Span's Sport Soapbox

By James Greenspan: SPM NJ Writer
Posted Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Sept 30th ~ Yankee off season decisions

The Yankees have a monumentally important off season ahead of them. Of course, you can say that for every team and every off season, but it seems especially important for this year’s Yankee team to make the right decisions moving forward.

The 2008 Yankees club was the first to miss the playoffs since I was in forth grade. For players like Jeter, Rivera, Posada and Pettitte, it must be quite a shock, since they have never known anything else. For the franchise itself, this has undoubtedly been a supremely disappointing year. The Yankees are going to move forward, but the question is, will 2008 be viewed as the beginning of the Yankees slide towards mediocrity? Or will 2008 be a transitional, “rebuilding” year, which catapults them towards greatness again? Without knowing what the opening day roster of the 2009 Yankees is going to look like, it’s nearly impossible to speculate.

As with every off season, there many decisions to be made regarding which players to bring back. Free agents on the Yankees include: Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi (’09 club option), Bobby Abreu, Carl Pavano (’09 club option), Xavier Nady, Demaso Marte (’09 club option), Wilson Betemit, Brian Bruney, Chad Moeller, Pudge Rodriguez, Sidney Ponson, and Billy Traber. Obviously, not all of those players will be back. Some of them are only role players, but some of them had huge impacts on this season, and will need to be accounted for in the future.

Also, lurking in the back of everyone’s mind is the Brian Cashman situation. Cashman has been the Yankees GM since before the 1998 season, and his contract is now up. The ball is in Cashman’s court as to whether he wants to come back, as the Yankee brass have indicated they would like him to continue being the GM. Cashman has stated that we will know sooner or later about his status, and that is really the first and most important decision to be made this season. Without knowing who the GM is going to be, it’s much harder to speculate what sort of changes will be made in the team.

On the pitching front, I don’t see the Yankees bringing both Pettitte and Mussina back, but I think they need one of them. Moose’s retirement might force the Yanks hand, but in any event they need to sign at least one of them. The Yankees rotation for next year is, (1) Wang, (2) Moose/Pettitte?, (3) ______, (4) _____, (5) _____. Those blank slots are very scary for a team that has struggled with starting pitching over the last few seasons.

I think that Phil Hughes will likely start the year in the rotation, and hopefully, he'll be able to stay injury free and be effective in 2009. Maybe he'll even win a game...

Joba might start the year in the rotation, but he only pitched 100 major league innings this past season, meaning that his innings cap for next year is likely in the 140-150 innings range. Baseball minds seem to think 40 innings per year is the best incremental increase to bring a young arm along and not overwork it. And with Joba’s already disturbing history of arm trouble, there is no way the Yankee hierarchy would take a chance on blowing him out early. I wouldn't be surprised to see a hybrid attempt with Joba again, with half the year in the bullpen, and half in the rotation.

Ian Kennedy is another possibility, but he was ineffective this year, and he threw only 40 major league innings, so the Yanks certainly can not count on him to be a horse next year.

Kei Igawa is also on the roster, but he has been so bad (horrible/disastrous…) in pinstripes that I doubt anyone wants to see him back in the rotation.

I believe that pitching is going to be the number one priority for next year’s general manager, whoever he will be. I think we will see AT LEAST one major signing in the offseason, likely more than one. The number one name on everyone’s list is obviously CC Sabathia. Over the last 3 years Sabathia has been simply amazing. First off, he won the 2007 Cy Young award, and he has put up a 3.22, a 3.21, and a 2.70 ERA over the last three years, respectively. Most of that was done while he was in Cleveland, so this isn’t a guy who puts up huge numbers only in the national league. Sabathia looks like he might even be up for the NL MVP (yes I said MVP) this season after what he has done for the Brewers. Although Sabathia has been amazing over the last few years, I do have some hesitation about signing him. He’s a big guy (6'7", 250+), and he has thrown an average of 222 innings each season over his 8 years in the league. One way to look at that is, he’s been healthy and productive his entire career, another, more pessimistic, way to look at it is to say that his arm has thrown a ton of innings and even the healthiest of players wear down with too much work over time. All I’m saying is that the Yankees should make 100% sure he’s healthy if they are going to spend a small country's budget's worth on him over the next 5-6 years.

I think the Yanks will sign another pitcher to fill a slot in the rotation, but at this point, I have no idea who it will be. If the Yanks land Sabathia, or another high profile free agent, they will likely look to sign a back end starter, someone who will be able to keep them in games, but not be a shut down "Ace". Until the market becomes clear, it’s impossible to speculate as to who that mystery pitcher might be.

As for the batters, the picture is a bit clearer. Giambi is likely gone, and Bobby Abreu has also been rumored to have played his last game in pinstripes. I did a little research, and it seems that Nady is also only signed to a one year deal that expires after the 2008 season. If Abreu, Giambi and Nady aren’t around next year, the Yankees will need to replace both of their corner outfielders, and their first baseman, batting 3rd, 5th, and 6th respectively. Those are power positions, and the Yankees will need to replace an awful lot of productivity.

I must confess, I have no idea why the Yanks wouldn’t want to bring Bobby Abreu back next season. I think it would be a terrible mistake not to resign him to a 2 or 3 year deal. He scores 100 runs every year, he drives in 100 runs every year, he hits 20+ homers every year, he steals 20 bases every year, and most importantly, he hits .300 with a .400 on base percentage every year. He is a vital cog on the team, and he gets on base in front of A-Rod with regularity. He also had quite a few clutch hits, and stayed remarkably healthy, he has played 150+ games for 10 straight years. Bobby ought to be patrolling right field in front of the Bleacher Creatures in the new Stadium when it opens. If he’s not, the Yanks are going to regret it.

Nady is also a no-brainer re-sign. They picked him up at the trade deadline, and he was great. Nady is a guy who has bounced around from team to team over his short career, but he’s been fairly productive wherever he has landed. In only 59 games for the Yanks this year, Nady hit 12 homers and drove in 40 men. He started off hot for the Yanks, but ended up hitting only .268 in pinstripes. Is he Manny Ramirez at the plate? No. But you know what? He’s a quality player who can patrol left field and death valley in the new stadium for the next 5-8 years and be a key member of the franchise without breaking the bank.

To me, Jason Giambi is the biggest offensive question mark for next year. He has a $22 million club option, with a $5M buyout. Obviously, the Yanks are going to buy him out for $5M. The question then becomes, do they attempt to resign him at a much lower contract? He has shown over the last 6 seasons that his days of hitting .342 are over. But he has still averaged a .389 on base percentage over the past 6 years and he has also averaged 30 homers and about 100 RBIs. He is still a productive hitter, and while he might not be the MVP he once was, he had a decent year in 2008. He also played in 145 games, the most since ’03, and has become a much better defensive fielder at first base. Giambi has stated that he wants to return to the Yankees next year, and I think that the Yanks should consider it, but only if the price is right. He fills a hole at first base, but whether or not the Yanks sign him might have a lot to do with what happens with Mark Teixeira of the Angels over the offseason.

Teixeira is a switch hitting power first baseman. He averages 100 runs, 36 homers, and 121 RBI’s per year, and has played 6 season, most of them for the Texas Rangers. He’s a free agent this year, and the Angels are expected to attempt to resign him, but as we all know, the Yankees have the financial wherewithal to sign anyone they want, they just have be willing to spend enough. Teixeira might be the only big bat the Yanks pick up this offseason, but if he is, he sure is a good one.

My predictions for the 2009 opening day roster.
C: Posada
1B: Teixeira
2B: Cano
SS: Jeter
3B: A-Rod
LF: Nady
LF: Gardner/Damon
RF: Abreu
DH: Matsui/Damon

SP: Wang, Sabathia, Pettitte, ______, Hughes.
RP: Rivera, Chamberlain, Bruney, Coke, Ramirez, and some others.

Sept 29 ~ Moose wins 20th

Despite the fact that the Yankees are heading home after the regular season for the first time since 1993, there was a silver lining on the last day of the season. 39-year-old veteran Mike Mussina won his 20th decision of the season, setting the major league record for the oldest pitcher to win his 20th game for the first time in his career. Mussina’s resurgence this year is probably the best story of the season for a Yankees club that struggled throughout most of the year. After a disappointing 2007 campaign, which saw Moose go 11-10 with a 5.15 ERA, Moose roared back this year going 20-9, with a 3.37 ERA. Moose also pitched 200.1 innings, marking the first time he has reached the 200 inning plateau since 2003. Additionally, Moose had remarkable control throughout the entire season. He walked only 31 batters the entire season, the lowest mark of his 18 year career.

