The Final Season

Standings

2008-06-15T06:50:00.005-04:00

It is a little ironic that the week that I decide not to blog about the Yankees on a daily basis is the week that the team reaches its season high record of 3 games over .500. Have the Yanks finally turned a corner? Are they ready to move into the next gear of the season?

10-4, good buddy

Mussina secured his TENTH win of the season last night and seems to be on track to win 20 games this year. It is unbelievable to me that some reporters and talk show hosts are still skeptical about his performance. Many I have listened to recently say that Mussina's run will not last. Here is what the MLB had to say:

Mussina's 260th career victory makes him the sixth pitcher in Major League history to record 10 or more wins in 17 consecutive seasons. He will undoubtedly receive heavy consideration to represent the American League All-Star team next month at Yankee Stadium. If he does, the veteran right-hander's accomplishment would only help his interesting case for enshrinement in Cooperstown.

Here are the standing for the week:

Volunteer Opportunities

2008-06-14T06:40:00.004-04:00

A few months ago, while trying to find out just how hard it might be to get tickets to the All Star game, I found a link on the Yankee website that allowed me to file an application to volunteer for the events taking place that week. Admittedly, my first thought was that I could sign up for a job at the stadium and watch the game for free. Maybe they needed help selling dogs? But when I read the material with a closer eye, I discovered that the actual All-Star game was not one of the events that would be covered by volunteers. Shoot! But, what the hell? I signed up anyway.

Yesterday afternoon was the first informational session. It took place at Yankee Stadium and, as exciting as it is just to be in the stadium (especially when it is empty), it wasn't any big thrill to wait in line for an hour, sit in the sun waiting for 45 minutes, and then listen to stupid people ask stupid questions for another 30 minutes before getting "interviewed".

Granted, most of the waiting time was my fault. I totally misjudged the traffic getting to the stadium and was so worried that I wouldn't find a parking spot that I left my house super early. I wound up getting there at 4:15pm (an hour and 15 minutes early) BUT I was able to park directly in front of Gate 6, which is where I needed to be. I am really glad that I arrived when I did because the others arrived quickly after me... and there were lots of them. We lined up in groups sorted by last name (I was first in my line...yay!) and waited for all the workers to figure out their game plan. As we were watching the one girl who seemed like the one in charge go around and explain the process to the other workers there, the guy behind me commented on how it looked like organized chaos. I have to say, I thought they did a pretty good job of handling all the people who showed up, about two thousand or so by my estimate.

When it was time, I was asked to sign a waiver, was given a copy of my application to make corrections, was searched (just like before a Yankee game) and told to have a seat in the stadium. No, not anywhere in the stadium. We were behind right field and we filled up three complete sections. After everyone was processed from the line, the volunteer coordinators introduced themselves and started by asking a few Yankee trivia questions for people to win free tickets to upcoming games:

Who was the last Yankee to be inducted into the Hall of Fame?

Who was the Yankee manager before Joe Torre?

How many World Series titles have the Yankees won under George Steinbrenner?

In what year did the Yankees win their first World Series?

There were so many people there that, even though I was sitting in the second row, I didn't have a chance getting picked to answer. Well, I guess I had a chance, but not a very big one. Needless, to say, no free tickets for me. It was a nice way to start out the session though.

A spokeswoman for MLB then explained some of the areas where they needed volunteers and let us know that, out of the over 6,500 people who applied to volunteer (the most ever), only approximately 2,200 would be selected. Schedule availability, background checks, the "interview", and luck would determine who that would be. You could choose to work at Fan-Fest, which is the DHL-sponsored, week-long event at the Javitz Center or choose to be a NY Ambassador, someone who would help with parties and other events, travel, etc. I choose to apply to be an ambassador. They only need 700 of those by the way.

Then it was stupid question time:
(Answered provided by me, not the MLB)

Will we get any chance to see the All-Star game?
(Yeah, if you buy tickets, Jackass.)

Why don't we get paid to do this?
(Because it is a volunteer opportunity, Jackass.)

What color will the uniforms that we get be?
(Nope, I am not kidding. Someone asked this one too. What a Jackass.)

Eventually, we were done and it was time to line up for the "interview". Luckily, they decided to escort people out of the stadium in the same order they arrived, so I got out quickly and was the first one in my group to be "interviewed".

Now, you may be wondering why I keep putting quotes around "interview". It is because it really wasn't an interview. It was a questionnaire that just happened to be filled out by someone else. Some of the questions I was asked:

How long have you lived in the NY Area?
(All my life.)

Will you be able to stand for long periods of time?
(Didn't I just do that waiting on line?)

Are you a Yankee season holder?
(Yes!! But I am not sure why this makes be better able to volunteer.)

Can you work for three consecutive days or three days total?
(Gee, can't you get this info from the availability sheet that you just made me verify?)

Where else have you volunteered?
(I stretched the truth here just a bit but hey, whose going to know, right?)

And that was basically it. I should get a letter in the mail within two weeks telling me if I made it or not. The process wasn't too painful, I suppose. Considering that they don't do this very often, they organized it relatively well. I did wish the "interview" was more selective though because I didn't really feel like I had any better chance of getting selected than some of the jackasses from the question-and-answer session. Such is life.

Keep your fingers crossed. I will let you know if I get in!

The end of this blog as we know it...

2008-06-13T06:27:00.002-04:00

Perhaps you could blame it on a lack of personal time, as it takes a big commitment to write a daily blog. Maybe it is just the fact that there isn't too much to write about when the Yankees continue to follow the same pattern: one game over 500... back at 500... one game over 500... back at 500... one game below 500... back at 500... one game above 500... back at 500... one game over 500... See what I mean, not to exciting to read either.

So, I have decided to stop trying to blog after every game. There are plenty of other bloggers out there who write daily game summaries... the world doesn't need another.

I may write every couple of days, it could be weekly... I am not really sure at this point. If you are a regular reader (and your name is not Jed or Amy), shoot me a quick message to let me know that someone actually reads what is written here.

Go Yankees!

Yanks out of money?

2008-06-12T06:28:00.001-04:00

The Yankes lost again... bla bla bla

I found this interesting:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Yankees baseball team wants a city agency to sell $350 million of bonds for its new stadium or else it will not be able to complete the project, state Assemblyman Richard Brodsky said on Tuesday.
The Internal Revenue Service, however, would have to approve the new bond sale. The federal tax agency cracked down on financing these types of projects with tax-exempt debt after the Yankees got a waiver for the first sale of debt for their new stadium in the Bronx, the Westchester Democrat said.
"Right now, they (the Yankees) are saying they don't think they can complete the stadium unless the Internal Revenue Service ruling is reversed and they apparently have been joined in this effort to reverse the ruling by the Nets and the Mets," Brodsky told Reuters by phone.
However, Yankees President Randy Levine said: "This will not affect the completion of the stadium."
Levine and the city's debt-selling agency confirmed they wanted a waiver from the IRS. "We are working under the strong leadership of the city and state to try to seek relief from the regulations," Levine said.
The Yankees, one of the most profitable U.S. sports enterprises, once threatened to move out of the Bronx.
Though the team that has won 26 World Series titles decided to stay put, civic advocates say they and their cross-town rivals, the Mets, got overly rich taxpayer subsidies.
The new Yankee stadium is expected to open in 2009, replacing the 1923 stadium made famous by Babe Ruth.
In addition to other benefits, the city's Industrial Development Authority in 2006 sold $941 million of tax-exempt bonds for the Yankees and $548 million of debt for the Mets, whose Shea Stadium in Queens dates back to 1964.
The Mets, a team that has won two World Series titles, plan to open a new home in Queens next year.
The National Basketball Association's Nets now play in New Jersey but plan to build a new arena in Brooklyn that will anchor a billion-dollar office and housing development, which now faces a cooling real estate market.
Tax-exempt debt is crucial for the new basketball arena's financing. The Nets, which won two championships when they were in the American Basketball Association, plan to open the Brooklyn arena in time for the 2010-2011 season.
Janel Patterson, an Industrial Development Authority spokeswoman, confirmed the city would consider selling more debt for the Yankees and said the IRS ruling blocks other projects.
"The City is working with the State in Washington to seek relief from the applicable IRS regulation, as this regulation has taken away a tool that would be useful for a number of important, New York economic development projects, not just Yankee Stadium," she said in a statement.
A spokesman for the Nets had no immediate comment. A spokesman for the Mets was not immediately available.
Brodsky demanded reforms and more accountability, saying: "The explosion of public debt issued by obscure semi-public and private institutions is reaching unmanageable proportions."
Brodsky also questioned if a city corporation, the Capital Resource Corporation that now plans to sell debt formerly sold by another agency, had met disclosure requirements. He added: "These deals are usually negotiated secretly, with little accountability or public oversight, and directly or indirectly leave taxpayers on the hook.

Yanks 3 - Oakland 1

2008-06-11T08:29:00.003-04:00

Call me a wimp but I just can't seem to make it through the day after having watched a west coast game with a first pitch that occurs at 10:05pm. So, I don't even try. Therefore, there will be no detailed write-ups of the series in Oakland... sorry dedicated readers.

Instead, here is the box score from last night's victory. Go Yankees!

Don't blame Mo...

2008-06-10T06:45:00.004-04:00

You can't expect Mariano to be flawless. He is human, after all. There will be times when he will give up a run, in yesterday's case, a home run. It was Jose Guillen's lead-off homer in the ninth that gave the Royals the unrecoverable lead of 3-2 but I blame Cano and/or Melky for this game. With two men on base and one out, Cano could do nothing. With the bases loaded and two outs, what did Melky do? A crap ground out directly to first on the second pitch.

The Moose didn't deserve the no decision for this game. He gave the club 8 innings and only let 2 runs cross the plate. 65 strikes in 89 pitches with no walks. It is a shame the Yanks couldn't do more to get runners home.

It is back to .500 for the Yanks (and yes, I am getting tired of saying that). Win one, lose one. Win two, lose two. The Yankees have to break this cycle soon.

Yanks Over Royals 6-to-3

2008-06-09T08:08:00.002-04:00

I watched Sunday's game from the comfort of my air conditioned home. A friend of mine asked if I wanted to join him yesterday but, after sitting in the sweltering heat for Saturday's game at the Stadium, there was no way that I was going to do it again. I had tickets to today's afternoon game as well but sold them on StubHub since I had to work. I feel bad for anyone that has to be outdoors today in the predicted 100 degree temperatures.

Back to yesterday's game... Joba made it into the fifth inning and pitched much better than his first start. 53 strikes in 78 pitches, 5 strikeouts and one walk. He left the game with three runs on the board. Giese came in to relieve him and did very well. Three strikeouts, no hits, no walks. Veras successfully ate up the 8th and on to Mo for the save. Giese got the win for the day.

Giambi came through once again in the 6th with a home run (his 14th of the season). Bobby Abreu had also hit one out in the first inning to give the club its early lead.

The stuff the Bronx is made of...

2008-06-08T06:37:00.005-04:00

It was all about Johnny Damon yesterday. Not only did he tie the game in the 8th inning... not only did he win the game for the Yankees in the bottom of the ninth... but he had six hits during the course of the day... something not done by a Yankee since 1934!

"All these great players that played here didn't do it," Damon said. "I was fortunate to have that opportunity to do it. I'm definitely blessed."

For those of you who are really observant, you would have noticed that Johnny shaved his moustache off before yesterday's game. Hmmm....

Yes, it certainly was a crazy sort of game. Andy Pettitte started the game and gave up 10 runs, the last four of them via a grand slam by Guillen. But, like Thursday's game against Toronto, the Yanks pressed forward and worked their way back into the game. That is the most important part in my minds. It is that perseverance... that winning attitude that makes me proud to be a fan.

It was a game that was played in a sweltering heat (trust me, I was there). Mark, the beer guy, traded in his beer bucket for some Poland Spring water and wound up selling over 23 cases. The home plate umpire had to leave the game after getting hit by a ball off Posada's glove which cause a brief 7-min "ump-delay". Mo, who came in for the ninth the preserve a tie instead of make a save, wound up giving up a home run but still got the win.

"When you've got a day like that, you know it's going to happen," closer Mariano Rivera said. "Somehow it's going to happen. And it did."

So the Yankees take the second game in the series from the Royals by a score of 12-to-11 and are back at .500 for the 20th time this season!

Here are the Sunday Standings:

No Support for Rasner

2008-06-07T06:23:00.006-04:00

He pitched an amazing game for the Yankees. He released 118 pitches from the mound and 75 of them passed across the plate for strikes. He walked none and only let two runs score. He lasted 8 innings which, by recent Yankee pitching standards is incredible in itself. But yet again, his teammates were unable to perform for him offensively and Rasner wound up taking a loss for last night's 2-to-1 game against Kansas City.

In fact, in his last 3 starts, the Yankees have only scored 2 runs for Rasner. This is not the way to catch up to Boston.

Abreu, Rodriguez, Cano and Cabrera all went 2-for-4 last night and one would think that would have been enough to put more than one run in the books. But that doesn't always happen when you strand 9 men on base. A ground out double play (A-Rod) is not the way to move runners.

To the teams defense however, I think that it was the obnoxiously incorrect call by the home plate official (Ed Montague) in the bottom of the eighth inning that cost the Yankees this game. It happened with Giambi at the plate with runners at first and second and Jason didn't even come close to swinging at a 3-2 pitch but was called out for not checking his swing. It is surprising to get such a poor call from a veteran official... a call that never would have come to pass if Montague would have first checked with his colleagues at first and third base, as he is supposed to do.

"It doesn't matter now. I can't really do much about it," Giambi said. He is right... but where was the skipper to support his slugger? I would have liked to at least see Girardi leave the dugout to argue this one.

So the Yanks return to last place and one game under .500, unable to beat a team that was toting an 11-game losing streak on the road. They will have three more chances this weekend. The next one today at 1:05pm. I will be at the stadium. Perhaps I can provide the Bombers with a little bit of luck.

