Pregame notes: Bullpen availability
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes on Apr 07, 2010 
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There are two Yankees relievers whose availability was questionable tonight.
Chan Ho Park sat out last night’s game because he had been sick the day before, but he’s available again tonight.
“That little flu has been kind of a two-day thing for everybody,” Joe Girardi said.
Joba Chamberlain is less likely to get in tonight’s game. Chamberlain threw more than 30 pitches in Sunday’s season opener, then he pitched again last night.
“I’m not afraid for him to go back-to-back at this point,” Girardi said. “But I’m not real comfortable – depending on how he feels – with him going three out of four days yet.”
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• The Yankees have held David Ortiz hitless through the first two games. “We have a plan of how to approach him,” Girardi said. “That doesn’t always mean you’re going to be able to execute every pitch. So far, we’ve done a pretty good job against him.”
• Girardi as able to pinpoint the exact day Robinson Cano became a better No. 5 hitter: “It really started with about two weeks to go in spring training,” Girardi said. “His approach got a lot better. It was after the game that he faced Brett Myers in Kissimmee, he’s done everything that you’d want from a fifth hitter… The patience. Getting your pitch. If they’re not going to throw you a pitch to hit, you might have to let the next guy do it. He’s been extremely selective.”
• Cool Girardi quote about Cano: “Robbie Cano is a guy I always thought wanted to be great.”
• Despite his strange spring training when he was rained out over and over again, Andy Pettitte will be on pretty much the same sort of pitch limit as the other Yankees starters. Girardi said Pettitte would be able to throw about 100 pitches. “I really liked what I saw from Andy in the games he pitched,” Girardi said. “I thought he threw the ball really well.”
• The Yankees made their claim of Chad Huffman official. He’s been optioned to Triple-A. Baseball America ranked Huffman as the Padres’ No. 21 prospect. The magazine acknowledged his power but said he’s pull-happy and has trouble with offspeed pitches. He was labeled an “adequate” defender. “He looks like a future regular on his best days and a part-timer on his worst,” BA wrote.
• Huffman played football at Texas Christian: “I know he can throw a football,” Girardi said. “But we have to see about a baseball.”
That’s an Associated Press photo taken after the last out on Tuesday.
Patrick April 7th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Erica,
Damn you?re ahead of me again. What the hell? Heath Bell got you 9.5 points?
***************
I know!! I was so in love with Heath Bell when I saw that he earned a save this morning.
The Yankees are bringing Lackey down tonight!!!!
And I have the mighty Pavano pitching…. so anything can happen. LOL
RayVT April 7th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
If you can’t play a real sport, play soccer.
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I know this is a joke, but people severely underestimate the amount of physical contact there is in competitive soccer matches.
Patrick April 7th, 2010 at 5:25 pm
It isn?t fair. But if a team owner really wanted to win he could sell part or all of his team to someone that could compete. (Or even move) There are billionaires wanting to be owners. Some actually are owners yet don?t spend the money. These owners are caught trying to hold onto more profits at the expense of their team?s success. George was nor isn?t the richest owner. Ted Turner made Atlanta relevant out of his own pocket. Face it MLB is a club and the commisioner & his crew are only in it for a large return on their investment. All the books are closed and it is a monopoly. But in most businesses if you aren?t successful you lose. In MLB you can ride the coatails of the others.
Snyder, Jones, Mavs owner, Trump etc would love to own a MLB team but they aren?t allowed in the club!
Pat M, thanks! FYI, I’m very relaxed – I’m not worried about Phil at all.
Chad, thanks! That is a cool quote from Joe about Cano; well, if Cano wants to be great, he will as he’s the only one standing in his way.
Huffman sounds like a decent pickup; you find enough of these guys and hope one of them will stick.
I would not pitch Joba tonight no matter what…no need to push him.
Erica,
It’s going to be really hard to root for Beckett, Lackey and Martinez this year. I don’t think I can do it.
I’m glad I don’t have Papelbon or Youkilis on the team, although Beckett is almost in my top 3 most hated Red Sox so it’s almost as bad
LGY – Child Prodigy/GB7′s Bestest Buddy April 7th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
LOL! I played center halfback in college. I know what you are talking about! LOL!
Agreed.
Soccer rocks. Physical sport for sure.
RayVT,
It’s unfair to expect owners to pay out of their own pockets to win championships. Trust me this argument is tough for me to make because I love the Yankees and I’m all about capitalism but the simple fact is, the Yankees have an unfair advantage.
Patrick
I also think that the cost of living is a huge factor in NY cost for players as well. It cost a tremendous amount more to live in the city/suburbs of NY than KC or Cincy. Also, the taxes are huge. So there isn’t a one size fits all number.
Patrick April 7th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Erica,
It?s going to be really hard to root for Beckett, Lackey and Martinez this year. I don?t think I can do it.
I?m glad I don?t have Papelbon or Youkilis on the team, although Beckett is almost in my top 3 most hated Red Sox so it?s almost as bad
***************
I hear you. I took Pedroia. And I have Pavano of all people going for me tonight.
Fantasy baseball makes strange bedfellows.
But I really hope we crush Lackey
“Alex has become just a simple hitter with amazing results”
Pat,
It’s still early – but there are parallels between what Long did with both Alex and Swisher.