I wrote back in June that Mussina had a chance at becoming a Hall of Famer. I said that he needed a crowning achievement to get him over the top in his candidacy. I believed then, and I believe now that winning 20 games is that achievement. Mussina hinted in his post-game press conference that retirement is a possibility. He has talked openly about a possible quest for winning 300 games, but has also said that at his age, it would likely require a three year commitment, and he’s not sure whether that’s something he’s interested in pursuing at this point.

Now that the Yankees are officially dead, the question becomes… what went wrong? The answer to that question is, there is no one thing that can be pointed to that explains everything. It was a combination of a great many things that killed the Yankees this year.

Offense
The Yankees offense, predicted to score in the neighborhood of 1,000 runs this season, scored only 789 runs. Their anemic offense scored two or fewer runs 50 times this season and three or fewer runs 70 times. That is simple unacceptable. 3 runs or fewer scored in nearly half of the games?!?!?! No wonder they didn't make the playoffs. Blame whatever you want, my blame is on their poor average with RISP, .267 (422-1575), and more specifically, their poor average with 2 outs and RISP, .274 (202-735).

Additionally, the Yankees need to improve the overall quality of their at bats. The hallmark of the late 90’s dynasty was their ability to grind down starting pitchers, forcing them out of the game in the 5th or 6th inning, then pounding the middle relievers of their opponents to score some late runs and win the game. This year’s version of the Yanks swung at too many first pitches, too many bad pitches, and did not take as many walks as they should have. The offense needs to get back to working the pitchers and the pitch counts, getting on base and then driving in the men on base. It sounds simple, but it’s the difference between the post season and mediocrity.

Injuries
The Yankees were struck by many injuries this season, as is every team, but they were unable to overcome these particular key injuries. Brian Bruney missed 3 & ½ months with a Lis Franc injury, Jorse Posada missed 3 months with a shoulder injury and didn't play like himself when was active due to the same injury, A-Rod missed about a month with a quad injury, Phil Hughes missed nearly the entire season with a myriad of injuries, Ian Kennedy missed four months with a myriad of injuries, Chien-Ming Wang went down for the season in mid-June with a torn Lis Franc foot tendon, Hideki Matsui missed a month and half with a balky knee, Johnny Damon missed a few weeks with a shoulder injury, Joba Chamberlain missed all of August with rotator cuff tendonitis, and super-long man Dan Giese missed a few weeks with right shoulder inflammation.

Every team has injuries, but the Yankees were hit especially hard this season with 60% of their opening day rotations going on the DL at some point (Hughes, Kennedy and Wang). Jorge Posada's loss was also key this season. He had a career year last year, but was unable to repeat it this year. His backup, Jose Molina, is a backup for a reason, and he hit only .216 in 100 games this year. The Yankees were, in the end, simply unable to overcome the losses of some of their horses, and it killed them.

Poor Play
Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Ian Kennedy, and Phil Hughes are the major culprits in this category.

Melky was once viewed as a jewel of the Yankee farm system, and he was given the everyday centerfield job at the beginning of this season. However, in 129 games this season, Melky hit only .249, and had an on base percentage of only .301.

Cano meanwhile, had an exemplary 2007, and was expected to take several steps forward in 2008. However, instead of getting better, he clearly regressed. Cano hit only .271 this year, an average which he actually raised quite a few points during September, in mostly meaningless games. His on base percentage was only .305, and he struck out every 9.8 at bats, 8th worst in the AL.

Hughes appeared in only 8 games this season, and had a record of 0-4. Hughes’ ERA was a bloated 6.62, and he allowed 26 runs in only 34 innings pitched.

Kennedy was even worse than Hughes, if possible. He also went 0-4, started 9 games, and had an ERA of 8.17. He allowed 37 runs in 39 innings, and allowed nearly 2 base-runners per inning. He was, quite simply, the definition of ineffective.

Coaching
Joe Girardi’s first season with the Yankees certainly had some growing pains. While it’s hard to point to something specific, it seems likely that the “feeling out” process of a new manager and a team while they get used to each others styles and expectations, is something that will cost a team a few wins throughout the year, especially early in the season.

Bobby Meacham, the Yankees third base coach, also struggled this year, either holding runners at third when they should have scored, or sending them home, only to be tagged out at the plate. His position as third base coach is something that needs to be addressed in the off season. The absence of last year’s third base coach, Larry Bowa, was also keenly felt. There was much speculation that some of Robinson Cano’s struggles this season were due to Bowa’s lack of presence and leadership in the clubhouse.

Other teams
The Tampa Bay DEVIL Rays won 97 games this season, the second most in baseball and they are going to the playoffs for the first time in their history. The Yankees, meanwhile, won only 89. Last year, the Yanks captured the wild card, while the Red Sox took the division title. If the DEVIL Rays were removed from the picture, the Yankees would have won the wild card again. The DEVIL Rays remarkable season essentially removed a playoff spot for the Yankees, and in the end, it kept them out of the post season.

As far as I can tell, those five reasons combined to hurt the Yankees. The ineffectiveness of some of their key young players, the devastating injuries to several of their veterans, the sudden surge of the DEVIL Rays, the bizarrely bad offense, and the first year Yankee manager all combined to send the 2008 Yankees home early. We will likely see a lot of turnover in the team neat year, and there is a very good likelihood that we will see a few high priced free agents added to the 2009 roster. My guess is that CC Sabathia will be wearing pinstripes this time next year. Other names that have been rumored to be on the wish list include: Ben Sheets, Mark Texiera, K-Rod, and Matt Holiday.

With the Mets going home (more on that to come later), I guess I'll be rooting for Joe Torre's Dodgers to win the World Series. Lets go Blue!

Aug 29 ~ Just one game

Yes, yesterday’s win against the Red Sox was exciting and could quite possibly be the spark that the Yankees need to get on a roll. Giambi was as clutch as anyone could have wished, going 2 for 2, including a pinch-hit, 2 run home run off Hideki Okajima, and a game winning, walk-off single off Jonathan Papelbum. More than that, it was somehow fitting that the Yankees should have a come from behind, walk off win, in the last ever Yankees vs. Red Sox game at the original “Yankee Stadium.”

That being said, the Yanks are still 6 games out of a playoff position, and are closer to being in last place in the division than in first place. This team still has a TON of work to do, and they’re also going to need a lot of help. The Red Sox might be providing that help as they scratched Josh Beckett from his start tonight and had him visiting the famous Dr. James Andrews. Beckett seemingly will be unavailable for the immediate future, meaning that perhaps the Yanks can pick up a game or two on the Sox this week.

As pumped up as the Yanks might be from yesterday’s historic win, the Yankees have a tough weekend ahead of them. As they say in baseball, “momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher”. Well guess what? This weekend the Yankees face two Yankee killers, A.J. Burnett (6-2 with a 2.63 ERA, career vs. the Yanks... 3-0, 1.61 ERA in 3 starts this season) and Doc Halladay (13-5 with a 2.92 ERA in 30 games vs. the Yanks). The Yanks will send undefeated Carl Pavano (haha) to the bump tonight against Burnett, and Andy Pettitte Sunday afternoon against Halladay. The middle game of the 3 game set will be John Parrish (making a spot start from AAA) against Darrell Rasner.

The Yanks clearly have to win the middle game, and try to steal one of the other 2. Grabbing tonight’s game from the Jays would be huge. Being so far out, the Yanks really need to sweep every series they can, but realistically, at best, they can probably only take 2/3 from the Jays this weekend. Losing the series simply isn’t an option.

College football is here!! My Villanova Wildcats (yes we have a football team) travel to Morgantown West Virginia to take on the #8 ranked Mountaineers Saturday afternoon. I have long been against 1-AA schools (I know it’s not called that anymore) being paid to travel to, and usually get destroyed by, 1-A national powerhouses. Other than the rare, super upset (see: Appalachian State), the 1-AA schools have nothing to win, and everything to lose. 1-AA players, being smaller and, usually slower, than 1-A players are more likely to get injured, especially the 1-AA quarterbacks. The QB’s, behind offensive lines that can’t handle the elite pass rushers of the 1-A schools, have to run for their lives and get they sacked, hit, and knocked down an incredible amount of times. The likelihood for injury goes up, and if a QB gets hurt, the likelihood for the season being a success goes down the drain. It’s not worth it!!! I will be holding my breath come Saturday, not for a win, not to stay in the game, but for all of the Wildcats to come home injury free.