So maybe it IS the moustache...

2008-06-06T02:00:00.000-04:00

Well, one thing is for certain... that moustache isn't goin' away anytime soon for Giambi. Not after that pinch-hit, walk-off home run that landed in the upper deck to give the Yankees the 9-to-8 win over Toronto on Thursday afternoon. For as long as mlb.com keeps it up, you can catch a glance at the game saving play here.

It was by far the most exciting game this season (as least the ending, anyway) and a much needed boost for the Yankees. It was looking pretty dismal for the Bombers after Wang's pitiful performance on the mound. Wang left his team with a five run deficit in the 5th inning after 90 pitches; but not before giving up 5 hits, 7 earned runs, and walking 4. The Yanks did rally in the next two innings to reduce the deficit to 1 run but then Girardi, as if he hasn't learned his lesson yet, brought Fartsworth in during the 9th to give up 3 hits, one run, and load the bases before getting out of the inning. I think the Yanks got lucky.

So New York takes this series 2 games to 1 and is back to the .500 mark, ready to host Kansas City this weekend. Now if we could just inspire the likes of Robinson Cano and others to grow a little facial hair we might be in better shape.

Consistency and Confidence

2008-06-05T08:38:00.004-04:00

So much of success in baseball (or anything at all really) can be attributed to consistency and confidence. The two are so tightly related that sometimes it is impossible to possess one without the other. When pondering what makes a team successful, it is clear that consistency plays an important role. Mike Mussina is a perfect example here. Often an overlooked starter in the Yankee rotation, the Moose can no longer be dismissed as a player that can't get the job done. Actually, if you have been following my blog you would know that I have been sticking up for Mussina all season. It sort of pisses me off to hear everyone promoting his success now that he has been successful when all they could do was bad mouth him weeks earlier. If you are a regular listener of Michael Kay you know what I am talking about. Even Kim Jones when she was interviewing Jeter after the game last night asked if Jeter was surprised at Mussina's performance... if he was going beyond expectation.

I am getting away from my point. What we have been seeing from Mussina this year is confidence. He is modifying his pitches, he is getting balls inside, and batters are finding him difficult to hit. This confidence has made him a consistently good performer for the Yankees. The more consistent he is about winning, the more confidence he will build. See the circle here? Currently, the Moose has 9 wins and that stat ties him as the pitcher with the most wins so far this season in the American League.

Enough about Moose... let's move on to Jeter. The Yankee captain is now number three (below only Gehrig and Ruth) for the most amount of hits as a Yankee. Last night his total became 2,416. When you think about Jeter is is hard not to think about consistency. No, that doesn't mean that every time he steps up to the plate he performs... every player is subject to a slump. But if you look at the overall picture... if you reflect on what Jeter has done for the Yankees over the course of his career, you will have to agree that he is a consistently good player. This is what makes him a superstar. There is no way that any player can keep company with Gehrig and Ruth without it. I will go further to say that that makes for some pretty confident stuff.

So what I would like to see from the entire Yankee roster is more consistency and confidence and less superstition. I have news for you Giambi and Damon: growing a moustache or wearing pink panties or doing whatever you have been doing because you think it is making you hit better is not the answer... so please, let's not see anymore facial hair. I can't stand listening to my wife complain about how bad you guys look. Instead, let's remember who we are: The New York Yankees. Keep that in mind every time you step up to that plate. Remember what got you in those pinstripes and let your confidence erase everything else. A consistent winning record may be just around the corner.

Final score of last nights game: Yankees 5 - Toronto 1.

Yanks Should Dump Joba...

2008-06-04T07:54:00.005-04:00

Yes, of course I am kidding. I just thought perhaps I might stir up a little blog traffic from the search engines.

As any Yankee fan knows by now, Joba's first outing on the mound as a major league starter was a bust. To a standing crowd, Joba threw his first pitch, a ball, and it went downhill from there. 62 pitches total (38 in the first inning) Joba lasted just 2-1/3 innings. He walked 4 (3 in the first inning) and balked. He allowed two runs on one hit. Clearly not a night the Joba will want to remember.

What does all this mean? Absolutely nothing. Joba IS the Yankee's ace. No doubt about it. But with all the hype surrounding last night's start and all the anxiety that Joba (who is still a kid in major league terms) must have felt, his pitching was affected. Give it time... hell, give it till Sunday... I think we will start seeing some awesome-ness from number 62 soon.

I have heard all the debates about Joba and many feel that although this transition is the best move for him personally that it may not be the best move for the team as a whole. I completely dismissed all these critics until I saw yet another crappy performance by the bull pen, who ultimately lost last night's game for the team. Although newcomer Dan Giese took the blow for the 9-to-3 game, he wasn't to blame. Actually, he didn't do so badly. Veras and Ramirez on the other hand... absolutely pitiful.

Now is the time that the Yankees have to do anything that they can to fix their bull pen woes. Let's be honest here... it was broken before Joba made the transition and it is not like one great set-up man is going to carry the entire pen anyway. So, if I were Girardi, I would stop wasting time and figure out what needs to be done. Earn the money the Steinbrenner's are paying you.

Hitting last night... nothing special either. Jeter hit a milestone: tying Mickey Mantle for all-time Yankees hits with 2,415. Damon continues to be hot, going 3-for 4 with a double and a triple.

The Yankees will play Toronto again tonight at 7:05pm.

A waste of time...

2008-06-03T07:50:00.004-04:00

Last night's game just seemed like a waste of my time. With so many other projects that I have going on around the house, I often feel guilty sitting in front of a TV for an entire game on a weeknight evening. If I could have gotten myself motivated, I would have painted the guest room while I listened to John Sterling call the game on the radio... but I didn't. I sat through all nine innings and watched Andy Pettitte give up one Yankee lead after another. He really wasn't pitching well last night. "It's an extremely disappointing loss," Pettitte said. "I'm extremely disappointed in the way I performed. The team gave me the lead three different times, and it's unacceptable."

The pitcher that I really want to talk about though is Kyle Fartsworth. For the life of me I can't understand why he is brought in during close games. Yes, I understand that he is the consideration for replacing Joba as the set-up man and that just makes me more irate. He should be dumped on his ass off the team no matter what it winds up costing the Yankees. He is worthless. Every time, without fail, he loses the game for us. And what REALLY gets me is the fact that Fartsworth doesn't think he is doing anything wrong: "I'm throwing my pitches, and I get beat on my best pitch," Farnsworth said. "It's going to happen. You've got to take the good with the bad. You just keep on going at it." What a friggin' idiot!

Probably the only excitement that came from last night's 6-to-5 loss was watching the plethora of close officiating calls. A-Rod's "safe" call at home being my favorite.

The Yanks will be back home tonight to battle the Jays with Joba Chamberlin on the mound.

Back on the See-Saw

2008-06-02T08:33:00.003-04:00

The Yankees once again seem to be teetering on a win-loss record that has them balanced at the .500 mark. Yesterday's 5-to-1 loss in Minnesota wasn't disastrous but it was disappointing. The Yankees still lead the Twins in this 4-game series, two games to one.

The team finally decided that Morgan Ensberg was not working out as planned. I too had bigger hopes for Ensberg pre-opening day but after watching him play for the last two months, the appropriate move was to dump him and that's what the Yanks did. In his place, right-handed pitcher Scott Patterson got his major league debut yesterday afternoon coming in to relieve Rasner, who was definitely off his mark though he did keep the club in the game. Patterson was ok, I suppose. Nothing that I didn't expect. He threw 21 strikes over 40 pitches and let one run in. Patterson was followed by Chris Britton who did far better: 9 strikes over 14 pitches and nothing but zeros across the board.

Hitting for the Yanks was sluggish and 8 men were left on base including a bases-loaded situation. The only run scored was a result of a solo home run in the 5th inning by Derek Jeter, who has been in a bit of a slump lately.

Tonight's game at the Metrodome will begin at 7:05 p.m.

Third Win in a Row

2008-06-01T07:14:00.006-04:00

Bobby Abreu was the hero in last night's game 2 against the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees won it 7-to-6 in the 12th inning off of Bobby's clutch single RBI that allowed Damon to cross the plate. Both Damon and Abreu led the team with 2 hits over 5 at-bats.

Ohlendorf wound up getting the win and he deserved it. He pitched 2 scoreless innings and kept the Yankees in the game as it played out in extra innings. Mo secured his 15th save of the year.

Wang was once again a little flimsy on the mound and, although he put 5 innings on the board, he made me nervious all the way through. He certainly wasn't pitching like an ace last night. Fortunately, the Yanks were good enough at the plate and ultimately took the game.

"I knew in my heart we were a much better club than what we were playing," Girardi said after the game. "We weren't playing well, and when you have the talent level we have, you should play better. That's exactly what we're doing."

The bombers are now one game over .500 in the standings and 5.5 games behind the fabulous Tampa Bay DEVIL Rays.

Yanks over Minnesota 6-to-5

2008-05-31T06:50:00.005-04:00

Well, what do you know? Another win for Mike Mussina. Now if you have been reading my blog you know that I have been a strong advocate for the Moose. No, I don't think that he is an ace for the Bombers. He is not a "sure win" kind of pitcher. He comes with baggage. But, as he has shown so far this season, he has worked hard to work on his delivery, has begun to pitch to different zones, including inside, and is capable of setting the team up for a win. Last night's 6-to-5 victory over the Twins was no exception. The Moose struggled a bit in the first inning but then quickly regained control to go 6 complete innings with a notable 109 pitches (73 of them strikes).

Let's take a quick look at pitching records so far this season:

Mussina.... 8-4
Wang....... 6-2
Pettitte... 5-5
Rasner..... 3-1
Kennedy.... 0-3
Hughes..... 0-4

Rather interesting, I think. Of course a significant factor in the ability for a pitcher to secure a win is whether the team is hitting on any given night. Yesterday, the Yanks were hitting.

Abreu was the most impressive with 3 hits (2 of them triples!) and a walk. Bobby brought in four of the six runs for the team. Matsui and A-Rod continue to be successful at the plate, both of them going 3-for-4 from the box.

As well as some of the Yankees were hitting, some were not... Jeter was 0-for-5, and Duncan and Betemit continue to be a waste of space for the team. Nine runners were left on-base last night and that is unacceptable.

Fartsworth came in as the set-up man in the 8th inning (something that apparently he will supposedly do quite frequently now that Joba has left the bullpen) and it was not surprising to me that he allowed a home run. What Girardi is thinking by considering Fartsworth for this spot is beyond me.

The Yankees got the win and have now leveled themselves in the standings once again at .500 with a record of 27-and-27. Tonight's game two of the four game set will begin with first pitch at 7:10pm.

Musings

2008-05-29T08:07:00.006-04:00

I don't know about you but I really like listening to sports commentators. My car radio is almost always tuned to ESPN radio. Sometimes a good determinant of whether I enjoy watching a baseball game on TV is who the particular color commentator is. One of the things I like most is the banter and discussion that takes place during this coverage.

Last night's game was a good example: When Joba came in to relieve Andy Pettitte in an effort to build up his pitch count, the commentary of course was directed to the decision by the Yankees to transition him to a starter. The plan was re-hashed, a clip of Girardi talking about Joba was played in which Joe stated that Joba would probably like to pitch every game, even if he had to do it under-hand, and there was speculation about whether Joba might get Kennedy's next start. Joba began his night on the mound a little shaky. He walked the first batter and, with only a one run lead at the time, was making everyone just a little bit anxious. Michael Kay then posed an interesting question: Who do you put in for Joba if he begins to get into trouble? Yes, the Yankees were trying to get him around 55 pitches last night but they needed the win more. At this juncture in the transition plan, would you ever want to bring Fartsworth in save Joba? A rather scary thought, I think. Of course, it never came to that. Joba straightened out and got the Yankees to the 9th in 28 pitches. I did wonder if Girardi considered keeping him in to finish the game and he probably would have if the Yankees didn't wind up leaving the bases loaded in the top of the ninth. Instead, Mo was brought in for the save... and did a fine job, despite A-Rod's error.

Speaking of errors... the Yankees have been making their share of them lately.

After the game, Kim Jones got a hold of Giambi (who has been showing promise lately and went 2-for-3 last night with a homer) and one of the things she asked about was his moustache. In case you haven't noticed, Jason began growing a little fuzz under his nose. My wife is adamantly against it and can't stand looking at him anymore (though I am not sure that she swooned over him before, either). Anyway, there is superstition everywhere and Jason said that the moustache is staying. Hey, if he continues hitting I bet the Steinbrenner's would let him grow a mullet and a mohawk too. What is funny to me is that there is an entire press release article on the Yankees website that discusses the moustache craze.

So here is my point, and I do recognize that this concept is probably one of those things that will always be much clearer in my mind than on paper... I enjoy the full baseball "experience" from April till October. When the Yankees are not doing well, I like listening to people talk about it. I get a certain comfort in that. When New York is at the top of the standings (and I sure hope they are sooner than later), I like listening to people talk about how they got there. The side stories surrounding the baseball season are almost as much fun.

That is why I decided to write a blog, even if it is only for the two people that read it semi-regularly (thanks Jed and Amy).

The Yankees won last night's game by a score of 4-to-2, avoiding the sweep in Baltimore. They will be off today and begin a four game series against the Twins on the road on Friday night at 8:10pm.

Yanks Lose Home Run Derby

2008-05-28T07:56:00.005-04:00

This was a game that never should have been lost. Said a different way: these are the games that the Yankees need to win. I went to bed during the rain delay and I am so glad I did. No reason to lose sleep over this one.

First let's talk about the odd... 9 home runs in one game (according to the baseball almanac, the record is 10). Giambi, Damon, Abreu, and Rodriguez sent balls to the stands for the Yankees. Millar (2x), Herandez, Mora and Scott for the Orioles. A home run is exciting to watch, don't get me wrong... but last night's game almost pushed that limit for me. No doubt about it though, the Yanks hit well last night, especially Damon who went 4 for 5.