The changes in Swisher are even more dramatic because Alex was obviously already great.
That game Swisher had at the plate last night – that was something else.
The guy worked the count relentlessly. Saw 30 pitches. Didn’t K once despite working deep counts. That last at bat where he kept fouling off pitches – very impressive given he got stuck in a two strike count off a terrible call. Last year he strikes out after that. No way I can see him fouling off pitch after pitch with that long swing.
Two opposite field hits from different sides of the plate in the same game. That second was a laser off the monster.
He just had such an ugly swing last year. It was painful to watch, it had so many holes in it, especially when he got out of wack and in one of those extended ruts.
I hope he can stick with what he’s doing. He’s so much shorter to the ball – but still very strong, strong enough to still drive the ball, even to the opposite field.
Nick said something very telling yesterday in the post game. He said that on that first hit when he went the opposite way to RF he felt that he had swung “late” on the ball and was surprised to get a hit.
That really opened my eyes because Swisher in fact wasn’t “late” on the pitch. It was on the outside half and he waited on the ball appropriately to take it the other way.
But subjectively he felt “late.” I just got the sense that Swisher wasn’t used to being able to let the ball travel so deep into the zone. And that may have been because with that long hack there’s no way to let the ball travel deep. Which of course is why Swisher was poor against off speed pitches – especially in the playoffs.
Patrick,
I simply tire of the “they’re a small market team” excuse. As RayVT pointed out, not all owners are created equal. If there is no directive as to how much of a percentage of your earnings need to be funneled back into a team, and if every owner has a choice about whether or not they want to reinvest in their team, and if not every owner owns a team because of the competition but rather because it’s a cool thing to own, why is it unfair that the Yankees do whatever it is they do, so long as they’re playing by the rules as put down by MLB which is a two-faced monster both criticizing the Yankees, yet gladly taking their money.
Erica and Patrick,
I didn’t draft any Red Sox so I don’t have to root for them!
RayVT
Also a good point about the cost of living in NY area.
Fran (the original) April 7th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Erica and Patrick,
I didn?t draft any Red Sox so I don?t have to root for them!
********************
LOL- good thinking.
I noticed your team had a VERY good night
Ray,
haha. It really is funny how many Americans perceive soccer. It really is a very physical sport when you get beyond the youth leagues.
That said, I love playing, but I cannot stay awake with a soccer game on TV.
“Cool Girardi quote about Cano: “Robbie Cano is a guy I always thought wanted to be great.””
Remarkable who different the manager’s perception of Cano is compared to so many yankee fans who are constantly tagging Cano as “lazy.”
The season before last one of the most frequent subjects of comment here was about how Cano was “lazy” and a “dog” and that the yankees had to dump him.
CB,
I wanted to get your thoughts on Joba last night. I saw a fired up IN THE ZONE bulldog ala 97. What did you think of the performance and do you think he can revert back to the intimidating flame thrower(topped at 96 yesterday)with buckling secondary pitches we were accustomed to seeing a couple years back?
Doreen,
In response to your reply from the last thread.
I’m not saying the Yankees are breaking any rules, they don’t (as far as I know). I’m saying the rules themselves are wrong. I can’t tell you if a salary cap and floor will solve the problem, but I think it needs to be looked at. I mean come on, how can you tell me that the Marlins and the Yankees are on equal playing fields? They aren’t.
By the way, I just read today that 81% of world series winners had a higher than average payroll. There is a high correlation between winning and payroll.
Unfortunately this is all hypothetical because the baseball players association is the strongest union in the country and there is no way they will ever allow a cap/floor.
Patrick,
Yankees have an advantage because George invested his own money into it. He built the Yankees as we know it. He took great risks but he was a smart Businessman. The Yes network was a thing of beauty. So is the new stadium.
The Cowboys are doing the same thing in football in Dallas. Oh yeah, football has a salary cap. (wink wink)
The fact is that most owners are cheap. They could get the return on their investments if they really wanted too. Teams like the Marlins & Pirates spending is worse than the Yankees. Pirate fans are frustrated at zip for a team. Suppose the Pirates sold off 49% of the team to Snyder for $600M and gave him 1st right of refusal on ownership. What I’m saying is the owners act like they are endowed to be kings. That is crap in my book!
Lastly, most of the Yankee salary is on retention of their players. Go figure!
John Lackey gets his introduction to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry Wednesday, and there is one Yankee in particular who probably wishes he?d go back to Anaheim. Alex Rodriguez is a .176 career hitter against Lackey, his worst batting average against anyone he has faced 50 times. He is just one for his last 22 against Lackey, including 11 strikeouts. A-Rod has 1,739 strikeouts in his career, but no pitcher is responsible for more of them than Lackey. The two have faced each other 61 times. Rodriguez has struck out 23 times
http://insider.espn.go.com/blo.....st?id=1859
Well, Cano deserved his benching in 2008…
What do you think is the chance of us winning going against Lackey?
I’m guessing 25% or so, since Andy is always shaky at best at Fenway.
Erica,
I actually don’t mind Pavano as much as other Yankee fans. Don’t hate me, but I wanted the Yanks to trade for him last year. Cashman nearly did it too, but apparently the players/coaches were really opposed to the move so he didn’t go through with it.