Aug 22 ~ That should pretty much do it

After an embarrassing loss to Toronto and Doc Halladay last night, the Yankees chances at making the playoffs are pretty much gone. RIP 2008 Yankees. A lot of things have combined to hurt the Yankees this season; injuries (Wang, Joba, Hughes, Kennedy, Posada, Matsui, Bruney, Damon, Giese…etc.), poor play (Cano, Melky, Hughes, Kennedy), inability to get clutch hits (the Yanks are among the worst in the AL at hitting with runners in scoring position) and bad defense (Damon, Giambi, Abreu).

I said that the Yanks need to go 7-2 or better over this stretch of 9 games in order to preserve their hopes at making the playoffs. As of now, they've gone 3-3. The Yanks are 10.5 out of the division and, even worse, are 6 games out of the wild card race, behind both Boston and the Twinkies. With 35 games left, a 6 game deficit certainly isn't insurmountable, but when you look at this Yankees team… there are just no signs of life. They’ll play well for a game or 2, and then lose 3 in a row. They’ll explode for 15 runs 1 game, and then score a total of 5 over the next 3 games. The only thing that has been consistent about this Yankees team this season is that have been incredibly inconsistent.

It’s strange for me to think that my team isn’t going to make the playoffs for the first time since 1993. I didn’t really follow baseball back then; I was in 3rd grade. That means that ever since I have been a die-hard Yanks fan, they’ve played in October. It will surely be a long, painful, drawn out conclusion to the season, but there are still a few things to watch for and get excited about.

Things to watch for:
Derek Jeter is 1 hit away from 2500 in his career. He’s also 7 RBI away from 1000 in his career.
Pudge is 7 hits away from 2600 in his career
A-Rod is 4 HR’s away from passing Mike Schmidt (549) for 12th on the all time list.
Johnny Damon is in the hunt for the AL batting crown.
Mike Mussina goes for his 17th win tonight. He has never won 20 games, and this might be his best, and last shot to go for such a respected milestone. It might also put him over the top for his hall of fame campaign.

Aug 21 ~ Captain, Pettitte refuse to go quietly into the night

For a team that was in desperate need of a win, its veteran leaders stepped up to provide it. Derek Jeter had a big game last night, going 3-5 (with 3 hits in his first 3 at bats) driving in 2 runs, scoring 2 runs, and hitting the 203rd home run of his career. Jeter is 2 hits away from 2,500 in his career, and has been the hottest Yankee of late, going 16 for his last 28 and raising his average to .298 for the season.

Pettitte meanwhile was equally as effective. He pitched 7 strong innings, allowing just 1 run. He struck out 4 Jays while not allowing a walk. Brian Bruney (remember him?) pitched a scoreless final 2 innings to finish the game and set the Yanks up for a rubber match between Doc Halladay and Sir Sidney Ponson.

Both the Red Sox and DEVIL Rays lost last night, meaning that the Yanks picked up a full game on each of the clubs they’re trailing. Obviously, for the Yanks to make a playoff run, they will need to play great baseball down the strech as well as get some help from the other clubs. Last night was a good start, and shows that maybe, just maybe, this season can still be saved. I said that the Yanks could afford to go 7-2 or better over this stretch of games, yet despite last night’s feel good victory, they are only 3-2. They need to find a way to beat Halladay tonight, and then sweep the Oreos at Camden Yards over the weekend.

Right now however, only 5.5 games out of the wildcard, with a series at the stadium against the Bo Sox next week there is a chance that the Yanks could be right back in the race, or only 2-3 games out, at this time next week.

The Yanks are also starting to get healthy. Matsui is back, Brueny is back, Hughes and Pavano are rumored to be less than a week away, Joba will be back within 2 weeks, and Chien-Ming Wang may be back as well. Something to keep an eye on.

There is still some hope, however faint.

Aug 16 ~ Dead men walking

The 2008 regular season doesn’t officially end for the Yankees until Sunday, September 28, against the Red Sox. However, as far as I'm concerned it might as well have ended last night.

I promised I’d wait until after the Yanks don’t go 7-2 or better (now 7-1) over the next 9 games (now 8). But last nights loss was so painful, so illustrative of the ineffectiveness that this team has displayed all year long, that I really, really want to call the season right now.

For whatever reason, no one (barring Jeter) on this team can hit in the clutch. Coming into last night’s game, the Yanks were batting .259 with runners is scoring position (RISP). That ranked 11th out of 14 in the American League. No WONDER this team isn’t scoring any runs. They have men on base, in fact last night the Yanks go the leadoff man on base 6 times, included each of the first 5 innings. The only run those leadoff men produced was when Derek Jeter singled Molina in for the Yanks first run. Through the first 3 innings of last nights game, the Yanks were 0-8 with 6 K’s with RISP. That’s just amazing. I don’t know if the batters are pressing more than normal because they’re aware of how important these games are (probably) or if the pitchers are rising up and making their best pitches in the clutch, but for whatever reason, this team can’t get clutch hits, and it is killing them.

The Yanks are now 10.5 out of first in the AL East and 7 out of the Wildcard. This time last year, they were only ½ game out of the Wildcard. There are still 41 games left in the season, and with a good week, the Yanks could be within 3 games of the wildcard and right back in the race. However, what makes anyone think that this Yankee team is ready to go on a run? They absolutely stink right now, they’re 5-9 in August, they don’t have a legitimate centerfielder, their best two pitchers are on the DL, their closer continuously gives up runs in tied games, they’re double digit games out of the division lead, and are trailing the world champion Boston Red Sox (you have no idea how hard it was for me the write that) by 7 games in the wild card race. If someone out there sees a silver lining… please feel free to share it.

Phelps is ridiculous. 7 down, 1 to go.

The DEVIL Rays continue to get bitten by the injury bug, as they place their closer, Troy Percival, on the DL… again.

I'm heading to the beach this upcoming week (yes I know I was there 2 weeks ago…) so my posting will very likely be sparse or non-existent. I hope that when I come back next weekend I can write about the phenomenal week the Yanks had, how they closed the gaps in the races a little bit, and how I have some hope of them pulling it out. I severely doubt it, but here’s to hoping.

August 15 ~ Yanks remain idle, lose ground anyway

Despite not playing Thursday night, the Yanks had a bad day. Both of their AL East rivals, the Bo Sox and the DEVIL Rays, won their games. The DEVIL Rays won in extra innings, powered by a Carlos Pena 12th innings homer, and the Red Sox continued to roll and won 10-0. In their last 6 games, the Red Sox have scored 53 runs. So much for Manny’s trade destroying the Sox offense. In fact, Jason Bay has hit .327 so far with the Sox. He also has 3 doubles, a homer and 12 RBI’s in 13 games for the Sox. So far, Boston ain’t missing Manny being Manny.

As it stands today, the Yanks are 9.5 games out of the division and 6.5 out of the wildcard. The Yanks are 64-57 as of this moment. As of August 15 last season, the Yanks were 67-53, and were only 5 games behind the Red Sox and were tied for the wildcard lead. Oh… and the Devil Rays (notice I didn’t capitalize that… because they really still were the Devil Rays) were 21 games behind the Yankees. What a difference a year makes.

On the injury front, more bad news for the already reeling Yanks. Super-longman Dan Giese was placed on the 15-day-DL with rotator cuff tendinitis, the same ailment currently plaguing Joba.

Andy starts for the Yanks tonight in a must win series.

In news that personally saddens me, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo of WFAN announced yesterday that he is leaving the station. I grew up listening to “Mike and the Mad Dog,” and I will very much miss Russo. Surely, he will land softly, the pundits seem to think that he’ll grab a contract on Sirius radio and will have his own show. Great for him. As for the “Mike and the Mad Dog” radio program, Mad Dog’s announcement signals the end of an era. Chris and Mike were the founders of sports talk radio in this country. They had been together for 18 years, and basically started it all. While I tend to agree more with Mike’s laid back Yankee cockiness, I still appreciated Russo for his anti New York bias, and his love of some of the less mainstream sports and teams. He loved his SF Giants and his tennis. I also always loved hearing about his personal exploits on the tennis courts of the new Canaan Country Club in Connecticut. I wish him well in whatever he does, but I will certainly miss his trademarked 1:05 pm opening to the show… aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY!!!