Now on to the bad... when are the Yankees going to realize that Ian Kennedy sucks? I have said it here many times, but let me say it again... the Yankees should get rid of him while other teams still might be fooled into thinking he is worth something. 4 runs in 3 short innings... a 7.41 ERA... we can do better. Kennedy hurt himself last night and will be added to the DL with a strained right lat muscle. Maybe Joba will be ready to take his place next week since he is scheduled to throw 50-55 pitches tonight to relieve Pettitte.

And to the awful... Latroy Hawkins. From the moment he joined this team he was trouble. He reminds me a lot of Fartsworth with his ability to screw up when he is needed most. I hope we are not going to have to pamper him now. Veras would have been the better choice last night.

Ohlendorf... yeah, you sucked last night too buddy; but I think you are a better pitcher than your performance in that game. Besides, if Kennedy would do his job, we wouldn't have to tax you so much. You get off easy, in this blog post anyway.

One last rant before I end this... Girardi was completely in the right for arguing to the officials about the rain coming down when Matsui was at bat in the top of the ninth. How convenient for them to wait until after the Yankees are retired before calling for the tarp.

Baltimore over New York by a score of 10-to-9 after 11 innings of play. It is back to 2 games below .500 and 6 games out, in that comfortable little spot in last place for the Yanks.

Rasner = Good, Bullpen = Bad

2008-05-27T08:38:00.003-04:00

At least that was the story yesterday afternoon when the Yankees fell to the Orioles, losing by a score of 6-to-1. The first 5 innings were scoreless and Rasner pitched great. He left after 6 innings, having thrown 98 pitches (68 of them strikes), and was only responsible for one run. Then came LaTroy Hawkins... he only lasted .2 of an inning but managed to give up 2 hits and 3 runs. Veras didn't do much better with 2 hits and 2 runs.

Bullpens will give away games from time to time and although it bothers me, I can deal with that. What I don't understand is why Cashman hasn't done anything to put a lefty in the Yankees hand. They haven't had much luck in this area. Mike Meyers did little for the team last year and neither did Billy Traber. I would put this transaction on the top of my to-do list.

I was reading Greg Cohen's blog this morning and he posed an interesting question: why do we need both Duncan and Ensberg on the active roster? Neither of them are performing and it seemingly makes more sense to move one of them down to make room for someone else. Brett Gardner is the quick answer for a replacement. Clearly, the second thing on my list would be to strengthen the bench.

I am hoping that yesterday's game was just an anomaly and that New York can take the next two games against Baltimore to capture the series and stir some movement in the standings. Tonight's game starts at 7:05pm with Ian Kennedy on the mound. I am cautiously optimistic.

Yanks Sweep Mariners... again.

2008-05-25T20:42:00.004-04:00

For the second time this month, the Yankees swept Seattle. Yesterday's 6-to-5 victory brought New York to the .500 mark and allowed them to jump over Baltimore in the standings. It was their 5th consecutive win but, more importantly, it was a win that was earned in the eighth inning when New York was down by 3 runs. The first win of the season that was achieved after the team had been down after the seventh inning.

"We got contributions from everyone, especially there in the last inning with walks and with timely hits," said shortstop Derek Jeter, who got the rally started by drawing a lead off walk. "We pretty much did a lot of things right."

Timely hits... it is what the team has been lacking and it is good to see the Yankees back on track.

They will begin a three game set against Baltimore today at 1:35pm.

Yankee Bats Come Alive

2008-05-24T20:01:00.004-04:00

The Yankees secured their 4th consecutive win on Saturday when they beat the Mariners by a score of 12-to-6. This victory brings New York to a record of 24-25. The team still has an uphill climb in the standings but there seems to be a more positive feeling surrounding the club. Pitching has stabilized and the offense is clearly in a different place then they were just a week ago. The Yanks brought in 35 runs over the last 4 days and hitters that were previously struggling seemed to have found a way to connect with the bat. Cano going 4-for-4 and Giambi at 3-for-4 for the day are the most notable.

Joba Chamberlin began his transition to become a starter by pitching the 6th and 7th innings and a total of 40 pitches, 22 of them strikes. I purposely have not written anything about the official word that came this week regarding Joba's move out of the "set-up" spot but only because it has been covered so heavily in other areas. I do fully support this decision however and think the Yankees will be a better team because of it. My only hope is that Fartsworth does not become Joba's replacement... we can't afford to give up that many home runs.

Here are the standings as of today:

Were the M's Jet-lagged from Detroit?

2008-05-24T06:30:00.006-04:00

I really wasn't surprised by last night's Yankees' win. After all, they were playing a last place team who had just gotten swept by a last place team. (Yeah, I know... the Bombers too are in last place, but that just makes it more special.) I was a little taken back however by the blowout of a score: 13-to-2.

Mariners' coach John McLaren tried to pull a Girardi-type tantrum in the 2nd inning by arguing balls and strikes. Perhaps he was trying to motivate his team too. But, unlike the Yankees who used Girardi's anger to inspire them to win their game the night before, the Mariners just seemed to lose their direction without their coach and the runs began to flow in the 4th and 5th innings.

We saw a three-run homer by Duncan, his first of the year and a much needed one for him if he is going to continue to live up to the reputation that he began to develop last year. We saw two respectable doubles from Giambi and Cano. But most impressively, we saw 2-out RBI's from Moeller, Abreu, Rodriguez, and Cano. The team seems to be learning how to get their base-runners home, something they have been struggling with early this year.

Pettitte pitched well going 6 innings and securing the win to make his record 4-5. He did get himself into a bit of trouble but he managed and dealt with it well.

The highlight of my evening spent at the stadium last night in Tier 11, Row B was the Jeter pop-up foul ball in the 3rd that bounced off my wife's lap and I recovered. I wish I could have written something more magnanimous like how I dived over three rows to catch it one-handed, but the truth is I was taking a sip of beer at the time and had to scramble when I saw it coming our way. Many balls have come towards me in the many years that I have been going to games. Some caught by guys next to me, some by those directly in back of me. This was the first time I was able to take one home in my pocket. Very cool.

Girardi gets mad!

2008-05-23T08:34:00.003-04:00

It was refreshing to watch a close game last night. A 2-to-1 game that ended in a walk-off RBI single by Cano. It was nice to see the Yanks work effectively, and good to see some stability out of Kennedy. Heck, it was even good to see Fartsworth not blow a game for a change. But perhaps the greatest show last night came from Girardi, just before he secured his 100th win as a manager (even though he had to watch it happen from the clubhouse).

As shown in the video (and my thanks to Greg Cohen for finding and posting it on his blog), Girardi got ejected in the bottom of the ninth after arguing (Billy Martin style, I might add) about a strikeout call on Giambi.

Now, I don't know if this was just a dog-and-pony-show by Girardi to motivate his team or not but it certainly worked. It is exactly what the Yankees needed right now. The players needed to see it and more importantly, the fans needed to see it. The bottom line in baseball is that it is just a game. It is entertainment... and the people paying for this entertainment need to be inspired just as much as the players. Good job, Joe!

The Yankees will begin a 3-game series against the struggling Mariners at the stadium tonight. Seattle is coming off a 3-game losing streak after being swept in Detroit and is currently holding an 18-and-30, last-place record.

Sometimes you get lucky...

2008-05-22T07:54:00.007-04:00

No, I am not merely referring to the Yankees beating the Orioles last night by a score of 8-to-0. Hopefully this win was a sign of things to come, a mental turn-around of sorts. A display of what this team can really do that has nothing to do with chance. The good fortune that I am talking about has to do with Darrell Rasner. What a spectacular performance that we saw from him: 61 strikes thrown over 95 pitches, lasting 7 innings. Rasner gave up only one walk but returned 6 strike-outs for the club as he moved the ball across the plate in a timely fashion and with conviction. Michael Kay on the YES broadcast compared Rasner to an Aaron Small in 2005 who, although not a rookie at the time, seemingly came out of nowhere to pitch a 10-0 season for the Yanks. And then there was Shawn Chacon also in 2005 who surprised the club by coming in mid-season to provide 7 wins from 10 starts. Both Small and Chacon had something special going on in '05 and perhaps Rasner, with his now 3-0 record, will be that gift to New York in '08. You never know... sometimes you get lucky...

...and sometimes you don't. And of course I am referring to A-Rod's second home run of the night that was mistakenly ruled a double by the officiating crew. The line drive hit that ricocheted off the yellow-painted stairs behind the blue padded wall was clearly hit "out-of-the-park" and A-Rod knew it. Of course, without the benefit of instant replay, it was difficult to tell. This is now the third time this week (the second at Yankee Stadium) that major league baseball could have benefited from the use of a replay monitor by the officials. Let's hope that the commission uses this opportunity to reconsider their policy in these situations before a pennant or world series game is decided upon a bad call.

It was nice to see the Yankees take the infield after the game to shake hands and it brought a smile to my face to review the box score from last night. The team found hits up and down the lineup and were able to support the efforts of Rasner on the mound. Let's hope it wasn't just a lucky night.

The Yankees face Baltimore for the final game of their three game set tonight at 7:05 pm.

Who is to blame?

2008-05-21T08:12:00.005-04:00

And I thought the Yankees' performance against the Mets on Sunday night was bad... last night's loss at the stadium to the Orioles with a final score of 12-to-2 was pathetically pitiful. Twelve Baltimore players crossed the plate last night and only 4 of them were earned runs. The YES announcers last night would lead you to believe that it was Jeter's error on the throw to 1st base in the 1st inning that started it all. Yeah, I don't think so. Moose clearly had nothing last night.

A-Rod returned last night and he was good for a two-run homer in the sixth inning but that was it. Like I have said before, A-Rod can not heal this team. Even if he were able to send balls into the stands every game, the Yanks are not going to survive this season on home runs alone. Among other things, the Yankees need to start playing small ball. They need to manufacture runs from the first at-bat. It isn't pretty and it isn't what the New York fans are paying to watch but the fans certainly aren't happy about these losses either.

In business, or more appropriately... in life; we like to assign blame to things that go wrong. It is actually a healthy thing to do. It creates responsibility and forces people to take ownership. The question I have been pondering is: Who is to blame for the the way the Yankees have been performing, or shall I say, not performing? The obvious answer is the position players on the field, but what kind of weight should the manager be carrying for these losses? If you are going to talk about how Girardi was voted "Manager of the Year" and if you are going to credit managers when you talk about winning seasons and world championships, then you can not just blame the players when the losses start rolling in either. Girardi is also responsible for these losses. Clearly, he needs to do something and so far, I haven't seen him do much. Kim Jones asked Joe in the post game interview if he was going to say anything to the team regarding last night's loss. He said no, explaining that they all ready know that something was wrong and that they need to correct it. Here is one of the problems as I see it. We seem to like to idolize the players, treat them like professionals, but we do not come down on them hard enough when they don't perform. I don't know about you but if I don't perform at my job, I am going to hear about it. I am going to be concerned about losing that job. This is the feeling that Girardi needs to instill in his players.

It is time for force...

2008-05-19T09:23:00.004-04:00

It is bad enough that the game last night was aired by ESPN. Their coverage is so incredibly awful that it is almost painful to sit through. To have to watch the Yankees perform the way they did last night, losing 11-to-2 to the Mets, was more than even I could take. I admit it: I turned off the tube and went to bed in the eighth inning. To even imagine that the massacre would have been so much greater if the officials had actually not second-guessed the home run by Delgado is unspeakable. The Yankees performance last night was absolutely pathetic... and something needs to be done.

It is time for Hank to be "forceful". I, of course, am referring back to his recent comments about the team:

"This is going to get turned around," Steinbrenner said. "If it's not turned around this year, then it will be turned around next year, by force if we have too."

But my advice to Hank would be not to wait until next year. Something needs to be done now. I am getting a little tired of hearing about how our line-up is hurting. A-Rod and Posada are not going to fix what is broken here. I am not going to sit behind my computer monitor and pretend that I have the answers because I don't. Nor should I. That is not my job as a fan. But the Yankees better use this off day well. They better figure out what they need and get it. It needs to start at the top and it needs to happen today.

7 Train De-rails 4 Train in Subway Series Opener

2008-05-17T20:52:00.006-04:00

There wasn't too much to get excited about during yesterday afternoon's 7-to-4 Yankee loss to the New York Mets. What started out as a good game with a 13 pitch, 3 strike-out first inning performance by Pettitte and a two-run lead by the bombers, quickly turned sour... probably at the moment when Damon was called out sliding into home on a Bobby Abreu double. That call at the plate seemed to be a turning point in momentum for the Yankees. Pettitte returned in the fourth to an incredible struggle that seemed to last forever resulting in 3 runs for the Mets.

As if that were't enough, Fartsworth came in during the 7th inning to give up 3 more runs (from 2 homeruns by Reyes and Wright). The Yankees tried to rally with a couple of home runs by Giambi and Abreu but with no one on base at the time, and little else happening with the Yankee offense, a recovery of the lead just wasn't in the cards.

I did almost have to opportunity to be on tv but that too didn't come to pass. Although I convinced the roving cameraman to pose for a quick snapshot with me, the lens passed up me and my buddies in section 627.

So the Yanks reach a season low of 3 games below .500 and Willy Randolf's job as manager becomes slightly more secure (if you believe all the hype by the media regarding the subway series pressures). Tomorrow night's match-up of Wang against Perez will last game of this abbreviated series because of Friday night's
rainout.

Here are the standings (as depressing as they may be) as of 5/18/08:

A Beneficial Rainout

2008-05-16T20:11:00.009-04:00

I am not quite sure why the Yankees waited until 7:18pm and had fans trek to the stadium before calling last night's game against the Mets. It had been raining the entire day in New York and all the forecasts called for the rain to continue through the wee hours of the next day. I had several friends who showed up at the stadium last night only to turn around before even getting to the front of the beer line.

