardi is in a lose-lose situation unless the Yankees win every game, which obviously won’t happen. At some point, I would think he should be able to stick to his guns on a lineup, and say “if (player x) is healthy, he’s starting in this position.” end of story. Kind of like the infield positions, if Cano is healthy, he’s starting second base today.
It would be nice if at some point this season, there is an “A” lineup that can be used. This rotating left/center/bench mixing up will eventually, in my opinion, lead to the NY media causing drama and tension in the clubhouse, which has a trickle down affect on everything else
MTU, even though Jesse James was bad to the bone, I still think it was a cowardly act, shooting him in the back. I suppose he deserved it though, lol.
You’re welcome, Chuck!
Absolutely sit Gardner….
Print media is slowly going the way of the DoDo bird.
Too many 1′s and 0′s out there floating around.
Betsy-
Live by sword die by the ….., or is that pistol.
Well. Who knows who deserves what, eh ?
randy l -
I, too, used to comb the internet for articles on the Yankees. Now I come here and if someone links to an article that they found interesting and/or noteworthy, I’ll follow the link. I used to religiously link to Kepner’s articles, but not so much anymore now that he’s national.
Chuck 58 -
The list of news events that I’ve found out about here from a poster is pretty long. The obituaries alone, I can’t count. I don’t keep the tv or radio on in my home, so I truly appreciate the people here who not only do that, but who let us know what’s going on so we can then follow on our own.
I love that I can have a conversation about composting in the middle of a slow Yankees night, or that others can talk about their devotion to Man U (who I never even heard about before here). It’s like having a virtual water cooler around which to discuss our favorite team and whatever else we fancy (in moderation, of course).
The first time XM radio ever made a profit was December 2009. I doubt XM will ever take out free radio. Hasn’t happened with cable and tv and it ain’t happening with radio. Free is still free and people LOVE free stuff.
Exactly so, Betsy. I enjoy the impartiality that Sam and Chad display.
Patrick, if I may – maybe Inge meant that Granderson and Gardner need to play together to get used to communicating with each other, and where better than in a hostile environment such as the Fens? I’m 50-50 on playing Thames in place of Brett today; don’t really mind.
Inge, not putting words in your mouth and if my speculation is incorrect, please say so.
I pay no more attention to sportswriters and their slants on topics than I do watching the major news networks. Each has an agenda. Generally the agenda is to garner maximum interest and therefore make maximum revenue possible. None contribute to my bottom line.
I much prefer the diverse viewpoints of those on this board. Similarly, some I agree with, some I disagree with, some I’ve learned to respect – because they’ve earned it, regardless of my concurrence with their opinion.
Yanks rule! #28 Baby!
Yeah pretty serious Patrick. You know communication, calling each other off in real games, backing each other up… You know real baseball interaction.
You ever played outfield? That’s pretty important
I was just assuming Joe would give Thames a start in place of Gardner today. I think it’s too soon for Joe to consider sitting Granderson, and if Thames is going to play at all you’d think today would be a good day to do it against Lester and with a small left field.
The comment section here is the first place to look if you hear a Yankee rumor. With all the Yank fanatics posting here chances are someone will mention it quickly if there is any substance to the rumor at all.
It would be pretty awesome if Grandy can do something against a guy like Lester.
If he can hit a guy like him he can hit just about any lefty.
It’s early in the season so I’m not expecting much.
Inge, I knew what you meant right off [old-time outfielder, myself].
]
Kinda like the first coming of Brett Gardner in those days: could run like the wind,
didn’t hit for much distance but got a lot of gapper doubles and triples, stole a
bunch of bases. Sadly, had the arm of Damon
Chuck58,
You got it. Exactly what I meant.
This seems as good a time as any to post the Official Rules for 2010 Guess The Line Up. I will start accepting today’s lineup at 12:30 p.m. I will be adhering the rules – no position? I won’t count your lineup. Late entry? I won’t enter the lineup. I will notify who has entered a lineup at intervals within the entry window. If you entered a lineup and don’t see your name, let me know and I will make the adjustment.
Here goes:
GTLU Official Rules
**Please note the time changes for the 2010 season”:
1. “Guess the Line Up” will only be played during weekdays. (Weekend games may be randomly added, with advance notice given.)
2. For 7 pm or later starts, the submission window is from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm. For 1 pm starts, the submission window is from 8:30 am to 10:00 am. Any line ups posted after that will NOT be counted.