In Olympic news, Phelps won his 6th gold of these games, drawing him within two golds of his record 8 golds in one games goal. The American girls went 1-2 in the women’s (or pre-pubescent girls) all around gymnastics, despite some screwy scoring from the judges early on that seemed to favor the Chinese. Also, in yet another doping scandal, a North Korean shooter was stripped of 2 medals (silver and bronze) after testing positive for propanolol. Hopefully, that isn’t the combo of propane and Tylenol that it sounds like. Honestly though, why does a shooter need to dope??? You hold a fricken gun and aim it at a target. I don’t get it.

Finally, John McEnroe was ejected from a match for cursing, arguing with the chair umpire, and making an obscene gesture at the fans. I love whenever ESPN replays John’s “COULDN’T YOU SEE ANYTHING” tirade as much as anyone else, but the dude is pushing 50. It’s time to stop, take a breath, and be an ambassador for the sport, not an embarrassment. John, get your act together and quit making a scene.

August 14 ~ Another lost series, season on the brink

After losing yesterday's game to the Twins and dropping the series, the Yanks are in huge trouble. The Yanks lost 4-2, but it felt more like 14-2. The defense was sloppy, Cano was involved in 3 separate mental errors, and the bats couldn't do anything against a very mediocre pitcher. The disaster of a game, fortunately, ended a 10 game road trip for the Bombers, in which they went 3-7. After they won a nearly 10 in a row coming out of the All Star break, it seemed that this team had figured it out, and that, for the 14th year in a row, they were headed to the playoffs. Now, it seems like this veteran team is, instead, populated by a bunch of rookies who are making a ton of mental mistakes. It is crunch time for this team. They have to put up, or shut up.

The next 9 games may very well determine the Yanks season. The Yanks play 3 at home against the Royals, a series they really need to sweep, although taking 2 of 3 would be acceptable. Then, the Yanks hit the road for 6 games, 3 against the Blue Jays and Oreos respectively. If the Yanks don’t go 7-2 or better in the next 9 games, I’m throwing in the towel.

Why so soon? Well as Woody Paige of ESPN’s Around the Horn would say… “Look at the schedule!” The Yanks have 15 games left against the Bo Sox, Angles and DEVIL Rays. They have more games on the road than at home, and they are already 9 games back in the division, and 6 in the wild card. The Yanks are on the brink. If they don’t pick it up, and I mean RIGHT NOW… this season is over.

The Yanks send their best 3 pitchers to the mound this weekend against the Royals, namely Pettitte, Ponson and Mussina. I expect a big performance from Andy this Friday night, because the man’s a big game pitcher, and everyone on the club knows how important this series is.

I'm a competitive as anyone. I love to win, and I really really hate to lose. However, most of the time, I believe in playing fair. That's why, when I see the Chinese blatantly ignoring and circumventing the age restriction on their athletes, I get really mad. There is just no way that all of the girls on the Chinese women’s gymnastics team are 16 years old. They look more like 8, but are likely between 13 and 15. However, once their country gave them fake passports, there seems to be nothing that anyone can do to challenge the age of the competitors. I believe that some of these girls are under 16, and seeing the 20 year old American girl lose to them, even though she won silver, makes me even madder. Sure, she fell, but you know what, she was playing by the rules, something the gold medal team, the Chinese, sure can’t say.

Aug 13 ~ By the skin of their teeth

On a day that Hank Steinbrenner spewed some of his typical garbage (about winning NEXT year); the Yankees nearly blew a game that would have, in all likelihood, taken them out of the playoff race.

Obviously, with 40ish games left, losing one game, in and of itself, doesn’t seem enough to knock a team out of the race. However, when your best pitcher (I still can’t believe I’m staying that about Mike Mussina) goes 7 strong innings, looking to pick up his 16th win of the year, and your 1st ballot Hall of Fame closer comes in and blows the save (his first of the season) the loss can be just that devastating.

However, A-Rod and the X man each homered preserving the Yankee win, if not the Mussina win. If Mike finishes the season with 19 wins, this game will certainly loom large in his failure to reach 20 winning decisions.

In the Playoff watch, the Red Sox won a redonkulous 19-16 game against the Rangers, and the DEVIL Rays lost to the A’s.

Phelps won his 4th and 5th gold medals of these games and has become the winningest gold medal Olympian ever, with 11 gold medals. I won’t call him the best Olympian ever, because an athlete needs longevity to do that, but Phelps is certainly on his way to such a title, and if he breaks Spitz’s record of 7 gold medals at one games, I would comfortably call Phelps’ Beijing performance the greatest performance by an Olympian in a single games ever.

Meanwhile, the DEVIL Rays are starting to get a little injury bitten. AL Rookie of the Year probable, Evan Longoria, was just put on the DL, and Outfield speedster, Cark Crawford, is having season ending wrist surgery. I’ve waited all season long for the DEVIL Rays to fall off and show us exactly how bad they really are. And while that certainly hasn’t happened, maybe these injuries will slow them up just enough to be caught by my Yankees. I certainly hope so.

Aug 11 ~ Time to Panic…

Hello again all you loyal readers, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I was on vacation in North Carolina last week. And what with all the tennis playing, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, and general beach going, I didn't have time to think about sports or blogging. So, my apologies for the week in the dark, and I'll try to blog extra heavy this week.

During my absence, the Yanks went a disappointing 4-7 in 4 games against the Rangers and 7 against the best-in-baseball Angels. Pudge got a little banged up, Edwar Ramirez got a little touched up, Demaso Marte got slammed, and Joba got hurt. Bad news all around, and no surprise, most of it had to deal with the pitchers. Joba's shoulder injury and his subsequent visit to the infamous Dr. James Andrews, are enough to make any Yankees fan sweat. No one wants to see their potential ace of the next decade sidelined with problems in his throwing shoulder. At this point, it doesn't appear that Joba's injury is all that serious, it should only keep him out a week or two, but at a time when the Yanks are already struggling, it is just another straw on an already weakened camel's back. The Yanks are 63-55, and probably need another 30 wins to make the playoffs. The problem? They only have 44 games left. The late 90's Yanks wouldn't have worried about having to go 30-14 down the stretch, but this team, with this pitching, and (lack of) clutch hitting really scares me. I don't know if they can get the job done.

Favre just looks strange in green and white. As for the move itself, I think it was absolutely the right thing to do for the Jets. Clemens and Pennington weren't the answer for this season, and by grabbing Favre and dumping Pennington, the Jets essentially gave Clemens two years to mature under a Hall of Fame QB, and they gave Clemens the security that he will, for sure, be the starter in two years. He might not have liked to hear that, but the certainty of this move is probably better for the Jets overall than a week by week QB controversy that would have seen the team to a 6-10 or worse record.

Phelps is 2/2 in his quest to win 8 gold medals. The Mens 4x100 Freestyle Relay was very exciting as the US came from behind to beat France (ANYONE but France). I love the Olympics. I love everything about them. I love the purity, the heart, the way that it unites countries and the world, and the music! I've had the NBC's theme stuck in my head since the opening ceremonies. I think they IOC (International Olympic Committee) could be a little more discriminating as to the events it chooses (Women's 10 Meter Air Pistol… really???) but all in all, I think the Olympics are a great thing for the entire world.

Manny being Manny… as a Dodger. I didn't see that one coming. I never got to do my trade deadline special, but I simply have to comment on this story. WAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I LOVE that Manny is no longer a Red Sock. This guy absolutely KILLED the Yankees on a game by game basis. This trade, essentially, was Manny, Brandon Moss, and Craig Hansen for … JASON BAY. Not only did the Bo Sox not receive equal value for Manny, but they have to give away two prospects. This is, by all accounts, one of the worst trades ever. Manny being Manny won two World Series for the Bo Sox, and even if he dogged it a bit down the stretch, the Sox shouldn't have let him go. If I were Theo Epstein, I would have come out and publically picked up Manny's $20M option for next year, told Manny to get his butt out to left field and continue pounding the ball, the wall, and the Yankees.