Despite its inconvenience to fans though, this rain out is clearly an advantage to the Yanks. Because the game will not be made up this weekend (mostly because of TV line-ups, believe it or not) and can not be played on Monday's off-day because the Mets already have a double-header scheduled for the following day, Friday night's makeup will likely occur next month sometime. This means that a match-up that otherwise would have been played without Posada and A-Rod, will likely include those sluggers later this season.

The other nicety that comes from this rainout is that Pettitte will now face Santana instead of Rasner. I do believe that Rasner can continue to prove himself as a quality starter for the club but, all things considered, I feel more comfortable with Andy Pettitte on the mound for this game. Better still, I will be at the game today!

I don't like Ian Kennedy

2008-05-15T21:01:00.009-04:00

Actually, I never did. I listened to everyone say what a promising pitcher he was... how he had such great starts last year. I hear about all the wonderful things he does in triple-a. You know what? This kid is no better the Igawa. I have said it before and I will repeat it again: I don't give a rat's ass what this kid can do in the minor leagues. If he can't do it where it counts, get him off the mound. He had three lousy starts last year and took away one single win. Certainly nothing to base a career on. "I think I belong here and I want to work out my problems here," is what Kennedy had to say about yesterday's 5-to-2 loss to the Rays. You know what Ian... Yankee Stadium is not the place to work out your problems. And another thing: stop all your whining and excuses... you haven't earn the right to complain about anything yet. It is not going to be long before this kid starts getting booed whenever he takes the field. Yankee fans are not terribly supportive of players that can't perform.

Now that I have had my rant about pitching, this is normally where I would comment about hitting. Except, once again, there is not much to say... Damon and Giambi, nothing. Our two pinch-hitters, Matsui and Abreu... nothing. Appearently, Girardi likes to try to spark things up by bringing in substituting hitters. The only problem is that they haven't been generating any sparks. Even the hitters of the afternoon only came through with singles. 8 left on base... not a great way to try to win a ball game.

So, it is back to New York where the Bombers will face the Mets. One would believe that the way the Mets have been playing, perhaps this would be a good opportunity for the Yankees but I am not so sure anymore. I hope I am wrong.

Excitement

2008-05-15T07:55:00.004-04:00

Wait a minute... isn't that a fist pump that Morgan Ensberg gave after tagging Cliff Floyd out at third to end the second inning? I thought that emotional reaction of excitement had been outlawed by the Yankees. I mean, after Goose Gossage denounced Joba Chamberlin a few days ago for fisting David Dellucci, I thought someone from the Yankees organization would have spoken to the team. Wasn't that the subject of the 45-minute, closed-door team meeting that occurred before last night's 2-to-1 Yankee win over the Rays? Seriously folks, if this cheerful display of confidence goes unchecked, we might soon see Melky Cabrera high-fiving fans over the wall just like Manny.

Well, I propose that it is this kind of excitement that will take the Yankees to where they need to be. All too often I think we tend to forget that this is a GAME. If we have to second guess what our opponent might be "feeling" before reacting to a good play, then we are thinking too much. I am not saying that we need to chant in the dugout like the Nationals, but a little excitement can go a long way.

Moose pitched an amazingly good game last night and since I am the kind of person who likes to say "I told you so," I hope all you radio talk show callers and bloggers who were calling for the Moose to be "put down" in early April are able to take notice that Mussina has won his last 5 starts and is now 6-and-3.

The Yankees bats aren't really where I would like them to be but it is nice to see some life in Cano who went 4-for-4 last night. More importantly though, it seems like Girardi has finally woken up to the fact that he needs to more aggressively manage this team. Perhaps it was the report from Hank demanding more fire from the team, but Joe is showing more signs of life too.

The Yanks will have a chance to even up the 4-game series against the Rays today at 4pm.

Yanks Fail... Rays Prevail

2008-05-14T07:57:00.004-04:00

I think Matsui said it best:

"We shouldn't be depending on guys like Alex and Jorge to score. We should be able to score runs without their presence, as well,"

If you listen to some of the sports talk shows and read some of the press releases discussing last night's extra-innings, 2-to-1 Yankee loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, many will cite that New York is hurting without the strong slugging of Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada. Ok. Fine. But wouldn't you think that the 12 players currently on the active roster could do better than 2 runs in the last 24 innings?

You can't blame Wang because there was nothing wrong with the way he pitched. Going seven innings and only giving up one run is something that any MLB club would take. You can't blame Rivera (and shame on you to anyone out there who is) because even the sandman is human. Go and try to find another 0.56 ERA closer. Joba did his part. Even Fartsworth gave the lineup a chance.

So, let's look at the lineup from last night:

Damon, DH .271
Jeter, SS .305
Abreu, RF .287
Matsui, LF .319
Giambi, 1B .194
Cabrera, CF .269
Cano, 2B .183
Gonzalez, 3B .290
a-Duncan, S, PH .188
Ensberg, 3B .219
Molina, C .203

I will let you make your own determinations here. One thing I don't understand is why Girardi would have Duncan (who has been ice cold lately) pinch hit for Gonzalez (who has been promising at .290) in the seventh.

So now we have the Rays in first place on a six-game winning streak while New York is making sure that our Canadian friends aren't too lonely at the bottom of the AL-East.

"It is only May," I keep telling myself. "It is only May."

See-Saw Baseball

2008-05-13T07:47:00.005-04:00

I don't know about you but I am getting a little tired of watching the Yankees teeter on the .500 mark of baseball. With last night's 7-to-1 loss to the Rays in Tampa, the Yankees fell once again to one game below .500. This is the 8th time this season that this has happened... trust me, I have been counting.

It is rather amusing to me (insert sarcasm here) that it is the Tampa Bay Rays who are partially responsible for holding them back. Last night's Yankee lost translated to a Ray's win that put Tampa Bay six games above .500, the first time ever that that has happened in their franchise history. Who would have thought that this team would still be sitting in 2nd place and now just 1/2 game behind Boston? The truth is, Tampa played last night's game exactly the way the Yankees should be playing. They hit the ball well, were aggressive on the bases, and came through when there were runners in scoring position.

Yes, I realize that this a Yankee blog and it is pathetic that I have to find my excitement by writing about an opposing team. So let's talk about Pettitte and the Yankees. The last time that Andy Pettitte lost a start against Tampa, gas prices were at $1.15 a gallon and Bill Clinton was denying sexual relations; Windows 98 was just released and Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a first-run series. Although Pettitte started out the night looking sharp, he crashed in the 4th inning giving up 7 hits that scored 4 runs. For the first time this season, Pettitte left the game pitching less than 5 innings and did so with 82 throws across the plate. He was clearly distracted and admitted in the post game interview that he let the runners on base get to him.

Offensively, we had nothing. Gonzalez was the only one that showed any life at all really with 2 hits. Molina crossed the plate for the Yanks' only run.

Sorry to be so depressing, but sometimes you just have to write about what there is. Wang, Mussina, and Kennedy will try to do something with the next three games in Florida before Rasner gets a shot against the Mets on Friday night.

Mother's Day Rainout

2008-05-12T08:27:00.003-04:00

The rubber game of the three game set between the Yankees and the Tigers was rained out on Mother's Day. A make-up date has not yet been announced by July 24th and September 1st seem to be the two possibilities.

The Yankees have arrived in Florida and will begin a four game series against the Rays beginning tonight at 7:10pm.

Standings

2008-05-11T06:19:00.001-04:00

I wasn't able to watch yesterday afternoon's 5-to-2 Yankee win over the Tiger's, so I had to resort to the box score to write this entry. It seems as though Rasner might be sticking around for a while if he can continue to perform like he has been. Giving the Yanks six solid innings and only letting 2 runs score on his watch... yeah, we'll take that.

Today it will be important for Pettitte to secure the win so that New York can leave Detroit with the series. The standings have them 4.5 games back at this point and, although it is still early, this is a good time to start narrowing the gap. Four games against Tampa Bay this week give the Yankees some real opportunity for movement in the standing before taking on the Mets at home.

2008-05-10T06:27:00.004-04:00

Kei Igawa got his shot last night to show that he has made some improvement since last season. I didn’t see any improvement.

His inability to pitch low is still the main concern and the Tigers took advantage of this weakness, taking 11 hits over 3 innings (though really only in the 1st and 3rd innings). Igawa, who struggled all last season for the Yankees, had been showing better stuff in Triple-A this spring. But as we all know, Triple-A is not the majors. The current plan, according to Girardi during the post-game interview, is to give Igawa another chance. Whether or not the Yankees follow through with this plan is, well, up to the Yankees. More than likely Ian Kennedy, another "star"of the minors, will wind up replacing him.

I personally do not think that the solution to New York’s pitching woes lies in their Triple-A teams. We need to be looking further and outside of the organization. If Boomer is serious about coming back then let’s get working on the paperwork. Igawa, and Kennedy for that matter, are nothing more than band-aids for the moment. Unless the team is in a position to lose a minimum of 2 of every 5 games for the rest of the season, some more permanent plans need to be formed.

And what the hell was the deal with Betemit? Third base is clearly not the best of his utility positions and Ensberg should have been at that bag. There is no doubt that much of last night’s loss rested on Wilson’s shoulders. I haven’t quite figured out what some of Girardi’s logic is when he creates these lineups.

So the Yankees offense did what they could to save the game but a pop out from Duncan sent the team to the clubhouse with a loss of 6-to-5.

Four errors in total for the evening. 14 hits that couldn’t allow us to take the lead. And Albaladejo is going to the DL with an elbow injury to be replaced by Chris Britton. Tonight is another game.

Confidence

2008-05-09T08:41:00.004-04:00

I always wonder why some people don't consider certain wins to be more important than others. I was having a conversation with a buddy of mine who said "a win is a win and a loss is a loss". His point was that at the end of the season, it is the number of games won as compared to the number of games lost that determine whether a team advances to the post season. No one will likely remember in October, an outfield catch in April that allowed a team to win a game against an seemingly insignificant opponent. Ultimately, this may be true except for the overwhelming effect of confidence.

Most will agree that a victory over an arch rival or a win that breaks a runaway losing streak can boost a team's confidence. And so much of sports (and life, for that matter) is about confidence. Those who have it will always have an edge over those who do not. Yesterday afternoon's 6-to-3 Yankee win against Cleveland may make only a small difference in September but, for at least some Yankees, it may help to turn things around.

The players who really performed yesterday were the very players that needed to perform. Giambi and Cano especially but it was nice to see something from Betemit too. Sometimes a home run or a key hit is all that is needed to bring a player around. I heard a statistic during the broadcast yesterday indicating that only one other Yankee in the last 80 years had performed as poorly at the plate as Cano and Giambi have at this point in the season. That one other player, whose name I can't remember (I wonder why?), played in the '60s.

My point is this... Cano is not a .172 hitter and Giambi can do better than .163. In the same way that a team's average in September has a way of "correcting" itself, so does a player's batting average. If you believe this, and there is no reason why someone shouldn't, then there are some Yankee hitters that are going to have to make a turn around real soon. And this will happen... it is inevitable. All that is necessary is a turning point. Hopefully yesterday's game was just that. Confidence. It is a powerful thing.

Now, on the same topic, I wanted to address the Joba fist pump that seems to be resurfacing to the headlines. Nothing more than confidence. For the very best players, a sport can be such an emotional thing. The pressures, the anxiety, the unpredictability. One pitch can mean a win or a loss... it is as simple as that. Greg Cohen did an great job in his blog yesterday analyzing the incident. I agree completely with his post, so I won't bother re-hashing it but you can find it here. While you are at it, check out another take on the issue here.

So the Yankees face Detroit tonight to see if they can give some payback for last week's licking that they took when they faced the Tiger's in the Bronx. Wouldn't it be nice to build a little more confidence?

Are bloggers really losers?

2008-05-08T07:47:00.006-04:00

There has been a little battle going on between some sports bloggers and Michael Kay, host of The Michael Kay Show on ESPN radio and also the play-by-play Yankee announcer for the YES network. Let me start by saying that I have always been a fan of Michael Kay. I value his opinion on most things and respect his views on some other things I might not agree with. The comments he made on his talk show yesterday afternoon however really rubbed me the wrong way.

It all started a few days ago when Michael Kay criticized Joe Torre for making phone calls to Yankee players, namely Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada. Kay's feeling was that Torre was crossing a fine line by having private conversations with players on another team. Regardless of the relationship that Torre might have had with these players for the last 10 years, it is still "improper".

Also on this broadcast, Kay referred to Torre as "St. Joe", indicating that he is virtually untouchable in baseball. "He’s earned that aura from all his years," Kay said. "He can do no wrong. I don’t think he’s doing anything in his mind that’s wrong. But he shouldn’t be calling players from other teams in my opinion."

I suppose my feelings are mixed on this issue but I can certainly see the point that Kay was making.

Ok, fine. But then Neil Best from Newsday does a write up of Kay's comments in his Watchdog blog. People begin to read the Newsday blog and, as what happens on most blogs except for mine, readers post their comments. Kay, who apparently says that he doesn't normally read blogs did read the Watchdog blog because he knew that Neil was writing about him. He also read the comments posted by the blog readers and didn't like what he saw. One in particular, written by Rich, stood out for him:

Besides being a sub-par play by play announcer he's been a hypocrite for years. Why didn't he say things like this during his Yes broadcasts over the years but had no problem saying things like it on his radio show? It's fine if he wants to say it on both platforms but to be quiet on his "paying gig" shows a lack of class. Not exactly the type of person you can trust.

So, yesterday afternoon, at the top of the four o-clock hour, Kay responds to Rich's comments on the air. He defends his reputation and clarifies that ESPN, in addition to YES, pays him very well for his radio talk show and also distinguishes between the fact that ESPN is indeed a talk show that thrives on commentary whereas the YES gig is merely a play-by-play job and it would be out of place for him to elaborate on his personal opinions while performing his job there.