Any Early trouble tonight ( I actually think Andy will pitch pretty well) I’m sure will See MEAT-TRAY serving it up….
The Yanks have an unfair advantage? Precisely why they have won the WS every year since the turn of the century.
Sure the yankees have to pay more for equal talent. It costs more to play in NY. The media beats you to death. The fan base is relentless. If Im worth 10 mil per. I’m going to get more or I don’t play for the Yankees.
Id bet that is a prevalent mind set for those who play or have the opp to play for NY.
“That’s not a conspiracy theory, that’s a theory.
It is you who apparently needs a dictionary to look up the term “conspire”. ”
LOL
conspire….definition
To join or act together….Is there not more than 1 decision making person at YES?
To plan or plot secretly….That’s what you implied the other day.
Couldn’t YES just want Bill O’Reilly on Centerstage for his popularity?
LGY – Child Prodigy/GB7′s Bestest Buddy April 7th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
I watched the last World Cup with some Czech & German friends of mine. I like all sports. I love baseball though!! LOL!
Thank god Cashman didn’t do that – he’s the GM, but he’s not in the clubhouse all the time. I would have spit fire if the Yankees had reacquired him; I will never forgive him for lying about his car accident.
The best thing about soccer is the soccer moms. Back when we were young and single of course.
Patrick April 7th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Erica,
I actually don?t mind Pavano as much as other Yankee fans. Don?t hate me, but I wanted the Yanks to trade for him last year. Cashman nearly did it too, but apparently the players/coaches were really opposed to the move so he didn?t go through with it.
***************
I figured I’d be okay since Pavano is in a contract year
@ Patrick…why do the Yankees and Marlins need to have the same payroll? The Marlins are in the NL, so the Yankees have little impact on their ability to compete. Baseball is thriving, so there is no need to make drastic changes. By the way, did you know that Forbes estimates that the Marlins made a $50mn profit in 2008?
Ortiz against Pettitte: 18 of 49, 7 extra-base hits, 7 walks. .367/.431/.551
Lowell against Pettitte: 10 of 29, 1 extra-base hit, 5 walks, .345/.429/.379
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Looks like a long, long night for Andy.
(Or maybe a rather short one.)
How many would still unload Cano for Matt Kemp right about now?
Ray,
You’re right but not every owner can do what George did. You could invest all the money you want into a team like the Brewers and they will never become as big as the Yankees. New York is the biggest media market in the country and has an incredible fanbase. You can’t build something like that out in Milwaukee.
Big market teams should prosper because they are big, but on the business side. Not on the field of play.
CB, I had a coach ( Pete Ward ) who was on Bobby Cox’s staff who doubled as our hitting instructor….And he had this soft toss drill where he blacked out half the baseball, and would toss the ball at least 10 feet and you had to keep your hands back until the very last moment before striding into the ball……He’d preach having quiet hands and keeping them back and locked….It worked, it was hard and your only seeing 1/2 a baseball…..20 years later when I played my one and only year of slow-pitch softball, I always remembered that drill resulting in long drives with great back spin……..
Soccer dudes, some of the craziest action you could experience is playing in goal in indoor soccer. Futbol rapido, eh? One game, I suffered two broken ribs from a high knee, stayed in and lost, 16-14. Whew….
Erica,
My team did have a good night Robbie and Mariano certainly helped
California April 7th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
What do you think is the chance of us winning going against Lackey?
I’m guessing 25% or so, since Andy is always shaky at best at Fenway.
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Perhaps a little investigation would enlighten you.
Pettitte’s numbers are exactly what his career numbers at Fenway….15 starts and a 7-3 record with a 3.90 ERA, 68 strikeouts, 31 walks and 4 homers allowed. That’s pretty damned impressive for a left hander in Fenway.
“By the way, did you know that Forbes estimates that the Marlins made a $50mn profit in 2008?”
And what was the Marlins gross revenue compared to the Yankees?
Lets say the Marlins spend that $50 million and end up with an $80 million payroll every year. Are you telling me they would make the playoffs 13 years in a row like the Yankees? They would still be at a disadvantage.
Once again, 81% of world series winners had an above average payroll. I think that pretty much proves that payroll has a high correlation with winning.
That’s in 90 innings.
How about we play the game and see what happens?
Erica
I have a friend who I pay per each drafted Red Sox player.
All his players get injured or play really badly.
He’s had Dikembe Mutombo with his malaria.
Chris Simms with his spleen.
Peter Forsberg when he lost his spleen.
Chris Henry, who unfortunately died.
Nomar, the year he missed most of the year with a wrist injury.
He’s had many more significant injuries, those are the most notable ones.
I grew up with Chad Huffman down in Texas. I think to say he is an adequate fielder is very generous. He definitely was never known for his glove work. He does have alot of raw power though. He is still relatively young (24 years old). He won the Triple AAA homerun derby last season as well. He is coming from San Diego so I am sure Kevin Towers had alot to do with this move. I would say this is a solid pick up for the Yankees. He will hit a good amount of homeruns in Triple AAA this season and bat in the area of .275. As far as helping the Yankees at some point, he would be a solid DH with the ability to play a little bit of right field. With Posada potenitally needing to DH and Nick Johnson being signed for two years I don’t see a spot for him.
Oh, and I pay him not to draft any Yankees!!