July 31 ~ Yanks offense explodes, Abreu has career day

In a 13-3 drubbing of the Oreos, Bobby Abreu had his best day at the plate in the last few years. He went 3 for 4 with a walk, scored 4 runs, drove in 3 runs, and hit 2 homers. What a day. A-Rod chipped in with his second homer in as many days, and the X man, Xavier Nady, had 2 doubles, scored 2 runs, and had 2 RBIs. Joba pitched 6 innings, allowing 1 earned run, and the rest of the ‘pen had a good day as well.

Edwar Ramirez meanwhile, threw 1 pitch and was ejected… the pitch just happened to be at the noggin of renowned Yankee killer Kevin Millar. I'm all for beanball and sending messages and protecting you players that get hit, but Yankee pitchers need to aim a bit lower and stop throwing at people’s heads. Hitting someone in the back or ribs hurts like hell but it can’t KILL THEM. Keep the pitches below the shoulders kiddies.

With the win, the Yanks (thanks to LAA's sweep of BOS) moved into a tie for second place in the AL East with the Bo Sox. The teams are tied with 48 losses apiece. LAA comes to the Bronx for a 4 game set starting tonight. Based on the starting pitching, I'd say that if the Yanks can walk away from this series with a split they should be happy. It's quite possible that the Angels will win 3/4, and the best that the Yanks can hope for is that the DEVIL Rays and Bo Sox have a tough weekend as well.

The trade deadline is later today, I’ll do a special trade deadline post covering all the news that effects the Yanks. Check back later!

July 30 ~ Brutal loss has Yanks on verge of being swept

Last nights game was a tough 7-6 loss for the Yanks. In my mind, there are two people to blame.

First, Yankee skipper Joe Girardi. Darrell Rasner pitched 6 innings of 2 run ball, and was at 96 pitches after the 6th inning ended. Inexplicably, Girardi sent Rasner, the Yanks 5th starter, back out to the mound for the 7th. I understand that the Yanks don’t have an off day until Aug 14th, and Girardi wanted to squeeze an extra inning out of Rasner, but Girardi needs to go batter by batter with Rasner at that point. After the first batter of the inning reached base, Girardi needed to go out there, pat Rasner on the behind, and pull him from the game. Instead, Girardi left him in there for another batter, well over 100 pitches, and after a long at bat, Rasner hit the batter with a pitch. At that point, the newest Yankee bullpen member, Demaso Marte came in, had a bad outing, and the game was blown open and out of reach… or so it seemed.

However, the Yankees pulled within 3 runs of the Oreos, 6-3, in the bottom of the 8th. The crowd was alive, the atmosphere was exciting, and everyone in the stadium seemed to feel that the Yanks were going to come back in the bottom of the 9th to win the game. Therefore, when Girardi called on Mariano Rivera to pitch the 9th and hold the Oreos at 6 runs, no one was surprised.

Rivera however, continued his bizarre habit of allowing runs to score in tied games or when the Yanks are trailing, and he allowed a solo homerun, pushing the score to 7-3. At the time, it seemed like a meaningless tack on run, but in the bottom of the 9th, after the Yanks had plated 3 runs, making the score 7-6, the homerun was huge. In fact, once Wilson Betemit struck out with the tying run on second base, the homer allowed by Rivera ended up being the difference in the game.

I blame Girardi for leaving in Rasner too long and I blame Rivera for not getting himself pumped up enough to get the job done. If you’re Girardi, you probably shouldn’t even send Rasner out for the 7th. He was at 96 pitches, and already had a great feeling about his game. It could only be downhill from there. If you DID choose to send him out, you have to go batter for batter and yank him out if anyone reaches base. Girardi did neither of those things, and it cost the Yanks at least 2 runs.

I also blame Rivera for allowing that homer. You’re a surefire first ballot Hall of Famer, and your team is trying to crawl back in a game and avoid a losing streak. You can’t give up that home run. ESPECIALLY after Huff had already nearly homered on an inside pitch earlier in the at bat, and had also done so in his previous at bat. The guy was clearly looking for a fastball on the inner half of the plate that he could drive. Rivera has to know that, and throw him junk to the outside. What’s the harm if he hits a bloop double the other way??? There isn’t any.

That was a game that the late 90’s dynasty wins, and it was a really tough loss for the Yanks and their fans to stomach. Luckily, we have Joba going this afternoon, and if there's a pitcher I'd want to stop a losing streak, it would certainly be him... especially coming off that dominant performance against the Bo Sox.

July 29 ~ Just one of those games

Mike Mussina didn’t have it last night, and he got shelled for 6 runs over 5 innings. Dave Robertson and Kyle Farnsworthless had equally forgettable nights, each allowing multiple runs. On the other hand, a trio of relievers (Ramirez, Veras and Marte) combined to throw 2.2 scoreless innings.

There were two bright spots for the Yankees offensively. Johnny Damon hit his first homerun since the Reagan administration, and Xavier Nady got his first hit as a Yankee, a long homerun to straightaway centerfield.

Luckily, the Bo Sox and DEVIL Rays also lost, so no one gained or lost any ground in the AL East.

This is why baseball is the best sport. “Momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher.” If Moose had thrown 8 shutout innings, the Yanks would have won 4-0 and no one would have thought anything of it. Instead, he did what he did, and the Bombers were never in the game. Sometimes that happens, and it’s nothing to worry about, although it’s been 2 days in a row now, and with Rasner going tonight, the Yanks could suddenly be looking at a 3 game losing streak after reeling off 8 in a row. I hate relying on Rasner to snap a losing streak, but any port in a storm.

I’ve been slacking on this section a bit lately, but there have been a ton of stories going on in the sports world. Favre (should have stayed retired), the Shockey trade (bad move for the G-men), Manny being Manny (I want him out of the AL East, but I'm not holding my breath), the Mets resurgence (The Willie firing seems to have done the job, but they need bullpen help), and lots more. Stay tuned in the coming days as I hope to ramp up my rants a bit more about the sports world in general.

July 28 ~ Yanks take 2 of 3 from Sox, stay hot

The Yankees had a grand time in Boston this weekend, taking 2 of 3 from the suddenly struggling Red Sox. Joba pitched a game for the ages on Friday night, throwing 7 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits, 1 BB, and striking out 9. Kyle Farnsworthless did his best to blow the 1 run lead in the 8th inning, but Mariano Rivera came on and got a 5 out save, truly saving the day. Saturday afternoon, Andy Pettitte was his typical clutch self, and he pitched 6 innings while allowing only 1 earned run. Pettitte’s start wasn’t the only big news of the day on Saturday, however.

In what looks to be a great trade for the Yanks, Brian Cashman peeled Xavier Nady and Demaso Marte away from the Pirates for 4 minor league prospects. Nady was batting .330 for the Pirates this year, and gives the Yankees a right handed bat to play left field, effectively replacing Hideki Matsui, and allowing Johnny Damon to take up the reins as the Yanks full time DH. Marte gives the Yankees a legit left handed reliever out of the ‘pen. He showed his stuff on Saturday, striking out Big Papi in his first appearance as a Yankee. Marte has a 3.21 ERA in 495 career games. He’s thrown 454 innings while allowing only 366 hits. He also has K’d 485 batters in those 454 innings. A truly great pickup for the Yanks, a hard throwing lefty can make a big difference down the stretch. The Yanks haven’t had one of them in years.

Oh yeah… Ponson got pounded Sunday night. I would bet that’s his last start in pinstripes this year. The Yanks will trade for Jarrod Washburn before the deadline, and he’ll start Friday’s game in Ponson’s slot. Ponson was 2-1 as a Yank, but he had a 6.08 ERA, allowing 18 runs in 26 innings. Good riddance.

Moose goes for win #14 tonight… FOURTEEN! I honestly can’t believe it, but he still has a very realistic shot at 20 wins this season. In my opinion, that would make him a lock for the Hall of Fame. Check out the article I wrote on just such a topic here.

July 25 ~ Yanks win 6th straight, head to Boston

With a 5-1 win, the Yankees completed a 3 game sweep of the Twins on Wednesday night. The Bombers bats continued their post All Star break hitting scoring 25 runs in the 3 game series. The Yanks pitching staff continued to deal as Ponson, Rasner and Mussina each had good outings. Ponson and Rasner each pitched 5.2 innings allowing 3 and 2 earned runs, respectively.