That is where it should of ended (maybe even before then). But instead, Kay goes on further and starts to attack bloggers in general. No different than a racist who generalizes about a group of the population, Kay proclaimed his hatred for the blogging population. "I can almost see what they look like", Kay said referring to bloggers like Rich, "I bet there is a pocket protector involved". He went on to infer that if he ever met some of the guys who wrote blog comments he would surely not be up against a tough guy in a leather jacket but rather a wimp who hides behind a computer screen, afraid to share their views in public.

Shame on you Michael. There are personal opinions and there are private opinions. I agree that your personal opinions about the Yankees can (and should) be voiced on your talk show, in fact, that is why people listen to you. But critizing someone like you did yesterday for merely expressing their personal opinion (as harsh as it might have been for you), well, that is more "improper" than Torre calling his former players. You didn't just attack "Rich", you attacked me as well. You made a blanket statement that would lead people to believe that all bloggers are losers. I may not have many readers and I certainly don't have your medium, but I stand by everything I say, would say it in public, and no, I do not own a pocket protector.

P.S. The Yankees lost to the Clevland Indians last night by a score of 3-to-0.

So what...

2008-05-07T07:46:00.003-04:00

I guess the more tv you watch and radio that you listen to, the more you will hear people repeat themselves. It happens with news headlines all the time. I am so tired of hearing about Obama and Clinton... just have the damn election already and be done with it! Fortunately, this blog is not about politics, but about baseball, so let me translate some of my "enough already" moments to the Yankees.

"Joba falters as Yanks fall to Tribe" was the headline on the Yankees website this morning. Ok, fine. This is true. Joba gave up a three-run homer with two outs in the eighth to pitch-hitting David Dellucci . But, so what? Joba may at times appear to be God-like but he is definitely not God. Mistakes are going to happen and fans need to know that. Joba's problem last night wasn't even a one-pitch mistake that resulted in a hit to the stands but rather difficulty finding the strike zone. This will happen to a pitcher, any pitcher, at times. Tonight is another game.

"Kennedy returns to form in minors" So what? If he can't find a way of pitching effectively in the majors then what difference does it make. Speaking of God-like, if you were listening to John Sterling last night during the game broadcast you would have thought that he and Suzyn Waldman were talking about the Messiah. One hit over 7-1/3 innings and no walks IS good pitching but my $60 face value tickets are not for games played in Scranton.

"Oh no... Igawa is scheduled to pitch on Friday!" Ok, so this wasn't a headline anywhere (that I could find anyway) but it might as well be. I am no happier than the next guy when it comes to resorting to Kei Igawa on the mound but let's face it folks, a loss is a loss, right? Does it matter if it is earned by Igawa or Hughes? What I mean to say is... what else do we really stand to lose by giving Igawa another chance? We certainly paid a helluva lot of money for him. Igawa is in the rotation... so what?

I have more of these and I could probably keep going (i.e. A-Rod is a wimp because he passed out when his baby was born... so what?) but, unlike the local media, I am going to move on.

Tonight will be a game to watch as two undefeated pitchers take the mound. Wang (6-0) for the Yankees will go against Lee (5-0) for the Indians. Which one will emerge as victorious? I say it has a lot to do with whether or not the Yankee bats decide to rally.

Much needed wins...

2008-05-05T08:24:00.004-04:00

So my Yankee prayers on Friday afternoon were answered this weekend as the Yankees took all three games from the Seattle Mariners. Sweeping this series was a very important step in the rebuilding of confidence and momentum for the Yanks. This past week or two brought some misfortune in the way of injury and lack of performance but the team has made some adjustments and only additional time (and games played) will determine the effectiveness of these changes.

It would appear, at least for the time being, that the Yankees have switched to a four-man pitching rotation. With Phil Hughes on the DL and Ian Kennedy sent down on Sunday, the probable pitchers lineup indicates Pettitte, Wang, Mussina, and Rasner for the next four games. The team does have the night off on Monday so this modification will have little to no effect this time around.

Fox news last night had a poll question that asked: "Are the Yankees going to be better off without Hughes and Kennedy?" Admittedly, I dozed off before hearing the results but it is an interesting question to ponder. The one thing that jumps out at me, at least when looking to yesterday's performance by Rasner, was that we have been watching a completely different offense this past weekend. Now this is not to diminish Rasner's pitching in any way and I think he was magnificent in his major league debut of this season, but the Yankees outscored the Mariners 19 runs to 4. Had they performed this well at the plate when the two kids were on the mound, we may have seen some different game outcomes. One might argue that Seattle is not Boston, and this is certainly a valid argument. Nevertheless, it is an interesting question to ponder.

Speaking of Boston, they also picked up the broom this past weekend and swept the Tampa Bay Ray's at Fenway 26 runs to 10. The Yankees therefore were not able to gain positioning in the standings and remain 3 games back in the AL-East. This weekend was all about opportunity though and as more of those opportunities reach the Yankees with Cleveland, Detroit and Tampa Bay in the immediate future, I am confident that brighter times will prevail.

Ice Cold Beer

2008-05-03T21:47:00.007-04:00

When you go to Yankee Stadium to watch a game you are getting more than nine innings of baseball. There is history there... from the old timers like Ruth and DiMaggio to the sacred hollow of Munson to the current legends like Rivera, Jeter and Posada. You also get to see some great service people; like my friend Mark who vends beer in the upper decks. When you have a season ticket plan you begin to appreciate "regulars"; you use the fastest gate, buy your food from the same stands, and build a bond with the fans around you. I had recognized Mark from the many times over the years that I had seen him selling hot dogs. Yesterday, I happen to notice that he was carrying beer. "Two over here, beer man!"

While he was pouring, I told him that I remembered him from his hot dog days and congratulated him on his "promotion". (I am not positive, but I was told once that vendors start with things like cotton candy and foam fingers and move their way up the ranks to beer... the highest tipped merchandise). Mark and I began talking and I learned that he currently is in his 15th year of service at Yankee Stadium. 15 years! I was just a young whipper-snapper right out of college back then. Mark has seen a lot over the last decade and a half and I also learned yesterday that he is putting all of these memories in a book he is writing called, of course, "Ice Cold Beer". Ok readers... tell me that you can meet people like this at the newer SafeCo Field. Tell me that Nationals Park has a guy like Freddy who lets you bang out a quick rhythm on his clover-covered frying pan. If the Yankee Brass really wants to make the new stadium special, they will take care to make sure that some of their other legends, namely Freddy, the pan-man and Mark, the beer-man make it safely across the street. In the mean time Mark, please don't forget about section 627!

Yesterday's game was a lot like Friday night's outing. Quality pitching from the Yankees (and bloggers, please recognize The Moose's performance, winning three in a row now with a 4-3 record), some decent hitting by the Yankees, and a lot of errors by the Mariners (4 on Friday and 2 yesterday afternoon). Cano was back in the game to yet again contribute nothing; Giambi not looking any better these days.

Johnny Damon hit his 400th career double and asked to keep the ball. Derek Jeter also had a nice double that enabled him to surpass DiMaggio's record of 389 (Yankee Doubles).

So the Yankees take Game 2 against Seattle 6-to-1 and regardless of today's game will win the series.

Here are the Sunday standings:

Pretzels

2008-05-03T06:27:00.009-04:00

It was a cold, damp night at the stadium last night... one of those games when your first beer gives you the shivers but your fourth makes everything feel alright. I saw people eating dippin-dots, and that just blew my mind. It was a relatively short game (2:57) and I was amongst friends, so all was good in my world. (Notice the two Mariner fans in the picture... two great friends of mine who just happen to like to root for the wrong team. I shot this one early in the game, while they were smiling and before the depression had a chance to set in.)

First of all, I would like to officially thank Joe Girardi for benching Cano last night. I was getting angry at just seeing out there and I am glad the Yankees recognized that his simply needs some time out of the game. Wang pitched a decent game last night and is now 6-and-0, the first pitcher to tout this kind of start in the American League. He gave us a little scare last night when the medical staff was called to the mound but it turns out it was just a cramp in his hand. Of course, I have seen him at time when he was more on his game but a win is a win and that's all that really matters.

The Yankees offense looked slightly better last night. The 4 Seattle errors certainly helped us out in that regard. Melky Cabrera's double base, double RBI in the second inning was probably my favorite play of the game. We are really very fortunate to have Cabrera, and I hope that the Yankees finally realize that.

Bobby Murcer got a standing ovation last night when his video feed came on the big screen to the tune of "Welcome Back". He also had the honors of pulling the switch after the fifth inning to change the home game countdown number from 69 to 68. God bless you Bobby, I hope you are with us for a long, long time.

The Yankees received some information yesterday indicting that Posada will not need to have shoulder surgery this season but will likely not be able to pick up a baseball for the next two weeks. I am hoping that we see in back behind the plate in June. Posada did mention that it did not hurt him to hit, only to throw, but I doubt that the Yankees are going to take many chance with him. Posada will explore off-season surgery at the end of the year.

So, overall a good win for the Yankees last night, taking the first game of the Seattle series with a final score of 5-1. My seats acquired from StubHub were decent and the I enjoyed the company of my Seattle seatmates. My one complaint... and this is more of a general gripe about Yankee Stadium and not specifically last night's game... is that it is way too difficult to get a damn pretzel in the house that Ruth built. I mean, unless you get one in the first inning, you are screwed. The geniuses working at the pretzel carts seem to think it is good idea to put only 10 pretzels on the fire at one time (even if they have a line for 30 people) and then will tell you that it takes 10-to-15 minutes for the them to heat up. I am told that in the new Yankee Stadium, this will all be different. I am told that this will be a place where every fan will be able to get a hot, fresh pretzel. Where bathroom paper towel dispensers will be checked and refilled regularly and the employees might actually thank you for handing them a twenty for 2 cups of beer. This is my dream.

Worst series ever...

2008-05-02T08:38:00.006-04:00

Well, maybe not the worst series ever but still pretty bad: The Yankees got swept by Detroit in their own home by losing the last three games... something that hasn't happened since 1966. Joe Girardi... do you think perhaps it is time to do something? Maybe have Cano sit on the bench for a game or two? Perhaps encourage Mr. Cashman to start thinking about pitching (and please don't simply think that you can solve this predicament by making Joba a starter... we need better, more thought out solutions here)? And how about a team meeting? Don't get me wrong... I liked Torre as a manager but I thought we were going to be getting more life when Girardi was brought in. I think we need some anger; I think we need a little Billy Martin or Lou Pinella to come out. Over-turn a table in the clubhouse; ask Jeter to pick the starting lineup from names in a hat. I don't know... do something, because what we are doing now is definitely not working.

Enough about that... tonight the Yankees start a three game set against Seattle. The Mariners, a team that has also been struggling quite a bit lately is 13-and-16 and will be looking for a little adrenaline boost. Being married to a Seattle-native, I generally attend most of the match-ups with Seattle and I will be at the game tonight and tomorrow. We generally go with a few friends and I am often the only one in our group actually cheering for New York. It could be worse... my wife could have been from Boston. But actually, that couldn't have happened because, like tattoos or being a smoker, being from Massachusetts would have been a dating deal-breaker. I love my wife and support her in everything she does but, tonight I will have my $9 beer in hand, cheering for the Yanks, hoping not to be disappointed by lazy at-bats and sloppy ball playing. Wang is undefeated so far this season with a 5-and-0 record and I would love nothing more that to see a nice, quality start. Please, New York, do not embarrass me in front of my own wife.

The same old story

2008-05-01T07:40:00.007-04:00

It is almost pointless to write about the same thing day-after-day. The Yankees lost last night's middle game to Detroit by of score of 6-2 because they were asleep at the plate. One really needs to wonder what needs to happen before some action is taken.

Almost every player who was spoken to by the media after last night's game was asked "Do you think having A-Rod, Posada and now Hughes out on the DL has had some effect on the Yankees emotionally and therefore affecting their performance at the plate?" Now, first of all, this is a ridiculous question to ask because no one but the batter in the box is responsible for their own statistics (or lack thereof). Still, every player who was asked this question stated that the Yankees roster is strong enough to bring in run regardless of injury. Ok... then why aren't they doing that?

I think it is very ironic that the deal this past summer for Santana didn't go through because the Yankee's brass refused to part with Hughes and/or Kennedy. But if you remember, Melky Cabrera was also part of those talks. The Yankees had no issues with giving away Cabrera who is arguably one of the very few players on the team that is doing anything for the club.

Lastly, let's address Hughes who is now on the disabled list for a strained right oblique. Am I the only one here that thinks this injury is bullshit? Isn't it just so convenient that Phil came in today with a little pain in his tummy? Hughes himself couldn't seem to give any straight answers to the press last night. He looked like a kid who was sent to the Principal's office for shooting spitballs. "Huh? Time? Oh, I don't remember at what time I first felt any pain." Just bring Rasner into the the rotation and let's see what happens.

Upsetting

2008-04-29T20:59:00.008-04:00

I am starting to get a little tired of the crap that Phil Hughes is putting over the plate this year. The now 0-and-4 starter allowed 6 runs over 3 -2/3 innings. I don't want to hear about how young he is. I don't want to hear any excuses. This guy is in the number 3 spot. He NEEDS to do better and that's all there is to say. There is no room for a 7.85 ERA in the Yankees starting lineup. I would almost rather see Kei Igawa on the mound.

Seeing Chris Stewart behind the dish made me realize just how important Posada and Molina are to the team. Stewart had very little control over him domain last night and didn't help Hughes out in the least.

As nice as it was to see Cano hit one to the stands in the 2nd inning and Giambi had a nice hit in the 9th, but we didn't really get to see much else. Another bases-loaded opportunity gone bad (make that TWO bases-loaded opportunities gone bad); too many players left on base.

This game was against Detroit for Christsake! Final Score: Tigers 6 and Yankees 4.

