Postgame notes: “That’s kind of been the Achilles heel”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes, Podcast on Sep 05, 2010 
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Ahead in the count 0-2, Phil Hughes threw the two pitches that changed everything about today’s game.
In the first inning he threw a fastball to Vernon Wells. Hughes wanted it away, but it ran back over the plate and Wells hit it for a two-run home run. “That’s kind of the worst pitch you can make,” Hughes said.
In the third inning, Hughes threw a cutter up to Aaron Hill. It didn’t do much, and certainly didn’t get out of the zone, and Hill hit it for another two-run home run. “I was rushing. I was trying to slide step and my arm just didn’t catch up, and it spun over the plate,” Hughes said.
Afterward, both Hughes and Joe Girardi said the problem with those pitches was location, and that’s impossible to deny, but Hughes also admitted that he’s leaned heavily on his fastball and cutter this season. He said he might have been willing to go offspeed in those situations had he been more confident in his curveball or changeup.
“That’s kind of been the Achilles heel for me a little bit this year,” he said. “I do like to throw my fastball, and I feel like I have a good fastball, (but) sometimes guys get geared up for it too much when you’re constantly the same speed. Even my cutter isn’t that much of a speed differential. Getting my curveball going to where it needs to be and incorporating my changeup is a big part of my game. I’m certainly not going to throw those pitches an outrageous amount, but just getting them to where they’re consistent and I can go to them when I need to, that would be a big step for me.”
Hughes said he actually had a good changeup today. He couldn’t remember throwing it more in any start this season. His curveball got better, but after hanging one for a double in the first inning, he was hesitant to go back to it against Wells. Overall, Hughes said, his stuff was much better today than in his previous two starts, he just wanted a few pitches back.
“I had a couple of bad pitches, three or four mistakes,” Hughes said. “If I can just limit that and make my pitch, I feel like today could have gone a lot different.”
Win or lose, Hughes is terrific to talk to after his starts. He’s one of the best at assessing his own performance, what he’s done right, what he’s done wrong and what he needs to improve. Today was a prime example.
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• Both Hughes and Girardi once again said fatigue doesn’t seem to be an issue with Hughes’ recent struggles. “That’s the million-dollar question that I’m probably going to be asked for a while,” Girardi said. “I thought his velocity was better than it has been the last couple of starts, which makes me think he feels pretty good. If he makes a couple of 0-2 pitches, he pitches pretty well.”
• Girardi on Hughes: “At times he can become one speed. We’ve seen that where it’s mostly fastball-cutter. Today he threw his curveball and changeup. Today he just made mistakes. He got ahead, and then he made a couple of mistakes, and that’s what hurt him.”
• In his first game back from a calf injury, Rodriguez was tested on an infield single. “It felt pretty good,” he said. “Definitely a sigh of relief.”
• Hughes had allowed just two 0-2 home runs in his career before today.
• Greg Golson made his third career start and got his first extra-base hit
• Ramiro Pena has a career-high seven-game hitting streak. He has a hit in 10 of his past 13 starts, batting .310 in those games.
• Brett Gardner has now walked in 10 straight games in which he has a plate appearance. According to Elias, that’s the longest streak in the majors since Nick Johnson did it in 13 games straight back in 2009. Elias also says it’s the longest streak for Yankee since Jorge Posada had a 13-game streak in 2004.
• This was the second outing in a row in which Jonathan Albaladejo has hit the first batter he faced.
• Heads up in Scranton: Colin Curtis was just pulled in the middle of an inning. That could be for a call-up to give the Yankees another outfielder.
• One more reminder about our daily online Yankees photo gallery.
Associated Press photos of Hughes and Rodriguez.
Gardner is quickly establishing himself as the leadoff hitter of the present and the future.
Rather have Curtis out there than Golson if Swish will miss a few games.
Jeter looks like he’s stopped jumping at 1st pitch or 2.
Must be the Gardner effect.
Whatever it is, his bat is slow, his swing long and he looks like his strength is going.
Maybe the cooler weather will help. A day off too.
Rich,
Are you now sold on Gardner?
Rich in NJ……Not many folks here were more right about anything than you were regarding Brett Gardner……..