3. Once a new thread is posted, do not post your line up on an old one. It is your responsibility to check to see if your name is on the list of line ups submitted.
4. Line ups must include players and positions. Please check your line up before you post it. Incomplete line ups will not be entered. Make sure you have 9 names with positions.
5. Absolutely no revisions allowed. Check your line up before you post it.
6. If there is a revision to the lineup after a official lineup has already been posted at the Lohud Yankees Blog, any entry that matches the revised lineup will be credited with a “win.” Entries matching the original lineup will also be credited with a “win.” And Joe Girardi will be credited with a “loss.”
7. If your handle is a body part, a bodily function, or a euphemism for a body part or function, your entry will not be accepted.
8. Standings will updated weekly.
Good luck!
I can see possibly sitting Granderson argument from both sides.
On the one hand, no time like the present to see if what you’ve put in practice with K. Long is helping or what adjustments still need to be made.
On the other hand, with the game being so mental, maybe getting a little success facing a few back end of the rotation lefties first may help.
I trust Girardi knows the dynamics better than I so no whining either way from me.
Chuck,
If you could run like Gardner in the field and on the bases that’s pretty darn good. Good arms are few and far between anyway.
Doreen-
Here’s mine.
SS Jeter
DH NJ
1B Tex
3B A-Rod
2B Can do
C Posada
CF Grandy
RF Swish
LF Thames
thanks.
Doreen
Not even going to ask why rule 7 is necessary. Too funny!
“You ever played outfield? That’s pretty important”
Uh yes I have and “outfield chemistry” is fairly meaningless. At this level they all know how to call off the other guy, it’s really not that hard.. You kind of just yell “I got it!” if you are going to catch the ball!
And you are forgetting, they have played together for a month this spring. That’s where you develop “chemistry”
Patrick,
Whatever you say man.
Just want to add my three cents about reading Yankee “news”. Nobody puts a gun to anyone ‘s head to read any of the stuff. Probably the closest you’d get to reading pure objectivity would be to go to MLB.com and read the game summary. Or read the game preview. Or if you want to know what’s happening with the Yankees, go to Yankee.com and read their latest stuff. But I am a definite believer in tough love. Don’t go and comb the internet to see what you can find and then come here and cry about it. If you can’t read stuff without having it affect you in a negative way, by all means, don’t read it! I don’t bother reading any of the stuff because I personally don’t care what columnist says what or thinks what. (As if that would change my thinking anyway
) I get enough of what I need between reading here, seeing what our guys have to say, and watching games.
JMO
I don’t think much of Thames or Winn. I ‘d like to see Winn dumped & pick up Cust.
And why anyone with functioning brain cells would voraciously read about the Yankees KNOWING that they are a lightning rod and the team everyone loves to hate, and then get upset about what they read, is beyond me. It does not compute.
Ok inge thanks boss
No doubt. It’s all good.
Gardner starts today. Girardi’s just dropping hints to mess up GTLU.
Doreen,
GTLU Entry:
SS Jeter
DH NJ
1B Tex
3B Arod
2B Cano
C Posada
CF Granderson
RF Swisher
LF Gardner
Thank you
MTU -
NO!!!!!
I’m not accepting lineups until 12:30 (unless you know you are not going to be here between 12:30 and 3:00 today).
This is not spring training GTLU anymore.
pat -
That was Erica’s rule and I saw no reason to change it.
Doreen-
I won’t be here.
Never said XM radio was going to “take out” free radio. My point was that “free radio” needs to change it’s format if it wants to increase ratings and ad sales. It’s really hard to listen to as a program right now with the current format.
3 20 minute updates an hour are not needed in this day and age. People walk around with phones that can give them that info on demand.
Free radio also need to shorten the commercial breaks since it’s almost 30 minutes of commercials and needless updates and maybe 30 minutes of actual programming an hour.
Free radio ratings have gone down significantly. It’s not because of satellite, it’s because of commercials and the availability of the info on demand for people.
After 1 game, Brett Gardner is definitely not the Yankees main issue right now. The pen is. They will score runs and Gardner wil get used to LF, but i am starting to think that Joba Chamberlain needs to take a trip back to AAA. I just dont get the feeling he really cares right now. There just isnt the intensity he has when he came up. it isnt even about the fastball speed. If he cannot handle the pressures that go with NY, he could be the cog in our annual Trade dealine deal for whatever we really need.