Moose turned in another unexpected gem. He pitched 8 shutout innings and allowed 6 hits and no walks while striking out 7 Twins. With the win, Mussina moved to 13-6 on the season and lowered his ERA to 3.26. Mussina has already surpassed last year’s win total and has an ERA nearly 2 runs lower. He has to be a strong candidate for comeback player of the year, as many pundits (myself included) thought that Moose would do no better than 10-10 with a 5.00 ERA. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Apparently, Moose has learned how to pitch with reduced velocity and is relying on guile and location to get his outs rather than power. Thus far, he has been the unquestioned ace of the staff, and with Chien-Ming Wang out until at least September, Moose will need to continue his brilliance.

As a team, the Yankees seem to have really picked up the pace since the All Star break, although Cano has been leading the way. He is batting over .500 since the break, and has gotten clutch hits in addition. With Posada and Matsui possibly out for the season, Cano and the other Yankee mainstays need to really club the ball during the second half of the year if this team is going to compete.

A 6-0 start of the second half is more than anyone could have asked for. Coupled with the DEVIL Rays sudden slump and Boston’s injury (and mouth) problems with Manny, the division has suddenly become a 3 team race again. As I write this the Yanks are 3 games behind both the Red Sox and the DEVIL Rays. With a perfect weekend, the Yankees could have a share of the division lead for the first time since the early days of the season come Monday morning.

Joba v. Beckett in Fenway tonight. One of the great matchups that we can expect (and hope) to see many many times in the AL East over the next decade.

July 20 ~ Yanks sweep A’s, start off streaking post All Star Break

The Yankees won their third straight game and completed a three game sweep of the Oakland A’s on a smokin’ hot and hazy Sunday afternoon in the Bronx. Andy Pettitte, a Texas native, seemed buoyed by the heat and had one of the best starts of his career. Pettitte threw 8 innings, allowed 1 run, 4 hits, no walks, and tied his season high with 9 K’s. Pettitte’s start followed two equally fantastic starts by Joba Chamberlain and Mike Mussina. Joba and Moose each pitched 6 innings and allowed 1 run. In this three game set, the Yankee starters combined to throw 20 innings, allow 3 runs and struck out 23 A’s. Phenomenal numbers.

While the Bombers scored 13 runs in this series (4.3 per game) and they were held to only 2 runs on Sunday and 4 on Saturday in 12 innings. The Yanks left 20 men on base Saturday, but somehow won the game. Today marked the 34th time (out of 98 games) that the offense has scored 2 or fewer runs. They lucked out and won the game today… but they can’t always count on their pitching staff allowing 1 run. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what is wrong with the offense, but I would suggest that hitting with runners in scoring position (RISP) needs to improve. The batting averages are where they belong (for the most part), the opportunities to drive in runs are there... the players just need to start getting clutch hits.

Each of the past 2 games have ended in unusual fashion, and both involving Jose Molina. On Saturday, Molina had a walk-off hit by pitch (he gets and RBI for that), and today, he had a walk off caught stealing. Check em out.

The Yankees needed a start like this after the AS break and they now face the Twins for a three game set at the stadium. They Yankees need to start winning series and stringing long winnings streaks together. 2-1 or 3-0 against the Twins is what this team needs. A series like that, coupled with this three game sweep would have the Yanks off to a 5-1 start (or better) after the AS break and would have their confidence, and position in the standings heading higher.

A side note about the approaching trade deadline. The Yankees just added a right handed bat (Richie Sexson) who is hitting .340+ against lefties. Once Damon comes off the DL (any day now) the Yankees lineup will be as strong as it has been this season. The bullpen has been pitching lights out of late, and should only get stronger as Brian Bruney (remember him?) is expected to be activated off the DL in the next week or so. So in a way, the Yankees are adding players, not through trades, but through health. Cashman might not have to make a move, because in reality, this team is about to be as strong as it has been all year long. At some point Chien-Ming Wang will be back (fingers crossed), and at that point, it will be like the Yankees have added an ace to their rotation. If the Yanks can stay afloat that long, they will have a great chance. The impending return of both Bruney and Damon is a bright light on the horizon as things begin to click in Yankee land.

I saw The Dark Knight on Saturday night… and all I can say is… what are you doing here reading my blog??? Get off your butt and go see that movie!

July 17th ~ Things that annoy me.

With no baseball last night, I got the opportunity to blow off a little steam on three recent sports stories that have really been annoying me.

The Brett Favre saga.
So far, neither side has played this one right. Once Brett actually retired, he should have stayed retired. Of COURSE he’s going to have second thoughts about leaving the game. He loves the game of football and has played it his entire life, so obviously, there is no way he’d be able to walk away, still healthy, and not miss the game at all. There are hundreds of former athletes who could have told him this. But he DID retire and he should stick to that decision.

On the other hand, now that Favre does want to come back and play during 2008-9, there is no way that the Packers can refuse him the starting job. They owe him that much. Favre has been, statistically, one of the best QB’s of all time. He is undoubtedly a first ballot Hall of Famer and he has been a staple of the Packers offense since the early 90’s.

No one wants to see Favre return to sit on the bench behind Aaron Rodgers and no one wants to see Brett come back and get traded to the Ravens or Buccaneers or some other team with a hole at the QB position. There are only 2 palatable ways to resolve this situation. Either Brett has to stay retired, or the Packers have to start him.

The Roger Clemens saga
After the Mitchell report and Clemens’ testimony in Washington, I really, truly, honestly thought that we had seen the end of the steroid sage in baseball. Yet earlier this week, Kirk Radomski apparently discovered evidence proving that he had sent HGH to Clemens. I. Do. Not. Care. He found it under his TV by the way… wait till you see what he hid in his underwear drawer next week.

I want this to all go away, as I’m sure MLB does. Selig must want to firebomb Radomski’s house. Everyone knows Clemens used, and his legacy is suitably tarnished. How much it’s tarnished is in the eye of the beholder (or more specifically in the eyes of the HOF voters).

The Jonathan Papelbum saga
Papelbon, the talented All Star closer for the Boston Red Sox needs to learn to keep his mouth shut. First Papelbon suggested that he, not the great Mariano Rivera, should close the All Star game. Those comments prompted the NY Daily News to publish this on their back cover.

Later in the week, during the All Star parade, Papelbon and his pregnant wife were booed and received jeers and cat-calls (I assume his wife got the cat-calls). In response, Papelbum said “My wife is pregnant and she's getting her life threatened. It's frigging stupid," during an expletive-laced session with reporters. "I feel like I needed to be in a bullet-proof car." My response? Welcome to New York pal.

What did he think would happen? You can’t put down the great Rivera, have your ugly mug splashed across the back page of a major newspaper and expect to take a happy ride without hearing about it. As far as I’m concerned, he deserved everything the fans said to him. While I feel sorry that his wife, against whom I have no particular grudge, Papelbum should have known better than to bring her on that parade. It was simply foolish to do so. As far as the fans are concerned, I have no problem with anything they said, provided no one threw anything or made any racist comments. As long as no one does anything that can physically harm someone, I generally have no problem with fan behavior. In this case, I think Papelbum deserved everything he got.

Papelbum’s lousy performance in the All Star game itself was icing on the cake for New Yorkers. Fans audibly chanted “Ma-ri-a-no” and “Over-rated” nearly the entire time Papelbum was on the mound. For Yankees fans, there was nothing better than Papelbon blowing a tie game, Wagner blowing a save, Rivera pitching 1.2 scoreless innings and the AL winning.

July 14th ~ Pettitte, offense struggle in first half finish

Andy Pettitte struggled in his final start of the first half. While his final line (6IP, 4ER, 8 hits, 1 BB and 6K’s) doesn’t indicate it, Pettitte was nearly knocked from the game in the first few innings. Only a spectacular frozen rope throw from Bobby Abreu kept Pettitte in the game. I’ll say this for him, he doesn’t like coming within 10 feet of the outfield wall and he misjudges quite a few balls, but Bobby Abreu can still chuck it.

If Andy struggled, the offense just plain stunk. They were getting shut out into the 9th inning for the second time this series before Jason Giambi homered (the opposite way) to prevent the shutout. It wasn’t just that Burnett had great stuff, it was that the Yankees weren’t using their heads.

During the late 90’s dynasty, if the Yanks were facing a stud pitcher, their hallmark trait was working the count. They would take pitches, foul off pitches and generally try to make the opposing ace work as hard as possible. Yesterday was a great example of the offense NOT doing that. Burnett was pitching on 3 days rest and the Blue Jays hierarchy let it be known that he was on a 90ish pitch count limit. Of the 32 at-bats Yankee hitters faced Burnett, only SEVEN (7)(that would be 21%) lasted longer than 3 pitches. You have to be kidding me. That is simply unacceptable. Derek Jeter saw 9 pitches in 4 AB’s. Nine! That is a terribly poor job by the offense, an offense that was expected to be one of the most potent in the majors, but which has, to this point, fallen flat on its face.