No, I don't know why I am so aggressively depressing in this entry. Perhaps it had to do with the Yankees releasing All-Star Game info today. Tier Box tickets selling for $50 for a regular season game are selling for $770 per seat for the All-Star Game and other required events. Prices range from $300 for the bleachers to $1,600 for field level... and these are just the face value amounts. StubHub is already marketing tickets up to $25,000. This is so completely outrageous that it actually angers me. I didn't really ever think I would have a chance at securing any tickets to the game but now I have put it out of my mind entirely.

Three things...

2008-04-29T08:06:00.006-04:00

Three things became clear to me after last night's game 4 against Cleveland that the Yankees won by a score of 5-to-3, splitting the series 2-2 with the Indians. First is that everything that I have said about Mike Mussina still stands. While every other blogger was all but begging for his dismissal after the two Boston games, I kept saying... "He has value.." If you take Boston out of the picture, he is 3-and-1; and consider that the Boston loses were mainly a result of mistakes in dealing with Manny. Keep watching Yankee fans, the Moose might surprise you this season. He has been working on his delivery, throwing first-pitch strikes, and starting to dabble with "inside". In the 32.1 innings he has pitched so far this season, he has only walked 5 batters. No too bad, I say.

The second thing has to do with hitting... this team is capable of maneuvering some crafty hits and anyone who watched last night's game should agree. The sixth inning brought us infield singles by Cabrera, Jeter, and (my favorite of the night) Ensberg. Throw in an A-Rod hit-by-pitch and a few sacrifice plays and you have 5 runs on the board. Yankees baseball is not all about driving balls out of the park. Home runs are nice but I would much rather watch some crafty ball. These were not manufactured runs last night, they were the result of legitimate hits.

Finally, the bull pen can be effective. Not to keep repeating myself but keep an eye on Albaladejo. I think you may find him going places this year. With Bruney out and plans to move Joba, there are some seats open in the pen. I say Albaladejo gets one of them on a more permanent basis.

The Yankees are going to be just fine. Last night was a big win for them, even if only in a psychological way. It put the team 5-5 for this last road trip and one game over .500 for the season. They now have a 9-game home stand to look forward to and should be in a good position to face Detroit, Seattle, and Cleveland once again in a week on their own turf.

Wang and Posada

2008-04-28T08:19:00.005-04:00

There wasn't a whole lot of hitting in yesterday afternoon's 3rd match up with the Cleveland Indians. Much of this had to do with who was on the mound. Sabathia, who limited the Yankees to only one run is surprisingly 1-4 this season. But let's talk about Wang... 9 strikeouts over 7 innings is what the Yankees needed to give their bullpen a rest. This win brings Wang to a 5-0 record... not too shabby. JoMo came in to seal the deal and New York was able to return to .500 baseball with a current 13-13 record. Mariano picked up his seventh save and has been looking incredibly on the mark this year.

Sadly, Posada needed to be placed on the DL for the first time in his Yankee career yesterday, suffering from more right shoulder pain. It is a hard break but something that we can't be too surprised by. Posada is getting up there in age and catching is a hard position to play. Jorge puts everything he has into every play, every game. Injury happens and there's not much that can be done about it. The Yankees will be absolutely fine with Molina behind the plate but need to make sure that another backup is in place. Moeller was already designated on Friday and it will be a few days before anything can be done with him. There is speculation about acquiring Chris Stewart from Scranton but we will have to wait until tonight to see what Girardi decides to do.

Standings

2008-04-27T06:40:00.003-04:00

I am not quite sure that I understand Girardi's thinking these days. Going into yesterday's game 2 of 4 against Cleveland, after having lost the day before (and the last two games), why would you decide to rest half of your starters? If you look at the box score, you will see what I mean. Oh, and Joe, this was also a wonderful game to sit out Joba.

The Yankees were 2 and 13 last night with runners in scoring position. Not good.

Fortunately, the team's 3 game losing streak is topped by Boston's 4 game losing streak. Tampa Bay seems to be the only team in the division doing anything lately as they gain ground on Baltimore and Boston.

Here are the end-of-the-week standings:

Some go down and some come up...

2008-04-26T10:03:00.009-04:00

I believe there are good things in store for Jonathan Albaladejo. I have been meaning to write this several times but it seemed like every time the Yankees brought him up from Triple-A, I would blink one too many times and he would be back down there. Albaladejo was brought up again yesterday as Brian Bruney was placed on the disabled list with an injury to the Lisfranc joint of his right foot that is likely to require surgery. The Bruney incident was a big blow to the bombers as Bruney was proving himself as an effective inning-eater and a tremendous asset to a starting rotation that has been having trouble getting to the 4th and 5th innings. My prediction is that we won't see Brian until late in the summer, many weeks after the all-star break. But back to Albaladejo... originally from the Washington Nationals, he came into last night's game and pitched two very respectable innings. This was his third game coming to the mound for New York and each time I have seen him pitch I have been impressed. Keep an eye on this guy!

Girardi made some additional space for pitching by getting rid of third string catcher Chad Moeller. Moeller, who came in when both Posada and Molina were injured, did a commendable job behind the plate for the Yankees. Thank you Chad but right now the team really needs pitching so they brought up Chris Britton, who had made 11 appearances in 2007 for New York.

I think we will be seeing a few other pitching transactions during this 4 game set in Cleveland. I would be surprised if we don't see Duncan coming back soon too. This is a rough time for the team right now and adjustments need to me made. The bats are coming alive and I am getting excited for some May baseball.

Comments and Concerns

2008-04-25T08:44:00.008-04:00

Yes, I am a little cranky from staying up late last night, hanging on through the rain delays, and ultimately losing the third game to Chicago by only one run. It would have been nice to sweep the series before heading over to Cleveland, but overall, I have been pleased by the way that the Yankees have performed this week. The team is starting to show momentum at the plate and seem to be re-focusing their abilities. To me, that is what is important... not the fact that Joba let us down. Because, you know what, he didn't let us down. I really enjoyed reading Wolf Williams' blog this morning. I won't recap it all here. Just go and read it for yourself.

There are some concerns that I have looking out to this weekend... our bullpen. Ohlendorf threw 49 pitches last night. I wish those pitches would have led to more outs than runs but I also recognize the factors faced (replacing Hughes, rain delay, etc). Fartsworth suffered an elbow injury last night. Bruney is wearing a protective boot for his sprained foot and will likely go on the DL. The Yankees are running low on options and if their starters get into trouble early in the game, we could be in for some disappointment. Girardi has said that their will likely be some shifts and transactions today. Hopefully we can get a decent plan put together.

It is like I said before...

2008-04-24T08:18:00.005-04:00

Less than one week ago, the internet was scattered with blog entries about how Mussina is a washed-up pitcher. Hank Steinbrenner was being quoted and misquoted. Last Friday, here is what I had to say:

Although I haven't yet read all the blog feeds this morning, I can almost predict what they are going to say... "The Moose has got to go". Now I don't agree with this statement and I do think that Mike Mussina brings value to the team but not matched up against Josh Beckett.

Now, for those of you who watched the Moose pitch last night, don't you agree that he can bring value to the Yankees this season? Mussina gave his team a quality start by going 7 innings and only giving up 2 runs (both solo HRs). He worked incrediably well with Posada and placed his pitches with precision. I am not trying to "sell" Mussina on anyone. He definately comes with his baggage. But when used correctly, he can be effective to the point of at least giving the team a chance, assuming that the offense is hitting. I still believe that the rotation needs to be tweaked and I was happy to see that Pettitte has been moved up one notch to the 4 spot to seperate the two kids.

As long as I am quoting myself, let's talk about LaTroy Hawkins. I remember it like it was last Thursday when I said, "I think he going to put the Yankees in some tough (negative) situations this year." Fortunately, Girardi stepped in before he gave up all of the lead. Perhaps Joe should have listened to Posada a little more carefully. I am no expert in lip reading but I could have sworn that Jorge said something like "Please Joe, don't even think of bringing that jackass into the game".

Speaking about that little confusion at the mound when Girardi raised his arm to signal for the bullpen and take out Moose but quickly did a double-take after something Posada said... I like it that Girardi listens to his players. They may not always be right (i.e. Mussina's "I can get this guy" comment that convinced Girardi to let him pitch to Manny instead of walking him to the open base) but it shows me that he has an open mind. Sometimes, of course, you need a manager to "step up to the plate", so to speak, and hand down a definitive, inarguable decision. My hope is that when that time comes, Joe won't disappoint us.

P.S. Three doubles from Posada last night... man, it is great to have him back!

An interesting game..

2008-04-23T08:20:00.005-04:00

I was a little concerned going into last night's game, especially since Chicago has been dominating the standings (in both leagues) as of late. I suppose my concern was more appropriately an anxiety of not knowing what to expect. A-Rod took my advice and had his second child during an appropriate off-day while he was still recovering from a muscle strain, but of course that made him unavailable for the Chicago series. I would be watching Posada during his first return behind the plate since April 8th, hoping that there were no lingering issues. The Yankees had 19 different lineups in their last 20 games, and this lack of stability can have an underlying effect. Contreras would be facing Wang at the mound.

Let's start with Wang... he ultimately got the win (now 4-0). Part of me doesn't think he deserved it because his throw was just plain off. I am not sure what happened to his ground ball pitches, as I am seeing more and more pops. Wang struggled last night, his pitch count rose early in the game, leaving after 6 innings with 105 pitches which is high for him. But still, he pitched himself out of trouble several times and entered the dugout with a trail of only one run.

Then came Bobby Abreu to save the night (say thank you, Chin) with a 2-out grand slam off of Dotel. Hehe, Octavio Dotel didn't do anything for us as a Yankee and I am so glad he is up to his same stuff. Oh, and by the way, did you see the shot of that fan trying to catch Abreu's grand slam? Not only did he drop it from both hands but it knocked him on his ass. Very funny.

Traber and Bruney were a little frustrating to me with their untimely walks. Joba too for that matter but he ultimately got the job done. Fartsworth of course needed to come in to give out another of his infamous home run pitches.

But let's talk hitting... the Yankees looked good at the plate last night (let's home it lasts for more than one game). Giambi surely took some confidence from his early smack to the stands. Damon had a three run shot with two out in the 8th (and also had some nice stuff defensively last night, by the way). Cano made out with a double and anything from him lately is a flash of bright hope. In fact, Jeter was the only Yankee last night without a hit (except for late comer Gonzalez).

So this game was interesting in that it showed some promise. We saw some potential short-comings and we saw some great ball being played too. It showed the team working better together... batting to help pitching. Let's hope for the same tonight when the Moose takes the mound in game 2 of the series.

More reflections...

2008-04-22T08:36:00.004-04:00

I was having an interesting discussion with my chiropractor yesterday about the Yankees pitching. I suppose it started over Hank Steinbrenner's comment that "you have to be an idiot" to keep Joba Chamberlain as a setup man. In the last two days since this story appeared in the NY Times, many people have weighed in on this comment including Brian Cashman who stated on the Michael Kay show yesterday afternoon that the Hank quote was taken out of context. It is the New York Times... of course it was taken out of context! No where in that article does it imply that Hank wanted the change to happen immediately. There is a plan in place to make Joba a starter and that will happen... eventually. For now, Joba is still on an inning restriction and a really stupid thing to do would be to rush Joba to injury by increasing his workload overnight. Cashman knows that, all the Steinbrenner's know that, Girardi knows that. Apparently, the NY Times can't figure this one out on there own. In today's paper they imply that Hank's "forceful opinion" caused much controversy in the Yankees organization but the end result appears in the headline: "Chamberlain Will Start, Later Than Sooner". No kidding... you don't say?

Anyway... as I was waiting for my chiropractor to begin the traction to correct my Forward Head Posture we compared the last few major pitching trades made by the Yankees and the Red Sox. A few years back, NY and Boston looked to the Arizona Diamondbacks for some help with their starting rotation. Boston acquired Curt Schilling in 2004; the Yankees waited until 2005 and got Randy Johnson. But also in 2005, the Yankees decided to turn to the Florida Marlins to acquire Carl Pavano. The Red Sox waited a year before going to Florida and wound up with Josh Beckett in 2006. Last year, Japan seemed like the place to be. Boston scored Daisuke Matsuzaka, while here in New York we got Kei Igawa. Rather interesting when you think about it, isn't it? Do you think the Yankees have been getting screwed? I sure do.

Reflections

2008-04-21T10:25:00.005-04:00

Thinking about the Pope visiting Yankee Stadium yesterday kind of inspired me to reflect on the Yankee season so far. Sitting at .500 or 10 wins and 10 losses at this point in the season is not the worst thing ever to happen to the team. Looking back to April 21st of the last three years I noticed that last year the Yankees were at .500 (8-8), in 2006 they were .467 (7-8) and in 2005 they stood at .438 (7-9). So what does this mean? Not too much. Obviously the Yankees made the post season in the last three years. They came back from 11 1/2 games back last year in late June. Hey, we all remember 1978 when they came back from 14 games in mid-July, right? Today, in early April it is only 3 games... still a lot of season left!

That was the positive spin. What concerns me today is that the Yankees at present don't look anything different than the Yankees of the last three years. Yes, in the past we caught up. Yes, in the past we made the post season. But... what else? I think Joe Girardi needs to do something, anything to break up this cycle of catching up. All I hear on the radio is commentary about how the Yankee bats are bound to come alive (can't you just hear John Sterling's voice?) and I know this is true. But I want consistency. I don't want to play catch-up. In many ways yesterday's 7-to-1 win over Baltimore is kind of frustrating to me. Why, you ask? Because if the team can bat seven runs across the plate with Pettitte on the mound, why the hell can't they do it with Kennedy or Hughes or Mussina? All three of these pitchers struggled over their last three starts but offense could have saved those games. What was so different about yesterday?

A fellow blogger at It is high, It is far, it is... caught compared today the standings of the "Joe's":
Joe Torre in 1996: 11-9
Joe Girardi in 2008: 10-10
Joe Torre in 2008 (Dodgers): 7-11

Hmmm, interesting? Well, not really. You can do almost anything with statistics. All I am trying to say is that I am tired of looking up to Boston in the standings.