Pads drop 10 games in a row. They are doing a great impression of the Mets!
IIRC, Rich was always sold on Gardner.
It was Bret the Hitman who has been looking go trade him to KC all season. lol
I still don’t trust Bret Gardner.
Let’s see him do it 5 or 6 years in a row.
“IIRC, Rich was always sold on Gardner.
It was Bret the Hitman who has been looking go trade him to KC all season. lol”
My question Rich was without motive as I don’t keep close enough tabs on what other posters say on this blog so I didn’t know if Rich was a Gardner supporter or not.
What amazes me most about Gardner is his arm-10 outfield assists and only one error.
Wasn’t Bret advocating trading Gardner to KC for DeJesus, or was that Matt or stuart?
With that said, I do know that Rich and GB7 don’t get along and that Betsy has a list of enemy posters.:)
Has anybody looked at TB’s lineup lately?
Lots of low 200 BA’s.
That lineup is nowhere near ours and we are approaching complete circularity.
My question is : Who will hit 9th when we are completely healthy if Gardner stays at leadoff?
Gardner, Jeter, Tex, Alex, Cano,Swish,Posada, Thames/Berkman, Granderson?
Grandy in the 9 hole could be the way to go.
And I turn off Baseball Tonight when Kruk says that the Yankees might have a short playoff run. They’re the number one team in baseball, just won 8 in a row and lost a game, and they’re doomed for a short playoff run.
Yeah, ok.
By short Kruk meant around 11 games.
“That’s why rooting for the Sox to lose against the rays was a head scratcher. They were just to far back to catch us.”
mel, not really at all. Those rooting for the Rays primarily were doing so because they didn’t want to have go deal with the possibility, no matter how slim, that this could turn into a 3-team race. Listen, they are so far back it isn’t funny and you yourself are saying it’s too soon to dance on their graves! Can you imagine if they had won the games in Tampa? I ended up rooting for Tampa because it just isn’t in my vernacular to root for the Sux. Plus I’m not ardently worried about the Rays, though I definitely respect them as a team.
“That being said, it’s too soon to dance on their graves”
Mama mia. All I can hope is that the MLB police don’t come to my house with a search warrant for my tap shoes. If they do forensics on them I’m afraid they might find flora that only grows in the springtime in New England…
Rich in NJ September 5th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Gardner is quickly establishing himself as the leadoff hitter of the present and the future.
———–
For the Dodgers?
Looks like the Reds are the mystery team this year.
so what’s the slugging rate on two strike pitches?
-
.450 on 1-2. Pretty good for being in the hole. Here is an excerpt from the Joe Pos article. It really highlights the importance of having a strike out pitch. Getting to 2 strikes isnt enough. Have to be able to seal the deal.
”
Since 2000, take away strikeouts, hitters on a 1-2 count have hit .309 and slugged .459, which really isn’t too bad.
In fact, when a hitter puts a ball in play, no matter the count, he hits .better than .300. Every count — even 0-2 — the hitter is hitting .300 on balls in play.
First pitch: .338
0-1: .318
1-0: .339
0-2: .302
1-1: .326
2-0: .353
1-2: .309
2-1: .337
3-0: .393
2-2: .317
3-1: .355
Full count: .339
There are some clear fluctuations on those hitters counts when pitchers need to throw strikes — 2-0, 3-1, 3-0 the averages are quite a bit higher — but I don’t think the fluctuations are as dramatic as I once did. Yes, hitters do seem to hit the ball better and with more authority when locked in on a certain pitch in the strike zone, the difference I think now is much smaller than the big gap in raw averages had led me to believe. I would love to look deeper into this … I wish there was some count charts that would also show how many balls were taken for a strike, swung at, missed and fouled off.”
trisha -
“Mama mia. All I can hope is that the MLB police don’t come to my house with a search warrant for my tap shoes. If they do forensics on them I’m afraid they might find flora that only grows in the springtime in New England…”
You certainly do know how to turn a phrase!
Sell high on Gardner. There will be interest & I think he will be moved.
Would Crawford be such an improvement over Gardner?
Not at that cost.