SS Jeter
DH Nick the Quick
1B Tex
3B A-Rod
2B Can(you hustle???)o
C Hip Hip Jorge!
LF Thames
RF Swish
CF Grandy
I think Girardi likes speed @ the bottom of the lineup.
My 1st GTLU submission!
I come here for Muppet updates and for Doreen’s cooking advice.
Doreen-
Sadly, you have just learned the first mistake of hosting GTLU.
As soon as you mention GTLU people will start posting their line ups the rest of the day no matter how many times you tell them to stop in giant capital letters.
Its kind of like screaming into a vacuum
MaineYankee April 6th, 2010 at 11:58 am
I come here for Muppet updates and for Doreen?s cooking advice.
************
Don’t we all!!!
i think early on gardner will get the chance against lefties. interesting guess but i am going with the A lineup:
SS Jeter
DH NJ
1B Tex
3B A-Rod
2B Cano
C Posada
CF Granderson
RF Swish
LF Gardner
Betsy
How do you do the evil grin….
:evilgrin: test1
Erica -
Yup. Saw and will not make the same mistake twice!
(So, because it was my mistake, I have accepted the early lineups today.)
SS Jeter
DH Nick J.
1B Tex
3B A-Rod
2B Cano
C Jorge
CF Granderson
RF Swish
LF Gardner
Why in the world would Girardi change the lineup after it produced 7 runs on Sunday? Especially with the bottom of the order making things happen. Thames spilts against Lefties are not better than they are against Righties….
pat-
Number 7 became a rule when someone with the handle “i farted” started playing.
I felt like a jerk when I started saying “I farted” was in GTLU. And then people started making fun of me so saying “I farted”.
So I thought it was a really good rule
Doreen-
LOL. If you can’t beat them, join them!!!
I used to repost the rules like two minutes before I was ready to host the game for that reason. And once people start seeing others post line ups it snowballs out of control
Unfortunately, people don’t realize that if you accepted line ups all day long you would be virtually chained to your computer
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports.....Kh7aD6uk7K
Wow, George King…Joe’s comments about Phil last year had to do with last year. Given how the Yankees think he’s a top of the rotation starter (none of this #3 stuff), um now – they don’t regret it a bit. I won’t even comment on his #s starting vs. relieving.
Yes, I know I just posted an article after saying I was going to ignore sportswriters, but ……well, ok, I’m not perfect, lol.
:evillaugh:
If the baseball gods exist, please let them grant Phil Hughes some excellent starts in the next 2 months so I don’t have to read trash about HUGHES TO DA PEN for all eternity, amen.
[test]
“i think a guy like granderson has to play almost everyday for him to do extremely well when he does face righties.”
Probably some truth in this. If you look at his signature season of 2007, he hit quite poorly against left handed pitching, yet had enough in him to record nearly 85 extra base hits and a .300 average. That season was probably the exception rather than the rule for Granderson, but there’s no evidence in any season that his struggles against lefties have carried over to his PA’s against right handers.
Is there any word on plans for opening day?
Jerkface, it is just George King, but that’s one of the worst articles I have ever read in my life. The idea that he’s reading something into Joe’s comments about Phil being in the pen last year is ridiculous. The idea that he’s writing this article after one game is ridiculous. The idea that he said Phil is not a failed starter and then proceeded to explain why he doesn’t deserve another chance as a starter is ridiculous. I think George should watch the Joe Girardi show where he explained why he thinks Phil can be a very good starter. It’s pretty clear the Yankees are very high on Phil…AS a starter. Regrets? I don’t think so. Also, I’m with you….I’m praying to the baseball gods that Phil is decent on the 15th and shows flashes of his immense promise. I’m not expecting greatness yet, but heavens -even that wouldn’t satisfy King.
jerkface, there’s something freeing in not listening to anything you don’t want to.
When the Joba to the rotation/Joba in the pen was going on, I absolutely skipped the whole thing.
****************
MTU, Fran is absolutely fine with having you join us if things get too testy here. This is what she said. “Don’t care if others join us as long as they stay positive. I mean we can disagree and say the Yanks made a bad play,etc. but no bridge jumpers in the 1st inning!!”
I’ll tell you something kind of funny. During the postseason (I think it was only the postseason, don’t remember if we did it in the regular season) Fran and I somehow ended up eating the same thing for dinner that day and the Yankees won the game. So you know that from that day on, we only ate (as it turned out) hamburger. And we had to eat it during the game. The next series we agreed on chicken. Of course we are NOT superstitious! So I think you might also have to agree to our menu. But if it means the Yankees win, I’m sure you’d do it!