Patrick April 7th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
I like your style! MB could be a tremendous marketing machine. They could start their own network and have Dish show all their games. They could have a super field with a retractable dome and tie it to their enormous world-class mall. They could work out deals with the airlines for cheap flights to Minn.
The fact is it may be tougher, but it really isn’t. Of all the Xerox salesmen in the world, a guy from Lynchburg VA was #1 in sales for 3 years in a row. Yep! Over NY, London, Paris, Tokyo, etc. You just got to think big & outside the box. Now if George had bought the Indians, we’d be talking about how wonderful they were instead of the Yankees.
Patrick,
Maybe not as big as the Yankees. But they can get theirs. The Dallas Mavericks were the Clippers part deux before Cuban purchased the franchise. I heard that he would send people to clubs and hand out free tickets to the hottest looking girls. His thought was if people watching the game on television see so many hot women. They would flock in. He also made it one of the best facilities for players. So he can have an easier time luering them in. He even changed the uni’s to something fresher. NOW, he’s got one of the best teams and is packed on home games. Might not be equal to the Celts or Lakers. But close enough.
@Patrick
If the Marlins spend up to an $80mn payroll, there is no reason why they can’t compete every year in the NL. Will they make the playoffs every year? No, but why should they. After all, if you had complete parity, no team would theoretically make the playoffs every year anyway.
You also need to study the difference between correlation and causation. Do winning teams have higher payrolls because they win, or do they win because they have higher payrolls. The answer is not as simple as you seem to think.
Of course, you still haven’t addressed the main point: baseball is as successful as it has ever been, so why change anything?
Soccer referees are very easily influenced and it is partly their fault and partly the nature of the game. It is very easy to get a ref on your side and even easier if a huge home crowd is on your side as well.
Almost every important call they make is extremely arbitrary. They have extreme discretion with fouls and handing out cards in particular. There is not really set standards of physical contact like say football for example so it is often just about the ref’s judgement if you “crossed the line.” The game is also very much on the fly as the action very rarely stops so it is hard to judge if a guy really took a cheap shot or he was just running really fast so a slight bump looked a lot worse than it actually was. There is of course some basic guidelines and “no no’s” but a lot of foul calls could really go either way. Factor in whether it should be a direct kick or indirect kick, a warning, a yellow card, a red card, etc. and there is a lot of gray area and just human judgments being made.
Also, it is very easy to disguise a foul in both directions. It is very easy to really elbow a guy, step on him, grab his you know what, etc without the ref seeing. There are tons of offenses every game the ref does not see. On the other side it is very easy to take a dive or make a slight bump look very violent.
Factor in an extremely violent crowd and a soccer ref’s job is very difficult and can honestly really cheat you. CR9 is really not being a crazed conspiracy theorist right now. What he is saying is very possible and probably realistic.
Cool Girardi quote about Cano: “Robbie Cano is a guy I always thought wanted to be great.”
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I love this quote
YankeesWFAN Yanks are only 6-20 vs BOS at Fenway in April games since 2001.
YankeesWFAN Elias: Last nite was 6th time in last 9 seasons Yanks beat Red Sox and scored the GW run on RBI-walk.
Ray,
The difference is, you can sell Xerox’s from anywhere and ship them to wherever you want. You can’t import fans.
S.o.S.,
Do the Mavericks really display the same dominance as the Yankees? If there was no salary cap and Cuban could act like Steinbrenner 2.0 I’m sure they would be but right now, no way.
S.o.S-
The only thing funnier than those trade Cano comments were the people making them.
Never could imagine trading a player with his talent on both sides of the ball.
He’s one of Elliot Ness’s finest for me.
Patrick April 7th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
?By the way, did you know that Forbes estimates that the Marlins made a $50mn profit in 2008??
When the Marlins did spend they won. They need a dome in FL or the fans won’t go. Loads of fans want a real team in FL. Tampa if they had a dome and they were located in TAMPA would be filled every night. Most folks don’t want to cross the bridge to St Pete to watch a game that probably will have rain too. (BTW, I lived there for over a year. The Yankees normally fill ST in Tampa every game.) It is branding! It takes time & money. These owners have it, but don’t use it.
Post has been updated with Girardi audio
GreenBeret,
Hope your feeling better my friend. Havnt seen you in here with regularity as of late. I was thinking maybe it was the change of the blog scenary. Everything good in your neck of the woods? How was your g-childrens Easter. I was talking to my wife and was saying how it was just yesterday when my older son 11 was 2 years old trying to find eggs. Of course dad had to find them unwrap them and clean up the mess after.
Pat M. April 7th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
CB, I had a coach ( Pete Ward ) who was on Bobby Cox’s staff who doubled as our hitting instructor….And he had this soft toss drill where he blacked out half the baseball, and would toss the ball at least 10 feet and you had to keep your hands back until the very last moment before striding into the ball……He’d preach having quiet hands and keeping them back and locked….It worked, it was hard and your only seeing 1/2 a baseball…..20 years later when I played my one and only year of slow-pitch softball, I always remembered that drill resulting in long drives with great back spin…
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There’s a name out of the past. I really thought Ward was going to be one of the 3rd base greats when he came up to the White sox. Bewteen him and Gary Peters coming up together in ’62, the White Sox should have run over the AL for years. with Tommy Agee, Tommy John, Juan Pizzaro and Don Buford, they had some talent. Then injuries. Ward could have been Ron Santo on the south Side of Chicago.