Do the math. Even with a healthy Youkilis and Pedroia, Boston would have to make up 10 games in the loss column for the Yankees and 8 with the Rays. Highly improbable with just 25 games left, 12 at home and 13 on the road. Their pitching staff simply won’t hold up.
This is the Yankees. Cost is not a factor and yes CRAWFORD is lights out better.
The obsessed RS fear “followers” are dying out.
lights out better?
I’m inclined to hold on the Gardner. Let him be a good value for us.
“In the first inning he threw a fastball to Vernon Wells. Hughes wanted it away, but it ran back over the plate and Wells hit it for a two-run home run. “That’s kind of the worst pitch you can make,” Hughes said.”
without saying what i’d call on two strikes if i was catching, i’ll tell what clete boyer as a manager thought once about what to throw with two strikes on a hitter.
stan cliburn( a smart catcher who has since won over 1000 minor league games as a manager) was catching and when a right handed pitcher had an 0-2 count on a right handed hitter. cliburn called for an up and in fastball. the pitcher who i don’t remember his name missed over the plate and the hitter hit a home run.
clete went ballistic and chewed cliburn out like i’d never seen him chew anyone out.
clete wanted a low and away breaking ball in the dirt. clete screamed that he always wanted a low and away ball in the dirt that was always unhittable even if the pitcher missed his ideal unhittable spot.
it was not a teaching moment. it was a baseball explosion on clete’s part. i have no doubt that stan remembers it quite clearly to this day.
whether or not clete is right to always do that, it’s pretty clear that hughes wouldn’t have given up two home runs had he thrown the pitch clete said should be thrown- an unhittable breaking ball in the dirt away from the hitter.
clete played under stengel and houk, played in the field behind ford , and was in a lot of world series so you have to pay some attention to what he says.
if he were alive , i’d like to hear what he’d say about hughes throwing those two strike pitches that got clobbered.
Disagree. This is the Hal Era. Fiscal responsibility, not win at any cost.
All you need to hear is what people write in the game thread.
“You certainly do know how to turn a phrase!
”
D, I have to say that sky is the limit for me when I’m inspired! And oh how that team inspires me!!!
When do Girardi/Pena call the pitches?
Did Posada call for the fastball?
“First pitch: .338
0-1: .318
1-0: .339
0-2: .302
1-1: .326
2-0: .353
1-2: .309
2-1: .337
3-0: .393
2-2: .317
3-1: .355
Full count: .339″
nice interesting stats and i mean it.
in the two strike situations the percentages on balls in play is much lower so i’m not sure how that backs up what joe poz was saying.
Look, for all my bravado regarding the Suxers, let me say that I am watching the tape of their postgame and it isn’t all that invigorating to see Tito have to respond to their meltdown a short five minutes after it happened. He’s a good guy and seeing him that down isn’t very pleasant. And Beckett really looked and sounded so vulnerable in his postgame interview. He definitely gave them a chance to win yet he is taking responsibility for the loss. I’m always good to go with the superficial and wholisitic view of the Sux, but when it gets down to the humanist side of things and I see them the way they are today, well that’s where you will find the chi*k in my armor.
I haven’t seen Papeldone yet. I’m thinking watching him squirm – if he does – will be easier because I’m not a big fan of the Riverdance.
I’m watching my adopted NL team the Giants play my most disliked NL team the Dodgers.
This turn of events was inspired by our recent west coast trip, wherein we fell in love with the whole vibe in SF, and were totally turned off by the Hollywood vibe in LA.
Go Giants!!!
I am speaking strictly in terms of our ballpark experiences.
When Gardner bats .230 next year and he has been exposed with some holes in his swing the cry will be maybe Crawford would have been a worthy investment. You have to stay ahead of the curve in this game and selling high is essential. What is his ceiling, Gardner is a good player but what is you expect him to do. He is never going to hit for power and his batting avg. will never be higher then this years.
Okay, let’s just pretend what you say comes true.
Why can’t you have Gardner AND Crawford?
Trade high on Gardner? What do you envision coming back?
Okay. Just saw a highlight of Tejada at the plate. He looks huge. Taller and Bigger. Must be the camo unis.