Those of you who follow Yankees’ writers on Twitter, would any of you hazard a guess as to which writer is usually first to post the lineup on Twitter?
Chuck
How’d u do that?!?!
Oh yeah, I will repeat the limb I’ve gone out on and say that I believe AJ will pitch fine and the Yankees will win tonight’s game.
the only thing im worried about is jobas velocity. I have a feeling robertson will take over the eight inning role by October. Not worried about Marte or Park.
Trisha -
It’s fun to do superstition-oriented things, ESPECIALLY if you’re not particularly superstitious! (‘Cause then you can laugh at yourself.
) During the playoffs I did the cookie thing. It was fun to have a game routine. But I don’t think I could pull something like that off for an entire season!
CR9 – all you have to do is mouse over the image and you will see the code.
Doreen, I think it was really only in the postseason. And I was probably poking fun at myself saying we weren’t superstitious because in reality, I definitely know I am. Did I think bad things clould happen if we didn’t eat the agreed-upon food? Oh yeah.
trish – I’m using IE8 or Firefox and it doesn’t do that
:petergammons: test for evil grin, lol
Doreen – 2010 GTLU April 6th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Trisha -
It?s fun to do superstition-oriented things, ESPECIALLY if you?re not particularly superstitious! (?Cause then you can laugh at yourself. ) During the playoffs I did the cookie thing. It was fun to have a game routine. But I don?t think I could pull something like that off for an entire season!
*************
Doreen-
I think you should make cookies all season long. And give them to me.
Thank you
“I don’t think much of Thames or Winn. I ‘d like to see Winn dumped & pick up Cust.”
He may have HR power but didn’t Cust bat somewhere below .220? Doesn’t anybody remember Jason Giambi? Cust would be like Giambi but with less of a chance he’ll get on base by a walk. At least those other guys won’t embarrass themselves playing defense.
**************
I think Matsui will have a good year in Anaheim. He’ll play some D and do better than we’d have thought he would. He won’t be what he use to be on D but he’ll be adequate when his knees let him.
Hopefully NJ can hit and maybe he’ll be available at least as much as Matsui in ‘knee surgery recovery mode’ the last 2 years. If it turns out NJ is more brittle and Matsui’s in better condition than he was last year, then Matsui would have been the better option for DH. Cash doesn’t have a crystal ball but neither do I. NJ is a good hitter and has a good patient eye, but my gut would have been to stick with Matsui at DH and let him play the field a little.
CR, here it is, with spaces between the colons – remove the colons and it should make the smiley….
: twisted :
Erica,
Trisha -
Well, perhaps I sometimes am too.
In 2007, for Christmas, my husband got me a “yankee blankie” and I love it. I am always chilly, but won’t turn down the A/C, so I used that blanket all summer in 2008 while watching Yankee games. I didn’t last year. I bet you can guess what I’ll do this year!
The Yankees don’t have any “problems” right now.
WAY too much is being made out of one game.
The lineup isn’t a problem. The staff isn’t a problem. The bench isn’t a problem. The bullpen isn’t a problem.
NO team has “problems” after one game.
Get back to me after 25 games and then we can discuss “problems”.
Let the season breathe people! Don’t get caught up in the results of one game or one week of play.
Haven’t we learned anything from last year?
I love how one game into the season has guys like Buster Olney bad mouthing Posada’s glove and other yahoos immediately pointing fingers at NJ and Grandy for the loss. Or making a big deal out of Girardi possibly leaving CC in too long.
Give me a break…its the first game of the season. I hate losing to Boston but trying to point fingers of blame is absurd.
Even if Boston swept us this series, I wouldn’t be concerned in the least. Looong season.
That game Sunday was a typical Boston vs. NYY early season matchup. Some poor pitching, high scoring, blah blah blah.
Doreen, we were serious as rain about consuming the agreed-upon food, and it had to be during the game!
It sounds funny to me now, but when we were doing it, we did it with a regimented seriousness!!!
I know I have blamed myself for Yankee losses if I forgot to put my Yankee hat on the side of the entertainment center where it always sat during games. When I moved I broke the habit. Now I just believe they are going to win when they need to win. But with the postseason, well we felt we needed to provide a little help on the side.
I just realized something!!!
I never took Yankee Snoopy out of his winter hibernation!!!
He has to take his Yankee couch viewing spot. That’s why they lost the other night!!