On another note... A-Rod left yesterday's game with a strained quad, a condition that recently kept Jeter out for 6 games. A-Rod is currently down in Miami using his off day to be with his pregnant wife. It would be great if she would deliver soon so that the Yankees could catch a break with his obligatory time away from the team. All the best wishes to the Rodriguez family.

Kyle Farnsworth

2008-04-20T06:34:00.007-04:00

Sunday's post is traditionally reserved for the standings but in light of what happened yesterday, I just had to comment. No, I am not talking about the Yankees pathetic loss last night to Baltimore, a final of 6-to-0, where they showed that they have reverted back to their crappy hitting of the beginning of the season (and gee, it is only week 3). I am getting tired of counting the number of people left-on-base.

What I wanted to comment on was the three-day suspension of Kyle Fartsworth for NOT hitting Manny Ramirez. I absolutely can not believe what baseball has become. How can someone get suspended (for three days, no less) for throwing a pitch that misses a player at bat? I am not even sure that Manny realized what happened during that throw. There was no reaction from him, there was no ejection of Fartsworth... what the hell? All of you should know by now that I could care less about Fartsworth, and his suspension (if held up and I sure hope it isn't) will mean absolutely nothing to the Yankees... the team has shown lately that they can lose games by pitching others, no need to have Kyle pitch to make that happen. But this suspension hits the Yankees as a team and shows how pathetic the MLB and Commissioner's office has become. I mean, what's next? Are we going to start suspending players for making bad catches?

This case is not even comparable to last year's incidents involving Youkilis. In June of last year he was hit on the helmet by Scott Proctor's 94 MPH fastball and Proctor was ejected from the game, but I don't remember a suspension. In August, Joba was ejected (and later suspended for two games) for a pair of pitches to Youkilis' head. Probably not fair but, whatever. But in last Thursday's nights game where was the ejection? There was none... merely a warning. How can you go from a warning to a three day suspension? If I recall correctly, A-Rod was hit (actually hit) by a pitch to his back. I don't know about you but I would like to see some justice.

Here are the Sunday standings. Not too much to get excited about...

What the hell happened?

2008-04-19T06:42:00.003-04:00

My wife and I had a date night last night so I didn't see but the very end of last night's game. We were eating dinner at the first pitch and then went to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the first movie I have seen in a theatre in quite some time. It was a pretty funny flick and I would recommend it. A few sexually racy scenes in it though so careful about taking the kids.

OK, so I get into the car and turn on the game, first to the local station. Just hearing John Sterling's voice gives me some comfort. Then the kicker: "At the bottom of the seventh, Yankees trail by a score of 8-to-2."

"What the hell happened?" is the first thing I asked my wife. Did Phil Hughes blow yet another game? When I got home and watched the remainder of the game and the wrap-up, I got the answer to my question. Yes, but he also had some help from LaTroy "Why the hell are you even in pinstripes?" Hawkins. Now I don't want to start a panic here Yankee fans but we need to address our pitching issues at this point and not after the all-star break. The main criticism here is this: The reason that the Yankees didn't make a deal for Santana was because they refused to give up Hughes. Ok, but now we find out the Hughes sucks (at least so far this season)... now what? Even if the young starter's game improves, we still have the Moose issues, we still need to keep and eye on Kennedy, we still need to be mindful of taxing our bullpen. Even if we bring Joba to the starting rotation, we need to make some adjustments with the entire pitching staff. I don't know what the answers are... but Girardi and Cashman and the rest of the coaching staff better well have a plan here. I like to watch meaningful games. I don't even mind a loss every so often... it comes with the territory. But come on Yankees, we are so much better than this.

The game that was doomed from the start...

2008-04-18T08:43:00.006-04:00

Although I haven't yet read all the blog feeds this morning, I can almost predict what they are going to say... "The Moose has got to go". Now I don't agree with this statement and I do think the Mike Mussina brings value to the team but not matched up against Josh Beckett. I just don't think it is a fair deal. Moose should be at the end of the rotation and would be right now if it weren't for the scheduling difficulties related to Pettitte's delayed presence at the start of this season. I think Girardi needs to figure out a way to get his starters back in right order.

Ok. So let's jump to last night's game... Mussina is in the number two spot and on the mound. There is not much we can really do about that. But did he have to pitch two home runs to Manny Ramirez? I defended both Mussina and Girardi last weekend when everyone was questioning the controversial pitch to Manny (with first base open) that ultimately broke open a win for Boston last Saturday. I think there was nothing wrong with last Saturday's decision to pitch to Manny. It was a decision that was made, a risk, that turned out to be a bad one. Fine. But as George Bush said so eloquently once, "You fool me-- you can't get fooled again" Bottom line: Girardi should have known better. Mussina should have pitched around Manny and moved on to the next batter. It is that simple. Those two home runs last night not only put numbers on the scoreboard but they deflated a lot of energy from the Yankee hitters. Inexcusable.

I had other commentary to make about this game but none of it matters. I was going to write about Fartsworth's pitch inside to Manny but quite honestly, I am tired of talking about Manny. I can't understand why Matsui would be brought in off the bench to pinch hit when we have other more capable people to come the plate in that kind of a situation. Instead, I am going to take a deep breath, be positive, and look forward to this weekend's match up against Baltimore.

Final Score: Boston 7 - Yankees 5

Out of this world

2008-04-17T08:24:00.004-04:00

I personally do not like all the gimmicks that seem to surround baseball these days. I don't really think the ball clubs (especially the Yankees) gain any ticket sales from them and when I go to the games I would rather just go for the games. I don't even like it when stadiums do those light shows and fireworks every time there is a home run. Let the fans generate the hoop-la. After all, whats the big deal- it's only a home run... the Yankees had two last night- no need for fireworks. That being said, last night's first pitch from outer space started us out with a match up against the Red Sox that was out of this world.

The Bombers got off to a good start last night with back-to-back home runs by Bobby and Alex in the first inning. Wang was looking decent and it seemed like the Yankee bats had come to play. By the bottom of the 4th inning they added 4 more runs to the board and now led the Sox 7-3. I thought this would be a good time to take out the trash (literally) and go walk the dog. To my surprise when I came back to the tv, Wang had been yanked, Ohlendorf was on the mound, and Boston had added 3 runs to their score. I must have missed a Wang meltdown of some sort. By the middle of the 5th, the Yankees were down by 2.

They came back in the bottom of the fifth to re-capture their lead with 4 more runs and Hawkins was brought in. Now, I have alluded to this before but in the interest of full disclosure I will say that I do not like LaTroy Hawkins. I think he going to put the Yankees in some tough (negative) situations this year. I hope I am wrong about that prediction... I certainly was wrong last night. Hawkins pitched extremely well for two straight innings and wound up getting the win for the night. Traber came in for one pitch and the Bruney took us home but not before the Yankees added 4 more runs to the lead in the bottom of the 8th. Final Score: Yankees 15 - Boston 9. A helluva game!

I read this morning that Wilson Betemit is now suffering from corneal ulcers (whatever the hell those are) and Harlin Chamberlain is continuing to improve.

Numbers

2008-04-16T07:37:00.007-04:00

I had completely forgotten that it was Jackie Robinson day yesterday. It was great to see the entire Rays team wearing 42 but it made me wonder why only Jeter, Cano, Girardi (and of course, Rivera) were the only Yankees sporting the legend's number. Regardless, I think it is nice that Major League Basesball recognizes this event.

On the Michael Kay show yesterday afternoon, they were discussing some of the racial issues surrounding baseball as compared to the other major sports. The point being made was that children growing up in the inner cities do not have as much access to baseball fields nor do they have the money to spend on the additional equipment required to play the sport (like a glove, bat, cleats, etc). In contrast, a sport like basketball is much easier to practice and master. All it takes is a ball, can be played with much fewer players (even alone) and basketball hoops are much more common than baseball diamonds. I am not sure if I have an opinion to all that yet but some interesting points were raised and I wanted to touch on it briefly. If any of you would like to expand the discussion just let me know.

Back to numbers... the Yankees have announced that LaTroy Hawkins is officially giving up his number 21 uniform because he is tired of all the flack he is getting for wearing Paul O'Neill's number. I think this is rather funny. LaTroy, maybe if you pitched a little better, you would get so much crap. So, what number is hi going to be wearing starting with tonight's matchup against Boston... number 22. I guess no one will give him a hard time for wearing an old, juiced-up pitcher's number. At the start of the season I was wondering why Cano didn't switch back to number 22 since the rocket was reported as taking on too much fuel and is probably in Houston for good.

Sorry to short change last night's game in this post. Check the box score but watch the highlights too. Pettitte gave up an awful lot of hits but did very well limiting the score. I think it is important sometimes to get yourself into trouble if for no other reason than to prove that you can get yourself out of trouble. I trust Andy.

Mixed Emotions

2008-04-15T08:40:00.007-04:00

Wow. Last night's game against Tampa Bay was certainly an unusual one. Firstly, something must have been pumped into that dome air to cause all those home runs! Damon, Rodriguez, Ensberg and Cano (finally) all knocked one out of the park for the Yankees. Unfortunately, Yankee pitchers also let three go for the Rays.

We got to see some variety of talent on the field last night and I was pleasantly surprised by what they brought to the table. Moeller did fine catching for Bombers, and that is a good considering he is third-string. The Gonzalez at 2nd and Ensberg at 1st duo worked well and I think it made sense to sit Cano out for most of the game (more on that in a minute). Kennedy certainly pitched a whole lot better than his last outing and more importantly, it seemed that he made corrections and targeted improvements from his last start against Tampa.

I would have liked to have seen Albaladejo come in to the game for some relief. I think at one point he was in the pen but Joe opted for Traber and Bruney. Both were a disappointment but I think (hope) it was just a case of them having a bad night. I do like Bruney alot and think he will help in those middle innings but Joe needs to be sure not to over use him like Torre did with Proctor. Traber also has a targeted purpose and the Yankees need to be mindful of that. Clearly Joba was missed last night.

Back to Cano... I think Girardi took a risk by bringing him in the pinch hit and I think that risk paid off. Joe got lucky. Nothing more... nothing less. I was at my chiropractor last night and he asked me what I thought of Joe's decision to have Mussina pitch to Manny in last Saturday's game against Boston as opposed to walking him to an open first base. I told him that I think Girardi made a decision (took a risk) and it turned out to be a bad one. No, not really a bad one... just one that didn't work in his favor. Had Cano struck out last night, every paper in the city would be chanting "Clueless Joe".

So why mixed emotions? I am elated that the Yankees hit well last night, putting a season-high 15 hits on the board. I am especially pleased with ARod's 4-fo-5 performance at the plate. But I am concerned about bringing a 7-2 lead in the seventh to such a close game. If the hitting we saw last night continues throughout the entire season (and it should) then there really is no concern I guess. I just want to know that we didn't just get lucky last night (and I am not just referring to Cano).

Stats

2008-04-14T09:13:00.005-04:00

So here are the numbers for the Yankees so far this season as listed on the Yankees website. It would be easy to blame last night's loss to the Red Sox on Phil Hughes. Afterall, the young lad didn't look so great. The Yankees Chick blamed the loss on Fartsworth. My newly found blogger buddy Wolf Williams holds A-Rod accountable. I haven't seen the NY papers yet today but I am sure one of the writers will find some way to blame it on Girardi.

I got to tell you... I don't think any one person can be blamed for last night or even where the Yankees sit right now in the standings which, incidentally, is at the bottom of the AL East with a 6-7 record. Look at some of the numbers: our DH turned first baseman Jason Giambi is maintaining a .107 batting average; Mr. Cano, the guy who now makes me cringe every time he walks up the the plate is at .170. Leading our team with the greatest number of strikeouts, the third baseman, Alex Rodriguez. Shall I go on? Does anyone else think that Damon should be doing better than .190? Hits, dammit! We need some hits!

The injuries are not helping us either. I had a brighter outlook on things last week. Jeter being out for the last bunch of games sucked but (bright side...) it gave us a chance to see Alberto Gonzalez, who I think should stay with the team long term. Jorge Posada's dead arm didn't really cause me concern because (bright side...) Jose Molina is worthy of filling in on a consistent basis... BUT, then he gets injured and now the Yankees are going to need to scramble to find a fill-in for the fill-in. And this just in... Harlan Chamberlin, Joba's dad, collapsed last night at his Lincoln, Neb home and is currently in the hospital listed in critical condition. Joba left the team after last night's game to be with him and will most likely not be available for the Tampa games and perhaps not even the second set of Boston games later this week. These changes are becoming less and less manageable.

I was starting to see some signs of life (see Friday's post) but now I am just starting to get sad (not quite depressed yet, but it is only the beginning of the week. I am not sure what the answer here is or why there seems to be a dark cloud hovering over us. I know that there are some other strange things happening to other teams too... David Ortiz is sporting a .070 average (hehe) but that just makes me want to smile. The Detroit Tigers have a record of 2-10 (oh, my). The Mets last night couldn't even beat the Brewers (who are surprisingly 8-4). I thought Seattle would be doing better than 6-7.

I suppose that it is what is in front of us that matters though. I am really not concerned at this point... just frustrated. So, like any other true fan, I will put the stat sheet aside, look towards the future, and support my Yankees. I hope all of you will do the same.

Standings

2008-04-13T07:22:00.005-04:00

I only got to watch until the sixth inning of last night's game since I had to drive to a fundraiser that I as attending. The NY Daily News, a paper not worthy of even assisting me to clean-up the remains of my dog, choose to apply the "Clueless Joe" tag to Girardi by allowing Mussina to pitch to Manny in the sixth instead of walking him to the open base. I find it remarkable that sports writers in NY can be such jackasses. Hence, the reason I get most of my information now from press releases and blog entries.