Yanks aren’t committing that kind of money to Crawford when Gardner is developing into the same type of player.
They aren’t giving up on Granderson either.
What do you think they could get for Gardner?
Doreen, it sounds like you got a contact high.
Hughes is insanely honest,does not mix up his words & is right on the button about falling in love with his fastball & not having the confidence to throw his cb or cu.
Imo hughes came out of the pen throwing as hard as he could & nothing but fastballs,not goin too work in the starting rotation.
I give him credit because he has been ok with mostly fastballs & will develope his offspeed arsenal.
Like cb said he lost the feel of his curve.
He will learn from this.
Butler from the Royals. Kemp or Broxton from the Dodgers.
And I can see your point about Gardner not hitting for power. But I don’t know how you can say he’ll never hit for better avg. than this (his first and only full) season.
“When Gardner bats .230 next year and he has been exposed with some holes in his swing the cry will be maybe Crawford would have been a worthy investment. You have to stay ahead of the curve in this game and selling high is essential. What is his ceiling, Gardner is a good player but what is you expect him to do. He is never going to hit for power and his batting avg. will never be higher then this years.”
sounds like you simply dont like the guy…what is the 50-60 point drop in batting avg due to? where are these holes you speak of in his swing? why hasnt the league adjusted yet? what about his .390 obp? is that going to disappear too? he doesnt have to hit for power and his obp is more important that his average..trading him is only a good idea unless you get a really really good return.
Nick in SF -
That could be true…
m
His RS could use Crawford more than the Yankees.
Randy, it does back up what joePos is saying, just look at any game and any game thread. If you give up a 2 strike hit you didnt execute, or its unbelievable or whatever.
The thing is, its very believable if you look at those numbers. If you did not get the strike out, you are just as likely to give up a hit as on any other count.
No one is surprised when a pitcher gives up a basehit 2-1. But its just as likely on 1-2 as 2-1! The only difference is the 3rd strike.
I think its a fine piece of interesting analysis which really goes to show how important that strike out pitch is. If you’re giving a batter a chance to put it in play then you’re going to get burned.
For me personally, I always thought batters hit so bad in 2 strike counts because they had to swing at anything close, but the reality is they only hit so bad because if they miss they’re done.
I posted this a few weeks ago but Mark Reynolds, strike out king, hits under .150 on every 2 strike count! I posited that if he changed his approach only when hitting with 2 strikes, he’d still hit as many homers as he does now (he only had 10% of his HRs come with 2 strikes), and he’d probably hit closer to .300 and be a dangerous hitter.
This just goes a ways to proving what I had thought intuitively at that time, and helps relax me from the attitude that just getting to 2 strikes is important. Getting to 2 strikes for a pitcher is great, but you have to execute the 2 strike pitch and you need a good one for it to pay off.
Butler I give you, because the Royals like Gardner.
Isn’t Kemp an OF? So, you have Crawford, Kemp, Granderson, and Swisher?
They’re not giving up Broxton.
IMO, neither is coming to NY.
What makes you so sure Gardner has these weaknesses.
Carl Crawford is going to sign a contract worth close to 100 million dollars.
For a team over the luxury tax threshold like the Yankees, they get hit with a 40% tax annually on the deal.
Meaning, if Crawford signs for 17 million a year, the Yankees have to pay a 40% premium on that deal.
Carl Crawford is a very good player.
He’s not 375% better than Gardner. Which their respective 2011 salaries would represent.
The deal would also limit the Yankees in other areas. Such as signing Cliff Lee for example.
Cliff Lee is their #1 off-season target.
A big reason is because Gardner has emerged as a viable part of the team.
You don’t trade off pieces like that. You continue to work with him and make him better.
Cost-controlled Gardner is here to stay.
You’ve got Gardner basically doing what Jeter used to do, which is get on base and cross home plate. And you’re sending him away?
I’m not big on WAR. But Gardner is top 15 (?) for all position players. Yes, Crawford is about a full game ahead of Gardner, but the only Yankee ahead of Gardner is Cano. Gardner’s value is at $19.4M. That’s +19M. Incredible value.