Trisha –
Indeed!
Peter Gammons is
Randy Winn is a better player than Jack Cust. Cust has no role on the Yankees.
Not every player that gets cut from other teams should be acquired by the Yankees.
LOL
Thanks Chuck!!!!!!
I will now be accepting lineups for Guess The Line Up until 3 p.m. Remember to make sure you have 9 players with their positions, and remember, once a new thread goes up, I won’t accept lineups on this one.
Good Luck!
I should say wanted to provide a little help, not needed to provide a little help!
****************
“Give me a break?its the first game of the season. I hate losing to Boston but trying to point fingers of blame is absurd.
Even if Boston swept us this series, I wouldn?t be concerned in the least. Looong season.
That game Sunday was a typical Boston vs. NYY early season matchup. Some poor pitching, high scoring, blah blah blah.”
YOU GO MAD PRINCE!
SJ, people are still at it??? Mama mia, I didn’t read through the posts, just the beginning posts, and it seemed that it was about reading the newspaper for Yankee news.
I give you credit for having the energy to remain rational and dispense the same (what should be totally unnecessary) advice…
Cust fills no need the Yankees have. Winn fills several.
jeter ss
johnson dh
tex 1b
arod 3b
cano 2b
posada c
thames lf
swisher rf
granderson cf
GTLU entry…
Jeter – 6
Johnson – DH
Teixeira – 3
Rodriguez – 5
Cano – 4
Posada – 2
Granderson – 8
Swisher – 9
Thames – 7
George King is
:twisted
Erica and Doreen –
LMAO!!!!!
Blankie and Snoopy, front and center!!!
Mad, just wait until after tonight’s game if AJ doesn’t pitch well. I’ve lost all respect for Buster Olney in the last couple of weeks…
I know that the Matsui/NJ comparisons are inevitable, but you all need to accept that Matsui is gone, plays for one of our enemies, and ain’t coming back.
Let it go. Embrace the team you have and trust that Girardi and Cashman will maximize the production of the squad we have. Matsui is an ANGEL…you realize that he plays for one of our biggest rivals, right? He is great, I love him, love what he did in NY, but he is now a sworn enemy.
Jeter SS
Johnson DH
Tex 1B
A-Rod 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Granderson CF
Swisher RF
GGBG LF
Insanity is hereditary.
My daughter insisted the Yankees won more when I wore a grey shirt when they were on the road and a white one when they were home.
An extra load of laundry a day is a small price to pay for a WS win.
SS Jeter
DH NJ
1B Tex
3B Arod
2B Cano
C Posada
LF Thames
RF Swisher
CF Granderson
Trisha and I were serious about our superstitions because one time we deviated from our menu and the Yanks lost.
Betsy
You are officially banned from non-work related googling for the next 24 hours.
It’s for your own good!
Hi Doreen,
No Thames tonight…
SS Jeter
DH Nick J.
1B Tex
3B A-Rod
2B Cano
C Jorge
CF Granderson
RF Swish
LF Gardner
SS Jeter
DH Johnson
1B Teixeira
3B Rodriguez
2B Cano
C Posada
CF Granderson
RF Swisher
LF Gardner
Thanks
http://yankeesgameday.blogspot.....ut-aj.html
Tonight’s game is incredibly important for the team’s success the rest of the week because if AJ melts down early again and the bullpen has to pitch deep into this game we are staring at another potential Yankee loss tonight and we’re set up to lose the next game as well because Pettite is at most a five inning pitcher now.
pat April 6th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Insanity is hereditary
———————————————————————————————————————-
I have always heard that. Parents inherit their insanity from their kids.
Game is in the bag, I wore my lucky Bernie Williams Tee under a dress shirt for work today.
Thanks Doreen
How are you holding up so far?
Pat, lol…..the googling isn’t the problem, it’s me not having enough will power to resist the lure of these stupid articles. Of course, I had no idea it was a George King article.
George King’s article wasn’t total rubbish. It’s natural to think that Hughes would be just as good (or better with the changeup) in the setup role.
I think if Joba was back to form, Aceves was able to stay healthy, or if Sergio proved to be more than a ST mirage then he’d definitely have a case.
But, I think (and SJ’s mentioned this, too) that the plan all along was to develop Hughes as a starter. Sooner, rather than later.
More than a few of us are anxious to see what, if anything, carries over from his near brilliant stint in the pen.