The NY Post (my usual source of information if I have to get it from a newspaper) spent a lot of ink telling us how good Manny was, printing pictures of of Red Sox, and yes, Joel Sherman had to add his two cent comment (and believe me, that's all his columns are usually worth) about Girardi's pitch to Manny.

I want to ask this question: why are we so quick to see the negative? Yes, I am guilty of it too I suppose but somehow it is different. I am just a guy with a blog. These sports writers are supposed to be a little more objective, aren't they? I am tired of picking up a NY paper and reading about how great the Red Sox are, especially when they aren't (see Standings below).

The bottom line here is that the Yankees are fine. They are even with Boston in the standings and Baltimore (currently leading the AL East) is not going to stay where they are for long- trust me. You will always hear me say that every game matters (and it does) but we have lots of time ahead of us too. I think it is way too early in the season to be knocking on Girardi and kissing up to the Sox.

Everybody Wang Chung Tonight...

2008-04-12T06:36:00.004-04:00

It don't get much better than that! Chien-Ming Wang was firing on all cylinders in last night's 4-1 win over Boston in the first of three series (and first of eighteen regular season) games that Yankees will play against their rival team. Yes, one could argue that certain things could have made the outing a little sweeter for the Yankee's ace. Had Abreu caught that ball at the wall there would have been no home run and if Wang could have also made that out in the ninth on the bunt, then he would have pitched a perfect game. Now although that would have been awesome, it didn't happen; so let's not diminish Wang's stellar performance last night by adding all those footnotes. Wang threw a total of 93 pitches in nine complete innings (61 of those pitches were strikes). In that time, he faced 29 batters (only 2 more than the minimum) to average 3.2 pitches per batter! He finished his night with a 1.23 ERA.

The Yankee offense continues to improve as we saw Giambi hit his first Home Run of the year. It was nice to see him smiling in the post game interview on the field. In fact, many Yankees had much to be proud of last night. Molina seems to be showing a liking for doubles, making two of them last night for a total of six so far this season... not too shabby for a back-up catcher. In fact, signing him this winter for two years of service was an incredibly smart move by Cashman. Alberto Gonzalez is really looking sharp batting .375 in the short three days he has been here.

This was an important win for the Yankees mostly, I believe, because they needed something to put some more spring in their step. If you ask a Yankee on air about how they react when playing against Boston they will more than likely tell you that 'it is just another game- one out of 162'. But the truth is, it matters. It definitely matters. Not even so much because of the past rivalry (I really don't think stories of shirts buried in concrete matter too much to them) but because they are facing a team that plays ball at their level (though slightly below their level, I might correct). Every game matters, but the games played against the Red Sox always matter more. So, off we go this afternoon with the Moose going against Beckett... a good match up. I am feeling positive.

At last... some signs of life

2008-04-11T08:37:00.003-04:00

Last night's game against Kansas City almost started to inspire me. We still have a little work to do at the plate but energy seems to be picking up. Homeruns by Cabrera, Rodriguez and Posada put 3 runs on the board (peculiarly, all 3 were 2 out shots with no men on base). The other three runs were the result of plate work from, well, yeah... Cabrera, Rodriguez and Posada, the only RBI-makers for the team. Matsui and Ensberg both left 3 on base. I guess this could be consider a game of threes; including Cano's three at bats that resulted in nothing.

I liked the way Pettitte pitched, especially after the very efficient 28 minute rain delay. A 3.09 ERA for the game, many say he tends to pitch better after the Yankees lose. Joba and Mo, or "Jo-Mo" as I like to call them did exactly what they were supposed to do.

Because of injury and and rest schedules, Jeter, Giambi, and Abreu sat out, Posada was moved to DH. Joe Girardi changed around the line-up a bit and it seemed to work ok. I like change. I want to see Melky more towards the top of the order, A-Rod batting third... why not? In fact, why not make some more changes... why not put A-Rod at short while Jeter is recovering? There are others that can play third base. Don't get me wrong... I am not saying that any of these changes need to be permanent, just a temporary practice to keep our Yankees awake and on their toes. It is all about inspiration and motivation. I think we may be turning things around... slowly.

Why Google Sucks...

2008-04-10T12:02:00.003-04:00

I started this blog last week as a place to write thoughts and opinions about the Yankees. No sooner did I make my second post then I received an e-mail from Google telling me that my blog was identified as a spam blog and as a result, had been locked. This is the letter I received:

Dear Blogger user,
Your blog, at http://nyy15.blogspot.com/, has been identified as a potential spam blog. For an explanation of what spam blogs are, please see Blogger Help: http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=42577 You will not be able to publish posts to your blog until we review your site and confirm that it is not a spam blog. To request a review, please fill out the form found here: http://www.blogger.com/unlock-blog.g?lockedBlogID=8497336674291753235 We will take a look at your blog and unlock it within four business days. Please note that if we do not hear from you within 20 days, we will remove your blog. If this blog does not belong to you, then you do not have to do anything. Any other blogs you may have will not be affected. Since you are an actual person reading this, your blog is probably not spam. We find spam by using an automated classifier. Automatic spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and occasionally a blog is flagged incorrectly. We sincerely apologize for this erroneous result. By using this kind of system, however, we can dedicate more storage, bandwidth, and engineering resources to users like you instead of to spammers. Thank you for your understanding and for your help in our spam-fighting efforts.
Sincerely, The Blogger Team

I responded to the e-mail and it took one full week for them to "Review" my blog and unlock it. In the mean time, anyone who entered my web address got a page that indicated in big letters that THIS BLOG IS IN VIOLATION OF THE TERMS OF SERVICE. One full week to resolve something (or should I say nothing) that some Google robot misidentified in the first 24 hours of my blogs creation. Once they did finally decide that my mere thoughts were harmless, they didn't even send out a follow-up e-mail to let me know! I did some searching and it turns out that "blog locking" is a regular practice for Google:

I am so tired of all the crap on the internet. Proving that I am not a spammer is just my latest rant. I hate having to weed through all the junk mail that bombards my inbox, I can't stand having to watch a 30-second commercial just to see a 10-second sports highlight clip, and if I am asked one more time if I want to install the Google Toolbar I think I am going to lose it. And what about all those far-too-complicated, cryptic words and phrases that you have to enter just to try to by a baseball ticket on Ticketmaster?

I am just a guy trying to write a blog... leave me alone already! It is bad enough that the Yankees have been batting like little leaguers lately and haven't stolen one base yet this season. It pains me to watch everytime number 48 comes up to the mound. I know that I am probably only preaching to crickets out there anyway so please, Google, just let me keep my blog.

Some back-dated comments...

2008-04-10T11:07:00.006-04:00

Saturday Afternoon - April 5 (Tampa Bay)
It was nice to be back at our Saturday season ticket seats today. The weather cleared up and it turned out to be a nice day (though perhaps a little chilly). We arrived at the stadium early to purchase some additional tickets at the advanced sales window. Season ticket holders get a handful of discount coupons and we generally have no problems getting decent seats for some mid-week night games. Well, not this year. Practically nothing was available!I had all the best of expectations for a Yankee win today but like Friday night, it just wasn’t meant to be. I don’t really blame Pettitte (who received a warm welcome from the fans). True, he gave up 5 runs on 8 hits but I continue to see offense as the major downfall in these games. We left 21 players on base today including a bases-loaded situation. Unacceptable! What is it going to take to start hitting like a championship team? Today’s loss of 6-3 puts the Yankees on the bottom of the AL-East. Something needs to be done to turn around these slumps.

Friday Night - April 4 (Tampa Bay)
There are some games that you just don’t deserve to win. Friday night’s 4-game series opener against Tampa Bay was one of those games for the Yankees. Pitching can set the tone for a game. Good, quality pitching can be a true motivator just as poor performance on the mound can drain some of the strongest inspiration. Ian Kennedy was horrible and he knew it. He may have gotten squeezed on a few pitches but, for the most part the strike zone seemed invisible to him. Last year when Kennedy and Hughes made their debut, I heard many compare the talent of these two noticeably young starters. I didn’t agree those comparisons then and as most would have to agree now, there was nothing even remotely comparable between Hughes’ quality start last night and Kennedy’s weak pitching tonight.This being said, if Kennedy could be described as weak, than Hawkins was just plain pathetic. Six runs off of six hits in two-thirds of an inning. An ERA of 31.50 for the game. Why is LaTroy Hawkins even here? Is it to keep Fartsworth company? In complete contrast, Albaladejo, Ohlendorf and Traber pitched incredibly well. In fact, I am not sure why Ohlendorf and Traber didn’t get more than an inning each.Now let’s discuss hitting. Aside from the third, which seemed to be something of a passing dream of what should be instead of reality, the Yankees had nothing. I know it is only game four but aren’t we supposed be in our best form after Spring Training, rested from the off season and eager to perform. I am just not seeing that. Why did we not see Shelley Duncan until the ninth inning? Or how about Ensberg? Yes, Giambi has definitely impressed me at first base but if he is cold at the plate, bring someone else in. I suppose that I believe in stirring the pot.I will be at Saturday’s game in my usual seat in Section 627 hoping that a Friday night loss will lead to a Saturday afternoon win. Tonight’s score of 13 to 4 needs to be vindicated.

Thursday Night - April 3 (Toronto)
I had a late meeting at work last night and was only able to hear the first 6 innings of the rubber match between the Yanks and Jays on XM radio as I drove home. That was really no big deal since not much happened before the sixth inning anyway.
Let me take that back… Phil Hughes did what I thought was an excellent job allowing only 2 runs on 4 hits over 6 frames. In fact, the entire pitching staff performed exactly the way they should have. Limiting a club like Toronto to only a few runs opens the door for a qualified Yankee offense to do their work and bring in the win. Hughes performed like, as Damon said in the post game, an ace in the making. Traber completed his task with lefty Overbay. Bruney, whom amongst a handful of other Yanks that dropped some pounds this past winter, was sharp. The Joba (who registered a 99 mph pitch) got the win after pitching the 8th and the Sandman led us to Frank. A very respectable night on the mound.
As far as hitting is concerned, I thought I was going to have to continue my rant from yesterday. But, thanks to Abreu, my rant can now just be a warning: Cano, Giambi, and Matsui… you really need to be doing better at the plate. I know it will happen and I am not really worried but I think in recent years we have lacked some consistency and predictability at the plate. I want my Yankees to make me proud. I am not going to mention A-Rod here because A-Rod is A-Rod. When he is on, we love him but, like every single other person in this world, he has the ability to disappoint us too.
So the Yankees win the game 3-2 and take the first series of the season 2 games to 1. I am looking forward to Tampa coming to town for the next 4 games, secretly hoping that we see some residual drama left over from Spring Training (the Elliot Johnson slide into Francisco Cervelli at the plate, the Shelly Duncan slide into Akinori Iwamura at 2nd, the Melk-man’s involvement). It is probable that Duncan will get his first start of the season tonight.

"We just need to score more runs"

2008-04-03T08:30:00.001-04:00

Those were the words of Alex Rodriguez during the postgame interview last night: "We just need to score more runs". Two things strike me about this statement. First is it's validity. Even with A.J. Burnett on the mound, the Yankees should not have to wait until the 7th inning for a player to touch second base. The box score from last night's game against Toronto looks a little light. But this is only the second game of the season so I am not going to go into a rant about how our players should be hitting better... EXCEPT for the second thing about ARod's statement that rings through to me: I have heard these words before. From Alex, from Jeter, from many players on this team. I just don't want to be disappointed this year. I am not even referring to early exits from the playoffs in recent years. I am a demanding fan. I want to be inspired by each at-bat, in most innings, of a majority of every game I watch. Otherwise I could just be a basketball fan... cheer for the Knicks!

Enough of the negative. I thought that the Moose did fine last night. He made one or two mistakes that hurt him but he pitched a good game. Johnny's catch at the wall was phenominal. Molina continues to be worthy of covering for Posada anytime a rest is needed. Alex did his part with his first homerun for the year (#519 career) to put 2 on the board. It was a bit strange seeing the number 21 on the field and hearing Paul O'Neill from the booth but Hawkins showed some promise.

Toronto is a good team and the BlueJays hustled strong for this win. My hope for tonight is to see those Yankee bats connect just a little better, watch Hughes pitch a tight game, and have the Bombers to take their first series of the year.

Last night's final score: Toronto over New York 5-2.

Opening... night!

2008-04-02T08:17:00.002-04:00

It was supposed to be the only home game ever that would be played at Yankee Stadium in the month of March. Obviously the first game of the final season in the current stadium, but also the first ever opening day game that I have ever been to. I was there early on Monday, eating my sausage and drinking my beer, waiting for the ceremonies to begin while I chatted with my good friend from high school who was nice enough to invite me along with him. But, the game never happened. Postponed by rain until the next night at 7:05 pm. Oh well.

Last night was like deja vu. Back in Seat 2 of Row G in Box 315 at section 29, right behind the right field pole (the same pole that made our friend "Squirrel" famous last year). The sky was clearing and the ceremonies began. Pettitte recieved a warm applause but I wasn't surprised by that. Oddly, the guy sitting in front of us still had more of a problem with Giambi. Of course I am referring to the whole steriod thing. The only one who got an audible boo (and rightfully so, in my opinion) was Farnsworth (or Fartsworth as I like to call him).

The game itself was good. Not the biggest thriller I have ever seen but a solid performance. The hightlight of my night was Melky's homerun ball that landed about 10 feet from where I was standing. To be able to touch the first homerun of the season in the opening game of the final year at the current stadium (phew) gave me slight high. Perhaps that was the third big Bud of the night though.

The Yanks added a MetLife home game countdown board that changed from 81 to 80 in the fifth inning as soon as the game was "official". Steinbrenner himself flipped the switch (previously recorded, I am guessing).

Wang looked ok though I wasn't seeing many of his infamous grounders. He hung in the for a solid seven innings though. Joba handled himself fine, getting into a bit of a squeeze but then squeezing himself out of it. Mo, well, Mo was Mo.

The final score: Yanks over Blue Jays 3-2. Good start to the year.