Yanks Fan April 7th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
I grew up with Chad Huffman down in Texas. . . As far as helping the Yankees at some point, he would be a solid DH with the ability to play a little bit of right field. With Posada potenitally needing to DH and Nick Johnson being signed for two years I don?t see a spot for him.
_______________________________________
Johnson is only signed for one year.
Patrick -
I am going to lapse into hyperbole here because I am tired. This is not meant as an attack or in any way to be taken seriously.
Maybe they shouldn’t allow any teams in the NY area then because it is an unfair advantage to be located where you can make money.
Patrick, what was the Yankee payroll in the 80′s and how did that work out…….What Selig would love to do is put another club in the NY area, like in Jersey and stream line the cash flow into the Bronx and Queens……The NY Yankees have always had the biggest payroll all the way back to The Babe…..Baseball came up with the draft to handcuff the Yanks…But The Yanks are good for baseball, especially when they are winning…..
CR9 April 7th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
Oh, and I pay him not to draft any Yankees!!
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LOL. Smart thinking
“To plan or plot secretly….That’s what you implied the other day.”
Yes.
Where did I ever imply Yes and Fox were planning or plotting this secretly?
I believe they’re doing it quite upfront, as is their right. Yes is a privately-owned enterprise. As is Fox. They can do whatever the hell they like and not have to answer to anyone by their viewers and advertisers.
They don’t have to conspire to do anything, they can just do it. ESPN conspiring to shift the balance of power in Major League Baseball is a different matter entirely.
“Couldn’t YES just want Bill O’Reilly on Centerstage for his popularity?”
Yes.
Do YOU think that the case?
Does a polarizing political figure fit the profile of a typical Centerstage guest?
Yes, I can easily make the argument as well that he’d be a ratings draw because of that very fact, but I’ll ask again, does the history of the program suggest this?
I’ll accept whatever answer you give, I simply ask you answer honestly and not out of your obvious desire to argue with me.
And since we’re asking old question – how does the majority of ESPN contributors picking the Yankees to win the division gel with your theory?
And I have another for you:
You’re have an acknowledged issue with anger. Do you genuinely feel your admitted propensity towards anger does NOT shape and color your views of such issues?
Johnson is going to be replaced by Posada next year, with Montero catching 140 or so games.
Pat M, I hope I didn’t come off as snippy in my reply. I shouldn’t have used FYI – now that I think about it, it sounds obnoxious
Patrick,
My bad. I thought the conversation was for those cheap ass owners to spend money and watch their orginization turn around. There should be some rule that if you dont put back into the team. They will forclose on you franchise and give it to someone who isnt just in it for themselves. Dont get me wrong. I cant stand Cubans unprofesionalism during games. Doesnt help that im a Spurs fan as well. But what he does for his team is what all Owners who are in the cellar should strive to do. Your right. If he had no cap. He would buy the Western Conference all star squad. Maybe even the dream team. Tough call if i would root for him if Timmy was there.
Will,
Good post you make some intelligent points. This is my last response on the topic though because I have to run.
In the current system the Yankees do make the playoffs every year. Oh sorry, 14/15 years. I didn’t say the Marlins should make the playoffs every year, but shouldn’t they have the same chance to make it as the Yankees? They’ve been able to compete in the past because of stellar management but they have virtually no room for error and can only compete for 1 or 2 seasons every 5-6 years.
You’re right that baseball is incredibly successful right now, but you’re talking about the business side of things. Baseball makes a lot of money but can you argue that it’s more fair on the field of play now than it’s ever been? It’s possible but there is still a ton of room for improvement in that area. You seem to forget that even when business is up the drive is for growth. No business is content where they are, no matter how profitable.
One final point. What if the Yankees only had a $130 million payroll this year? Assuming they are at $200 million right now, take away Teixeira, Sabathia, Rivera and Pettitte. and that brings them down to $130 million. Would the Yankees make the playoffs without those 4 guys? Possibly. But with them, they are the best team in baseball and as close to a lock for the playoffs as you can get.
Obviously that was highly subjective but I think it shows how much money does matter.
GB, I knew you’d reconize the name……Between him & Cox they worked our tails off on infield drills and practices……..He had a bad back that cost him his career, car accident I think ……..He came up to the bigs with Pepitone and Tresh ?????
I can see that new Russian owner of the Nets doing the same thing for them as Cuban did for the Mavericks
The guy seems like James Bond
Montero isn’t catching 140 games for the Yankees next year. Try again.
It’s not how the Yankees break in catchers.
Look at how Posada broke in under Girardi as proof.
“Maybe they shouldn?t allow any teams in the NY area then because it is an unfair advantage to be located where you can make money.”
I said that it’s totally fair for big market teams to make more money. I’m just saying that the sport itself needs to be regulated. The amount of money a team spends on payroll needs to be regulated for the sake of parity, not to regulate the business side.
Hey, S.o.s., thanks for the thoughts. Yeah, I JUST LOVE coloring eggs and making sure the youngest ones don’t get run over by the bullies (5 year olds). None of them ever eat more than half an egg, so, I get a lot of boiled eggs or a lot of egg salad sandwiches and deviked eggs. I dislike Easter as much as Christmas…or at least, getting ready for it. Once the little ones have their part of the day, I’m finished with it.