“I have always heard that. Parents inherit their insanity from their kids.”
LOL
Betsy,
I still enjoy a lot of what Olney writes and I won’t pretend that Posada is as good of a catcher as he once was, but you’re right about tonight. People overreact to certain things, there will be cliff jumpers on this blog and its just absurd in general. Its April 6th for crying out loud!
Needless to say, I am excited and elated and not the least bit concerned about the Yankees.
Doreen,
Here is my line up:
Derek SS
Johnson DH
Tex 1B
Alex 3B
Robbie 2B
Jorge C
Curtis CF
Swish RF
Thames LF
Thanks for hosting
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Johnson DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher RF
Brett Gardner LF
Doreen, thanks for hosting.:)
Erica -
So far, so good.
Liking the lineup variety.
pat,
Can I nominate you as the unofficial caption contest hostess? Ball Don’t Lie (nba site) has some great ones at times. I was thinking of suggesting it to Chad. But he’s probably a little busy.
It doesn’t have to be all the time, but since you have a knack for finding good shots, it might be fun all around.
Tonight?s game is incredibly important for the team?s success the rest of the week because if AJ melts down early again and the bullpen has to pitch deep into this game we are staring at another potential Yankee loss tonight and we?re set up to lose the next game as well because Pettite is at most a five inning pitcher now.
–
At most? Like the best we can hope for is 5 innings? Andy averaged 6 innings last season. And the season before that. And the season before that.
He averaged 6 innings in the playoffs.
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Johnson DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher RF
Brett Gardner LF
Thanks for hosting, Doreen!!!!
M, I don’t agree. Any talented pitcher would do very well in the set-up role. I don’t think he’d have a case anyway as Phil was the crown jewel for a long time and was never looked at as anything but a starter. Why should his development depend on Joba or Mitre or Aceves (those last two should never have anything to do with it)?
Mad, I gave up on Buster after he wrote that AJ and Jorge should never work together again. Tonight’s not going to be pretty if AJ doesn’t pitch well and it won’t necessarily have to do with his “relationship” with Jorge.
Haven’t we decided that every game is important?
I had no idea Andy could only throw 5 innings..did the Yankees consider this before signing him? Wow, you learn something new every day I guess.
Doreen
SS the Captain
DH Nick the quick
1B Tex
3B Alex
2B RISP Robbie
C Posada
CF Granderson
RF Swish
LF Thames
thanks
I have the following people so far who have entered lineups:
MTU (aka GBURL)
Jonny No Game
Joekuh – 0-1, 161 to go!
tex’s friend
Tony
YankeeRay
rodg12
Erica
RayVT
Patrick from CT
Erin
Fran (the original)
Dave F
CR9
If you have entered a lineup and don’t see your name, please let me know.
Thank you!
Betsy,
I see your point. But if there was a better starter than Phil, they’d be starting. Right?
If Joba was Joba 2008, and there was only one spot available, guess who’s starting?
We’ve seen that the Yankees have no qualms about detours with these kids. Not a big deal. Unless Phil phails, he’s starting.
New Post: Burnett returning to Fenway
“An extra load of laundry a day is a small price to pay for a WS win.
”
I don’t think this game is important at all for different reasons.
It was explained to many of us the other day that Sunday’s game was a “must win” game.
Since the Yankees didn’t win it, why is tonight’s game important? The season is already over.
Its like Duane Thomas, the former Dallas Cowboys RB in the 70′s once said about the Super Bowl when he was asked if its the “biggest game ever”, he said, “If its the biggest game ever, how come they play it every year”?
You will never get rid of the football mentality many of the children bring to this blog when discussing Yankee Baseball.
They believe every game is “must win” and they believe any loss can spiral into 15 game losing streaks.
Its just how they roll.
new thread
Burnett returns to Fenway!
No more lineups on this thread!
As for the writers, Harper, Lupica, Big Wallace Matthews et. al., the tests for me are the same ones I use to evaluate any opinion. For example, is there an adequate factual basis for the opinion? Is the opinion drawn from those facts in a logical way, with reasonable inferences, or is it relying too much on speculation and prejudice and has veered off the path? Is some motive or world view influencing or shading that opinion?
Some folks here don’t believe that anyone can criticize or evaluate the quality of another opinion. That’s just infantile. Even when the writer has the most sincere of motives, some opinions are better constructed than others, less speculative, more persuasive and objective and better able to withstand careful scrutiny. Sorry, but some opinions really are “better” than others.