Had to check, wouldn’t want to be charged with another error. Gardner is ranked exactly 15th.
Gotta keep Gardner,. He has the attributes that I love the yankees to go after. Selective, patient, good defense, and a hard worker willing to improve himself. Its also why I love Swisher.
I love Crawford, but I wouldn’t want them to sign Crawford at the expense of Gardner. And as it is there just isn’t room for all of them. Unless they signed Crawford and Lee, and had a rotating DH which included Swisher/Crawford/Granderson/Posada/Montero
Butler plays 1B,next.
Crawford gets 4yrs at 55m. Depressed market. There is quite a bit coming off the payroll. Andy, Javy, Berkman, Nick, etc. Do you honestly think they are going status quo into 2010.
jerkface-
i do find the 2 strike stats interesting.
over the next month as i get some time, i’ll take a closer look.
if you have any links please post them.
it would be interesting also to hear what cb thinks about them.
Angels will go hard for Crawford, Andy and Nick are back.
HAHAHA.
15 mil a year for Crawford? And only 4 years?
Do you want to bet???
http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlo.....the-count/
The article
I think that the Angels and Red Sox will drive up Crawford’s price. I used to think he’d get (was worth) $13M, but he’ll probably cash in like Hunter did (oh, look who’s in RF!).
If they get Cliff Lee, that’ll cost you about $20M AAV.
Hughes and Joba due to get a raise. Not significant ones, but Hughes might get a good one.
Anyway, here’s the commitments for next season. http://spreadsheets.google.com.....utput=html
$140M for 9 players so far.
Accountability leads to accuracy.
Good lord, you have no idea of the market.
The Angels could pay him nearly double that amount.
As in 6/110.
If Carl Crawford went to arbitration, he would get more than 13 million.
The market is never depressed for the Top 2 FA’s in any year.
Meaning, Crawford and Lee are going to get huge deals regardless of the market.
mick,
Wrong Nick. Are you thinking Swisher, because I think he meant Johnson.
We can’t possible sign NJ next season right?
A depressed market affects secondary players, it doesnt affect stars.
Ha! Nick. I just eyeballed that and guessed 15th.
But these same eyes saw Brignac hit a HR on Gameday.
We almost have gardner for free.
Gardner has about 30 less rbi than crawford,better obp & is only 1 sb behind crawford in sb with 100 less ab.
Now crawford is a better player only because he has more power but the value is not even close too being there compared to gardner.
Let’s say girardi has 15 million only to spend & crawford & lee both cost 15 million each,are we a better team with crawford only or lee + gardner?
The answer is obvious.
Au contraire, we must bring back Nick Johnson.
He can’t possibly get hurt again, can he?
Keep bringing him back until it works.
Gardner and Swisher have both had remarkable seasons. Offensively and Defensively. I don’t know where these two players came from, but I hope they stick around for awhile.
Early on this year I was really amazed at the progress Swish made, but the more I see Gardner play the more I believe he has made an even bigger improvement . He’s playing confident, with good reason. That throw to second today was an eye opener. He has me believing that even his flaws– bunting, base running (yes he can be better) etc are just an off season away from being corrected. Great job by both of them.
I do wonder how much credit (if any) goes to the coaches for the remarkable seasons both guys are having.
The Red Sox have a ton of money coming off the books.
How do you think they spend it?
I think they bring Beltre and Martinez back. They might hold with their rotation, maybe find a 5th starter because they have nothing in the farm system. Wakefield’s perpetual option ends this year.
They’ll likely need another OF, because Cameron is old and overrated Ellsbury will be gone.
m
Wakefield has one more year. He signed a 2yr. contract this year.
Tar,
I think it’s the players taking the advice of the coaches. Gardner’s case no surprise. But Swisher’s been around a while. He wasn’t content with his game.
I do think that Gardner sought out help with his throws, much like Swisher did.
Gardner struggles a bit at each level, so it’s not a surprise that he’s breaking out this year.
thanks jerkface.
i’ll check it out.
MY,
I vaguely remember that now, thanks. Lucky Sox!