“Factor in an extremely violent crowd and a soccer ref’s job is very difficult and can honestly really cheat you. CR9 is really not being a crazed conspiracy theorist right now. What he is saying is very possible and probably realistic.”
LGY, it seems to be you described (accurately) how being an international soccer official is inherently difficult and to a degree naturally and understanding subject to human error and even bias. Perhaps somewhat out of instincts of self-preservation.
It does not sound to me like you’re describing the officials as consciously trying to influence the outcome of games for personal gain or preference.
Would I have that right?
Nomar is calling the game with Shulman tonight on ESPN
Don’t know if Boone is there or not, but Nomar is one of the analysts.
Robbie Cano is already great and everybody should rush out to rent his favorite movie “Sugar”
http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/sugar/
“I wanted to get your thoughts on Joba last night. I saw a fired up IN THE ZONE bulldog ala 97.”
S.o.S,
I was encouraged by Joba he looked much better than Sunday and overall I think (hope?) he’s on the right track to being a weapon in the pen.
But at the same time I really do not understand people stating that he looked like he did in 2007 or even 2008. Last night he was closer to that pitcher than he was at the end of 2009 or even opening day 2010, but overall he wasn’t that close to top form.
He’s still not throwing the same way. Before, Joba had a much whippier arm. He got better separation between his hips and torso. His entire body, from his legs to hips and arm were better coordinated to produce a tremendous whip like action throughout his moving parts.
He didn’t look that way last night. He still looked like he was mostly arm and simply trying to throw hard.
He used to generate velocity much more efficiently. Last night he was a quantitatively better pitcher than he was in 2009. But in 2007 he was a qualitatively different pitcher than he was last night.
Too much attention is paid to how outward he is with demonstrating his emotions on the mound and not enough to his stuff.
And we saw that on the mound. His average fastball was only 95 and he touched 96. His slider which had very good tilt was 86. Now it’s still early in the season but Joba in 2007 was sitting 98-100 out of the pen with a slider that was 89-90.
We saw a better Joba last night but we still didn’t see the guy who looked to be very special.
does Cano actually like Sugar? I watched it and enjoyed it
MTU,
Some would have traded him for someone who enjoyed playing slip n splash in the dirt all night long. Im sure some people here still think Keibler is a better player than Cano because of all the diving he needs to do to get a glove on a ball.
I always wondered what colored eggs and bunnies actually had to do with Easter?
Why are you muther[bleeping] reporters on my [bleep]! Leave me the [bleep] alone!
Betsy….All is cool my dear
“We saw a better Joba last night but we still didn’t see the guy who looked to be very special.”
I’d argue we saw a guy who could be very, very effective, and considering it was something of a dramatic change and only April 6th, that the door is open for improvement.
No, it was not ’97 Chamberlain. But that Chamberlain was literally unhittable and no reliever in the history of baseball has been able to maintain that level for extended periods.
We were probably NEVER going to see the ’97 Chamberlain again. Even Rivera has never been THAT good.
Oh good, Pat -thanks. I sometimes put my foot in my mouth, lol.
Patrick April 7th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
There is no reason a team in LA, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, Baltimore, Newark, Seattle, Phoenix, Atlanta or any other big city shouldn’t be able to compete. The smaller markets need to do more. Shared ownership could infuse a tremendous amount of capital into the market. The problem is they have no plan for the most part except to reduce payrolls, collect cash, make a large profit & whine.
S.o.S-
Cano is a chiseled hitting machine.
I always liked the Rod Carew comparisons. Cano has tremendous raw talent.
Imagine Cano as Carew with power.
If Robbie ever develops just a little more plate discipline.
Instant SuperNova.
If he keeps up the approach he has right now the sky’s the limit.
Stuckey, Phil was awfully dominant last year in the pen…..I don’t want to go into Mo.
Ledger_Yankees Playing the theme from “Cheers” at Fenway Park. Norm! #nyy
stuckey
I actually believe that ESPN is pretty Red Sox oriented and I don’t consider myself a conspiracy theorist. However, I have seen others who call into question the integrity of ESPN labeled as such. Given your assertion of what is deemed a conspiracy, one could argue that ESPN is a privately run organization as is MLB and it is pretty obvious to most Yankee fans that ESPN openly favors the Red Sox.
Conspiring to shift the balance of power might be pushing it a bit but I see ESPN making the Red Sox a primary focus and feeding into most of the country’s Yankee hating tendencies. It would be the same thing as YES making the decision to air O’Reilly, except it would be ESPN’s decision to favor one team over others in an attempt to pander to their audience.
And if ESPN’s coverage of the Red Sox helps the Sox out, then one could argue that it is not necessarily a conspiracy but just a fortunate coincidence for the Red Sox.
David
It’s okay. Just let your father come in from the Dominican during the ASB again like last year, and you’ll be blasting HRs again at a rapid pace.
___
Nomar and Schulman, geeez!! I wonder if the game is between the Red Sox and Red Sox!
Jay,
There is buzz out there that the new owner is going to go hard for Lebron + another star(boshe? Wade?). New stadium and the best money can buy to rake in the profits. I think it will take Cleveland to win it all for James to resign.