By the way… yesterdays 1 run output marked the 33rd time the Yankee offense has been held to 2 or fewer runs this season. They have already matched last years mark. 33 times in only 95 games?!?!?! That’s more than a third of the time. Not only is that unbelievable, it’s unfathomable.

And yet, as much as I want to be a doomsayer and predict here and now that the Yanks are out of it, that the Yanks have no prayer of reaching the post-season, that they are old and ought to trade away some players and call it a season… I simply can’t.

Despite all that has gone wrong this season, despite an offense that has been horrendous, despite their #1 starter being hurt, despite Hughes and Kennedy STILL not having a win (How’s that Santana trade looking now?), despite Bruney, Matsui, Damon, Posada, and A-Rod spending weeks on the DL, despite Melky and Cano not hitting at all, this team is only 5 games out of first place in the loss column and is 5 games over .500.

Meanwhile, the DEVIL Rays have lost 7 straight, the Indians just traded away their best pitcher and the Tigers are exactly at .500. Does anyone out there really think that the Yanks have no chance at making the playoffs??? Realistically they are right in the race for the division and the wild card… and lets be honest, Cashman will make a splash before the trading deadline to help this club.

The Yanks are only going to get better in the second half (they couldn't be much worse) and the way things stand, I still give them an excellent shot at making the playoffs.

Enjoy the Homerun Derby. The short porch in right all but guarantees a lefty winning it. My money is on Utley.

July 12 ~ Bobby Murcer, 1946-2008

No sports tonight.

#1, Bobby Murcer, great Yankee player, executive and broadcaster passed away today in Okalahoma City, surrounded by his family. He was 62 years old. He finally succumbed to his 19 month battle with a brain tumor. He will be deeply and sorely missed.

He was loved by the Yankees organization and all who knew him. One of the last times he was in the broadcast booth, I remember him crying at the end of the game because he was so moved to be there. I remember Michael Kay putting his arm around Bobby and consoling him. That is my lasting image, Bobby's display of his affection for the game and his YES Network colleagues. Bobby truly loved the game of baseball and I know that he would be happy to know that he was appreciated by so many.

Here is his game winning RBI against the Orioles from August 6th, 1979. Earlier that day, Murcer had delivered the eulogy for then Yankee Captain Thurmon Munson. That is probably the most remembered play of Murcer's career.

Thanks for everything Bobby. Rest in peace, you will never be forgotten.

July 11 ~ Halladay Dominates

What do you get when you add a struggling Yankee offense and Doc Holliday? A complete game, two hit shutout. Doc Holiday had complete control of this game from the beginning. He had all of his pitched working and his location was absolutely perfect. He’s now thrown 7 complete games this season and 38 in his brilliant career. There have only been 54 complete games thrown in the majors this season and Halladay has 7 of them.

Taking nothing away from Halladay’s brilliance, this game serves as yet another reminder of how awful the Yankee offense has been this week, month and season. The Yanks have scored 2 runs or less 32 times this season… and we STILL haven’t hit the All Star break. Compared to recent years, this offense has been a disaster. They scored 2 runs or less 33 times in 2007, 34 times in 2006, 33 times in 2005, 34 times in 2004, 39 times in 2003, and 33 times in 2002. They’re already in the neighborhood of those numbers and have about 50 games left.

Joba will take the loss in this game, but in reality, he pitched fairly well. If you count Cano’s lost fly ball into an out, Joba’s line becomes 7IP, 6 hits, 3ER, no BB’s and 9K’s. The 9K’s ties his career high. Joba was impressive and most nights, with most offenses that line would have been more than enough for a win. I REALLY like the fact that he didn’t walk a batter. In his previous 7 starts he had walked 21 batters, but tonight he was able to cut out the base on balls. That’s a very good sign and yet another omen that he has really completed the transition from reliever to starter.

Day game in Canadia tomorrow… Rasner (4-7, 4.94) vs. Litsch (8-5, 4.01). Rasner has really been struggling and has lost 7 of his last 8 decisions. He also hasn’t pitched more than 5 innings since June 6, a span of 5 starts. The Yanks pen is well rested, so Rasner will probably have a very short leash if he doesn’t have it tomorrow. Dan Giese could come into the game early to spell Rasner if he gets into trouble.

July 10 ~ Yanks have 4 game win streak snapped

Despite yet another great outing by Mike Mussina, the Yankees lost to the Buccos last night, 4-2, ending their 4 game winning streak. Mussina allowed only 2 runs over 6 strong innings, but was unable to earn his 12th win of the season.

The story of the game was the Yankees offense… or lack thereof as the case may be. They were held to 2 runs or fewer for the 31st time this season. They have already nearly matched last season's inauspicious total and we haven't even hit the All Star Break yet. Not only is the offense embarrassing, its puzzling. The team is batting .269 this year, down from .290 last year. They have an on base percentage of .340, down from .366 last year. Also, the team has one of the worst batting averages with runners in scoring position. Meaning that not only are they failing to get on base, they are failing to knock in the runners who do get on base.

With the season already more than halfway finished, this team really has to turn it on. The players are all current or former All-Stars, and Brian Cashman is not going to be able to bring in a bunch of new players to give the team a jolt. For better or for worse, the 2008 Yankees roster isn’t going to change all that much. The current guys have to get it done, and so far… we’re waiting to be impressed.

One of the pitching matchups of the year going on tonight… Joba Chamberlain (2-2, 2.45) vs. Doc Holliday (10-6, 2.88).

July 8 ~ Since we last spoke…

… the Yankees played 7 games and went 3-4. They went 1-2 vs. the Rangers, and 2-2 vs. the Red Sox. I apologize for not updating “The Soapbox” recently, but I was in Chicago last week attending a funeral.

Overall, the Yankees had a bad week. They were under .500, and their offense struggled mightily. If you remove the 18 run aberration, they scored 1, 2, 0, 4, 2, and 5 runs during those 6 games. A team with this amount of offensive talent cannot afford to average 2 point something runs per game. This team is built on its offense, not its pitching. This team needs to win games 8-6, and occasionally squeak out a 3-2 game. If they rely on winning their games 2-1 or 3-2 every night, they are going to have a disastrous season and miss the playoffs.

That being said, the Yanks have 2 games against the best in baseball DEVIL Rays this week and a make-up game against the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates. If they can win all three of those games, and then take 2/3 from Toronto before the All-Star Break, the Yanks will feel much better about their first half. They’re 47-42 right now, and have been playing incredibly poorly. Finishing out the first half on a 5-1, 4-2 run would certainly make them feel a lot better about things.

However, the reality is this. If the Yankees core group of guys (Jeter, Cano, Abreu, Posada, Giambi and A-Rod) don’t start to hit, and I mean really rake… this team is in big trouble. Also, if Damon and Matsui are plagued by injury problems throughout the second half of the season, the Yankees are in big trouble as well. Brett Gardner and Justin Christian simply can’t replace a Damon and a Matsui. This team needs its sluggers.

The Yanks have 6 games left in the first half of the season, although numerically, they’re already past that point. If they don’t go at least 4-2, it will be a disappointment. Taking both games against the DEVIL Rays would not only help in the standings, it would help the confidence of a team that could really use it right now.

June 29th ~ Mets take Subway Series, Reyes pouts.

The good Ollie Perez showed up at Shea on Sunday and he did a number on the Yankees. Perez allowed only 4 base runners over 7 strong innings and he struck out a season high 8 batters. Only a moonshot home run by Wilson Betemit, of all people, marred his otherwise spotless performance. With the win, the Mets take the season series with the Yankees, 4 games to 2.

Despite the great pitching of Perez, to me, the real story of this game was, once again, Jose Reyes and his childish behavior. I mentioned in yesterday’s post that Reyes’ off the field demeanor really bothered me and was big reason why I wouldn’t want him on my team. Today, in the 7th inning, Carlos Delgado was unable to handle a throw from Reyes that sailed wide of 1st base. Replay’s showed that Delgado should have made the play. Instead, the ball glanced off Delgado’s glove, and Reyes was charged with a throwing error and Melky Cabrera ended up on second base. It appears that Reyes thought the error should have gone to Delgado, and he wasn’t pleased that it had been assigned to him.