Wonder if they can get Marcus on the cheap again?
lol @ Papelbon.. Off the beaten path, noticed that Montero is now at 20 HR and 74 RBI’s. First Scranton/Wilkes catcher to ever hit 20 HR’s. It’s amazing since the ASB the power and hitting ability he’s displayed. Putting this monster in the middle of NY’s lineup at some point next year and maybe the urgency to sign Crawford isn’t as much as Granderson and Gardner are proving their worth lately, but Montero will be an impact on this team and i’m glad the Yankees kept this kid!
Crawford is not going to get more then 4 years and if he gets 5 it will be at a reduced rate. You guys are living in the 90′s and you follow the Yankees other teams are suffering.There are going to be some salary dumps for some franchises. The Rays are a fine team that draws nothing and behind them is half of baseball. The RS are going to go after Fielder.
m
Beltre will be looking for a multi year contract. Maybe as many as 4yrs. I think the RS would balk at that. His two best years have been contract years.
If they don’t see Martinez as a catcher that will be a problem.
They have 5 starters now.
Ellsbury won’t net them much after this year.
It was a few months ago but i read the rs had i believe something like 68 million coming off the books but that was before they signed becket.
They need a catcher,dh,3b & what else,an of or 2???
Now if that 68 million dollar figure is right & becket is at 16-18 million or whatever he makes,they are looking at about 50 million left with a ton of holes,a pitching staff that looks thin,overrated farm system.
It was a few months ago but i read the rs had i believe something like 68 million coming off the books but that was before they signed becket.
They need a catcher,dh,3b & what else,an of or 2???
Now if that 68 million dollar figure is right & becket is at 16-18 million or whatever he makes,they are looking at about 50 million left with a ton of holes,a pitching staff that looks thin,overrated farm system.
Do the Sox resign Ortiz or Beltre.?
Fielder has to play 1B or DH.
If Fielder plays 1B, then Youkilis to 3B squeezes out Beltre (who is way up on that WAR ranking).
The recession didnt stop STL from bidding against itself and signing Matt Holliday for 7 years. Crawford will get 18+ mil a year.
Sorry about the double post,computer acting strange.
Beltre will be gone. National League somewhere west, maybe the Padres.
Sox will go after Werth!
m
Theo has alot of decisions to make this off season. And most of them won’t be easy.
Crawford is probably out of reach for Greece, Portugal, and Spain.
Holliday’s deal just cracked me up. The Cards were always painted as a prudent team. Probably aren’t going to the postseason, too.
St. Louis if they had it to do again do you think they would sign Holliday. You learn from your mistakes and they are a rich franchise that is capable of living with a mistake once.
randy l. September 5th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
thanks jerkface.
That’s a post I never expected to see on LoHud.
j/k
It’s good to see you posting Randy. I was thinking about you during Earl. I hope it wasn’t too much of a pain.
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....hip_o.html
Bill Madden. Classic.
“A depressed market affects secondary players, it doesnt affect stars.”
Exactly what Sean McAdam said on WEEI the other day when they were talking about the economy and players. He said that Carl Crawford and Adrien Beltre (his choices) would command top dollar and wouldn’t be affected by the economy but that the next layer of players would feel the effects of the market.
****************
ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?
This is the stuff that makes it so easy to despise Papeldone.
This is from his postgame interview.
“But it wasn’t the eighth inning that caused the problems for Papelbon.
The only explanation he could offer was focus – or a lack of. Which may explain why he neglected to cover second on Quentin’s play.
Yeah,” he said, acknowledging his lapse. “[But,]I think he would have been safe regardless anyway.”
Regardless anway? Is that redundant?
“Papelbon said he did not feel sympathy for the mess he left behind for the two relievers who followed him, both inexperienced in American League East races.
“No, no, I don’t feel for them,” he said. “No. Their job is to try and come in and get outs just like everybody else and to sit hear and say you feel sorry for them or feel bad that they had to come in that situation, no. No, I don’t feel sorry for them at all.”
Quel schmuck.