Pat, Ward was a marvelous hitter and fielder out of Montreal but went to high school out in Washington or Oregon . I know the Sox were unhappy with him because he was taking shifts during practice with Bobby Hull and the Black Hawks. His dad was former NHLer Jimmy Ward and a Stanley Cup winner. They think Pete got hurt playing hockey. What a waste of talent, though. Actually grew up in the Baltimore organization and was traded big Dave Nicholson, Hoyt Wilhelm and Ron Hansen for Al Smith and Aparicio. Quite a trade there.
stuckey,
I do not think refs are really trying to consciously decide who wins and loses. I do not think they go into a game gunning for a particular team. But on a call-to-call basis preferences do emerge as the game goes on. For example, a particularly dirty player or a player who yells or complains the first time you call a foul on him will a lot of times suffer or be a target of the ref. It is just too easy to mask because of the arbitrary nature of so many foul calls. A lot of it could also be subconsciously where you think a guy is dirty and in your head anything he does is a foul.
To be completely honest, I did not read all of CR9′s posts. Going back now he is taking it a little to far but I guess I have come to expect that with CR9 lol.
It is probably somewhere in the middle between his position and your position. There is some conscious and at times deliberate influence as the game goes on but it is very unlikely IMO there are conspiracy rings, refs making calls b/c they are fans of the home team, or anything planned going on.
CB,
Any chance of them tweeking his delivery for maximum out put? Or is this the safest route they can come up with to avoid him getting injured yet again?
Pat M.,
Great story. Let’s send a box of half-painted baseballs to Granderson courtesy of the board!
Granderson should be better than he is against lefties. Or rather, I don’t see any fatal flaw in him that would preclude him from hitting lefties better.
It’s not a guarantee but I think there’s reason to hope.
Best blog if you’re looking for real time updates. Better than MLB’s Blog page. Thanks again.
I am really not sure how Joba looked last night compared to 2007. I need to know one thing to be sure:
Was any part of his body either on fire or emitting fire?
Joba in 07 faded in the playoffs and he wasn’t great to start out in 08 (gave up that Game-winning hit to Crede in Chicago, 3-R HR to Dellucci at the stadium, etc. and he was only a reliever for like 1.5 months)
Phil was arguably the best reliever in baseball for 4 months Betsy, but he couldn’t hold a candle to Chamberlain in ’97.
Chamberlain was just otherworldly those 2 months. It was never going to last.
Patrick,
First of all, I told you I wasn’t really being serious. But since you answered me seriously, what is the point of making the money if you can’t spend it the way you want to within the rules?
And shouldn’t the point be to improve your team?
So, okay, let’s say there’s a salary cap and they Yankees have to limit what they spend on payroll. they will then spend it in other ways to improve the product they put on the field. They will build baseball clinics, for example, or whatever else they can do so their team will win, so long as it’s within the rules. And because they can spend more on say, building baseball clinics, and hiring the best available coaches, etc., and say they continue to be a winning (successful in sports) team? MLB will come along and say, wait, no, you can’t build this or that and you can’t hire these people, or you can’t pay the coaches “x” and “such.”
There will always be jealousy. There will always be a hierarchy. There will always be people who will complain. It will never be a 100% equal playing field.
LGY
I’ll take that. This line: “It is probably somewhere in the middle between his position and your position. There is some conscious and at times deliberate influence as the game goes on”
Very objective.
I will point out a couple things. Have you ever heard NBA official’s D i c k Bavetta’s nickname. They call him Knick Bavetta, because he SUPPOSEDLY favors the Knicks.
In Football, a referee named Mike Riley has been deemed a Manchester United fan, because he SUPPOSEDLY favors Manchester United.
I am not pushing any conspiracies, and certainly not that ‘my teams’ are the only victims. I just think that referees/umpires naturally have biases and let that affect their judgment on occasion.
Does anyone else think Posada could still be around after next season?
Pat, did you read Rishi’s link this morning or afternoon on an article comparing Munson and Posada….not so much in career numbers as much in personality on the field, fire and need to win? Great stuff.
I’ll have to check the #s, Stuckey – I’ll bet they are comparable.
Joba in 07 may never be replicated again
No one could even touch him. He struck out like everyone. The entire league was raving about him. I remember Clemens going ga-ga over him.
12 hits in 24 innings with 34 Ks.
MTU,
I also liked the Carew comparisons. And if he can only learn to be as patient as Rod. But the funny part about Cano’s game is(i believe it was gb7 that found these stats) he bats better earlier in the count than later. If i can recall it was like
first pitch .360
second pitch .330
third under 300
after third wasnt that good.
Sugar crash?
S.o.S,
I’m really not sure. And overall it might not matter. He can be a very effective reliever just doing what he did last night.
For this season the most important thing is for him to make steady progress in throwing the ball better. And I mean throwing – not just pitching.
He did that last night so that’s great. But everyone has also gotten into the habit of evaluating Joba on an appearance by appearance basis and he is probably the most over analyzed young pitcher in recent memory.
Overall we’re not going to know about his until May or June.
But I do think on some level people are remembering the fist pumps and forgetting the stuff from 2007-2008.
But for 2010 he just needs to keep working, listen to advice, stop over thinking on the mound and throw the ball.