By the way, just about every Sux player who was less than perfect came out and said he felt responsible for the loss, including the two rookie relievers. Who was the only player who didn’t seem to feel responsible? The one who ended up blowing the save!
http://www.necn.com/09/05/10/P.....eedID=3352
St. Louis if they had it to do again do you think they would sign Holliday. You learn from your mistakes and they are a rich franchise that is capable of living with a mistake once.
–
But the mistake wasnt in the money and years it was the player that money and years was given too. Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, Rangers, Mariners, Cubs, Mets, Phillies are all clubs capable of giving out big contracts, and some of them are linked to interested in crawford.
Namely the two most likely to hand out an above market contract, The Angels and the Red Sox.
If the yankees can sighn crawford for 4 55, they would do it in a heartbeat.
Just got back from dinner….I was so worried about the game that I slept through it.
————————————————————————————————-
Berkman, according to that salary chart. gets a bundle of money next year. The Yankees are stuck paying that amount right?
I like Gardner too. I see no reason to pay Crawford who I have liked for years the kind of money he can fairly expect.
There is no recession for major league owners.
” I was thinking about you during Earl. I hope it wasn’t too much of a pain.”
that stinking hurricane was a dud. i walked out my front door at 3:00 am when it was supposed to be peaking and nothing but a lot of rain.
when you dismantle your whole outdoor operations, you want to see a damn hurricane.
i gotta tell you. i was disappointed.
What was encouraging to me – or IS encouraging to me – about Gardner is he seemed to have a bit of a swoon there for a bit, but he’s recharged. As I’ve said before, a few minor tweaks (attempt bunting a bit more, be more aggressive on the bases), but I’m liking what I see from him. I don’t see the Yankees moving him or replacing him or demoting him. Only if there is some kind of blockbuster deal that the Yankees would be crazy not to do; but off-hand I really can’t think of a possibility.
Pass me whatever jackamir is smoking.
There is no way the Yanks sign Crawford AND Cliff Lee this offseason.
This may be the Yankees but they do have a budget. It’s not unlimited.
randy
Up kinda early for you wasn’t it?
“when you dismantle your whole outdoor operations, you want to see a damn hurricane.”
Randy
Sometimes it seems the preparation is more of a pain than if it hits.
But I been through a few in my time, trust me, be thankful it was only the preparation that was inconvenient. When they really hit you, it’s no fun.
“There is no way the Yanks sign Crawford AND Cliff Lee this offseason.”
I go for pitching and I’m keeping Gardner, Swish and Curtis.
Actually the sox probably need to go after a bunch of stuff. Bullpen, resign Beltre, trade Papelbon, sign proabably two OF as they’ll probably try to trade Ellsbury too.
Oh yea, and resign Vmart too.
I don’t think St. Louis regrets signing Matt Holliday. He’s on a pace to hit around 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs with a .370 OBP and .530 SLG…and he’s only 30 years old. His signing was important to Pujols it showed commitment to winning and Holliday provides protection for Pujols in the batting order. DeWitt is worth 4-5 billion dollars – he can afford it.
If the Yankees needed an outfielder of Crawford’s caliber, it would be one thing. Lee, on the other hand, I am excited about. I hope he will be playing for the Yankees in the Spring.
“Berkman, according to that salary chart. gets a bundle of money next year. The Yankees are stuck paying that amount right?
I like Gardner too. I see no reason to pay Crawford who I have liked for years the kind of money he can fairly expect.”
berkman will not be a yankee next year. that “bundle of money” is an option the yankees wont pick up.
(As part of no trade waiver, Yankees agreed not to exercise the 2011 team option $2M paid by Houston Astros)
I think Yankee fans need to take a deep breath when it comes to Cliff Lee. I think Brian Cashman will. He’s turns 33 next season (August) and he currently has a bad back, not the injury of choice for any athlete much less a power pitcher. Great pitcher? Yes. A sure thing? No. He might want Sabathia money – 7 years 160 million. I’m just sayin’. I wonder if they learned anything by giving A-Rod, Burnett and Posada too many guaranteed years (my opinion only).
But, necessity is the mother of invention. Vazquez will be gone, (no way the Yankees don’t take the two Type A draft picks), who knows what Pettitte will do and there are no great FA pitchers available in 2011. Lee may just what he wants.