Hopefully he’ll get back to the form over the course of the year. He may or may not.
“does Cano actually like Sugar? I watched it and enjoyed it”
I rented it and there was a blurb from Robbie on the cover.
He called it ” A great movie ! ”
I believe the main character is supposed to be from a village outside of Robbie’s hometown of San Pedro de Macoris.
“I always wondered what colored eggs and bunnies actually had to do with Easter?”
Erica, there was once a pagan goddess named Eostre. She was the goodess of the dawn and worshiped in April with great feasts that involved both rabbits and eggs.
When the Christians came in they found it easier to convert the pagans by allowing them to maintain thier customs.
“It is probably somewhere in the middle between his position and your position.”
LGY, as point of fact, I have not taken a position on soccer officials. I’ve been responding to CR9 in a conditional manner.
I admit I don’t know enough about international soccer to take a strong position. I was simply arguing that IF the officiating is to the conscious CRIMINAL-level CR9 was suggesting, and this was a known circumstance among fans and the media and FIFA, that the real problem was that his situation is allowed to go on by all of these entities, rather than with the officials themselves.
I don’t need to know that much about international soccer to know CR9 was likely exaggerrating or over-stating out of frustration/his own admitted difficulty with anger – just reason, common sense and reading what he posts and understanding its context.
With all this talk regarding ortiz , he’ll probably go deep tonight.
Melkman,
Hughes was charged with 3 blown saves from the month of September on and was awful in the playoffs. He lost 1 game and was on the hook for the loss in game 2 of the ALDS before A-Rod went yard vs. Nathan.
Joba at the beginning of 08 was better than that. He had a 2.12 ERA into June, FYI.
Bronx Jeers April 7th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
“does Cano actually like Sugar? I watched it and enjoyed it”
I rented it and there was a blurb from Robbie on the cover.
He called it ” A great movie ! ”
************************
I must see this movie.
Heading over to Netflix…..
Melkman, 2008 is when Joba started his shaking off the catcher routine……I recall during a game thread ( I think it was vs. Cleveland ) that it was mentioned about him shaking off Molina that night, and it cost the Yanks the game…….Of course back then myself, SJ and a few others were stoned to death for bringing that to light…….Joba will prosper this season because he’ll be pitching more often and he’ll be repeating his mound routine 4 times a week…..Besides, they’ll be less to think about which can only help
“12 hits in 24 innings with 34 Ks.”
For reference – this is not the 2007 I’m referring to.
That was his major league performance. His minor league performance n 2007 goes back all the way to what he was doing in the winter ball in Hawaii.
I’m talking about his entire season.
There’s no question that his statistical performance in the majors was not going to generalize. That was a brief moment in time before hitters adjust – which they will always do.
It’s more how he was qualitatively throwing the ball.
And he was throwing the ball as well in 2008 whether he was a relieve or starter.
So the standard isn’t the statistical performance it’s just how he’s throwing the ball.
“I just think that referees/umpires naturally have biases and let that affect their judgment on occasion.”
You advocated they serve jail time for criminal acts.
Did I misunderstand you?
Eostre? So, she’s the goddess that made women cranky when estrogen levels are out of wack?
“LGY, as point of fact, I have not taken a position on soccer officials. I’ve been responding to CR9 in a conditional manner.”
Fair enough. My mistake. There were a lot of posts in the last thread and unless you are following in real time it is a bit hard to pick up on everything said and who said what with the new format. I hope Jeff is still working on the format to make it a little more vision-friendly.
GB7,
Color eggs? Your lucky. My kids didnt eat eggs at a young age. They went with chocolated eggs. Preferably melted ones everywhere but inside their mouths. The cleaning was a job all in itself.
LGY,
It’s all good.
CB,
Are you suggesting that Joba utilized his legs more in 2007 as suppose to now?
I’m no pitching guru but it appears as though his delivery was much smoother in 07. NO?
S.o.S., I always found it easier just to take the kids, wrap them in plastic and take them to the carwash and hose them off. They never could understand why nobody would hug and kiss them until that was done.
Game post up
CB,
You do have a point and i must admit im one who analyses his every outing. I think its like that relationship that started so well and went really bad after the years. But you see people still in it hoping one day the magic will come back. If Joba wouldnt have came in rock star lite and blown us away as a rookie, maybe all the expectations wouldnt be so high.
Other Yankee pitchers who were looked at on every outing with a fine tooth comb.
-Irabu- still waiting for that 100mph heater they say he had in Japan
-Randy Johnson- left his fastball and his stones in Arizona.
-Pavano- this one was like a car crash. Couldnt help but want to take a peak.
-Igawa- Are we done with him yet?
S.o.S.-
Cano’s currrent approach which involves being more selective seems to be working very well.
That could be the key that unlocks the door that takes him to the next level.
I hope so because he is enormously talented on both sides of the ball.
If it works even Earth’s gravity wont hold him.
new thread
GB, I did read that piece……I had very limited encounters with # 15 beyond him spitting tobacco juice on my sanitaries during a round of BP…..However I do remember him just ripping into Ron Bloomberg for not being in position on a pickoff play at 1st base…..I did see Rick Dempsey up close on the mound one time as he expressed his displeasure with a pitcher …..Great baseball passion they both possessed……