While the Mets pitching coach was out calming down the pitcher, Reyes stood on the outfield grass, incredulous that he had been charged with the error and not Delgado. Reyes had his hands on his hips and his glove was on the ground at his feet, until 2nd baseman Castillo told him to pick it up. Once the next out was made, ending the inning, Reyes slammed his glove down onto the infield dirt, causing his glasses to tumble off as well. He then picked them up and walked, not jogged, off the field.

This guy needs to be traded. There is simply no excuse for showing up a teammate, especially a veteran teammate, like Carlos Delgado. When a 5 year old throws a temper tantrum people laugh and say, oh he’ll grow out of it, or what bad manners. When a 25 year old does the same thing, no one says anything. Jose Reyes’ behavior today was disgraceful. He needs to learn that not everything is about him. He needs to learn that once an error is made, forget it and move on. This particular error didn’t even cost his team, the next batter made an out and no runs scored. Yet, Reyes was angry that he was charged with the error and not Delgado. That is the worst type of selfishness. I know that if I were a player in the Met clubhouse, I would have had some strong words with Reyes after today’s game. Baseball is a long grind of a season and if your teammates are only out for themselves and their own stats, there is no way a team can win.

Oh, by the way, this was a Mets vs. Yanks game on a Sunday afternoon. There were probably 15,000-20,000 children in the stands who saw their hero behave in a manner that would get most of them kept after school. Way to be a good role model Jose.

Jose Reyes is an overrated, selfish player. The Mets should trade him while his value is high, pick up some prospects in return and move on. That trade would only benefit the Mets in the long run.
 

Joba Chamberlain. A+. Joba is only 1-0 as a starter, but the Yankees are 4-1 in his starts. This guy is clearly going to be an “ace,” and once his starts lasting longer into games, the wins will come. He is as dominant as they come. The debate is over, he belongs in the rotation.

Chien Ming Wang: B+. The Yankees “ace” was 8-2 before a Lisfranc sprain landed him on the DL. Whether or not Wang returns this season will greatly affect the Yankees chances to do anything in October.

Andy Pettitte: B+. Pettitte is 9-5, with a 3.98 ERA. Andy has been known throughout his career as a second half pitcher and if that holds true this season, the entire AL better watch out.

Darrell Rasner: B. Rasner has given the Yankees a big lift this season, evoking memories of Aaron Smalle and Shawn Chacon. But he has struggled of late. He needs to get back to hitting the corners and forcing batters to get themselves out. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff and if his pitches leak towards the middle of the plate, they’re going to get hit very hard. That being said, where would the Yankees be without Rasner right now??? We’d have seen a lot more of Kei Igawa… and that’s something no one wants.

Relief Pitching:

Mariano Rivera. A+. Mo is 22/22 in save opportunities, and has a .74 ERA. He has K’d 42 batters in 36 innings, and walked 3 batters (one intentionally). Like a fine wine, Rivera is only getting better with age.

Edwar Ramirez/Jose Veras. B. These two have been consistently brilliant with duds mixed in. They’ll go a week without allowing a run, and then give up 5 runs without recording an out. Overall, they’ve done the job and really helped the team win.

Kyle Farnsworthless: C. Farnsworthless has allowed 52 baserunners in 36 innings. Think about that, and then ask yourself why this guy should be brought into a 1 run game??? The answer is… he SHOULDN’T be. He has also given up 10 homeruns, meaning that a third of the time, when you bring him in, he’s giving up a homer. How’s that 1 run lead treating you now???

Hitting:

A-Rod. A. At .322, with 15 HR’s, 44 runs scored and 43 RBI’s, A-Rod could be on his way to a fourth MVP. He was hurt for a few weeks, but has been crushing the ball since his return, and isn’t really all that far behind any of the statistical leaders.

Damon/Matsui/Abreu. B+. This outfield trio has caught fire. Their averages are way up, they’ve been hitting for power and driving in runs. You can’t ask for anything more out of this veteran group... except that they stay healthy.

Derek Jeter. B. Captain Clutch’s numbers are down, but he’s still a tough out. He can’t hit for power anymore, but occasionally gets into one. His job is to get on base and score runs. Right now, he is certainly doing his job, and he leads the team in runs scored, with 47.

Jason Giambi. B-. The Giambino started off as cold as you can be, but he’s raised his average up to a respectable .262. What he lacks in average, he more than makes up for in power, as he has clubbed 17 home runs. If he continues hitting the ball to left field, he’ll get his average to .285 or so by the time the season ends, which is more than enough. This guy is on the team to mash the ball and drive in the Jeter's and Damon's and he is doing exactly that.

Melky Cabrera. C. Melky started off hot, but his average is way down. He’s hitting only .246 and hasn’t hit a homerun in forever. This guy is turning into an easy out. When he steps to the plate I'm rooting for him to strikeout, so he won't ground into a double play. Sure he plays great defense, but he can't hit. How's that Santana trade looking now?

Robinson Cano. C-. Robbie started off slow, but has been tearing the cover off the ball of late. Still, he was flirthing with the Mendoza line for so long, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll hit anywhere near .300 this season. He needs to improve his plate discipline and start talking some walks. He swings at WAY too many bad pitches and gets himself out with soft ground balls.

Failing:

Phil Hughes/Ian Kennedy. “The kids who weren’t traded for Santana” still don’t have a win. Hughes is 0-4, and Kennedy is 0-3. Sure you have to give them time, but could anyone have believed they would have been THIS bad??? I believe in the old adage “prospects are suspect.” In the case of Hughes and Kennedy, I'm afraid that it might turn out to be true.

Needs:
This team needs another starter and a set-up man. Where Brian Cashman looks to find those guys is really up to him. If the Yanks want to try to catch lightning in a bottle for a second straight year, they can bring up a hard throwing guy from the minors, put him in the set-up role and pray that he turns out to be Joba II, but what are the odds of that? They will likely need to take a chance on a historically good reliever, having a bad year on a bad team. Exactly who fits that mold will become clearer closer to the All Star break and the trade deadline.

As for a starter, Sidney Ponson is not the answer. Sure he pitched great against the Mets in his first Yankee start, but there’s a reason this guy hasn’t stuck with any team that long. He’s just not that good. The Yankees need to make a move, and while I'm not suggesting going out and getting Sabathia or Bedard (although, it wouldn’t hurt), they do need at least a reliable 5th starter. Some team will fall out of the race and will want to unload a high salary guy in the last or second to last year of his contract and the Yanks will snatch him up and throw him out on the hill every 5 days.

Prediction:

The Yankees will grab the wildcard with 90-92 wins. I just can’t see the DEVIL Rays hanging around that far into the season. If they do, hey, good for them… but I’ll believe it when I see it.

June 28th ~ Classic pitchers duel yields Yankee win

Break out the brooms baby… the Yanks look for the sweep tomorrow. Andy Pettitte was his typical clutch self as he out-pitched Santana over 6 strong innings. Not only was he clutch, but he was a warrior. He sat out a long rain delay between the top and bottom of the 6th and came out to complete bottom of the frame. He was due to lead off the next inning, and he didn’t want to make the Yanks have to waste an extra pitcher. Classy move by a gutsy pitcher.

Santana meanwhile fell to 7-7 on the year. Not what the Mets thought they were getting when they got the “best pitcher in the game” during the off season. I'm not saying that Santana is overrated or anything close to that, in fact he has a 3.01 ERA after today’s loss, but if he’s the best pitcher in the game, he simply can’t have a .500 record closing in on the All Star Break. Unacceptable.

A special Soapbox “shame on you” to Jose Reyes. When Pettitte picked Reyes off in the 5th inning, it was the 3rd time Reyes has been picked off 2nd base THIS SEASON ALONE!!! Totally ridiculous. A guy as fast as Reyes can score from second on almost any hit. Essentially there is no reason for him to be on third, it won’t increase his chance of scoring that much. I’ve always thought that Reyes is overrated. His career OBP is .334, which is simply AWFUL for a leadoff hitter. While he does score a lot of runs, he has had some pretty great hitters behind him, knocking him in. In addition to the stats, his off the field issues make him an undesirable player too. He doesn’t hustle, he’s overly cocky, and his stupid dances on the top of the dugout steps galvanize other teams into trying harder to bear the Mets. Why would anyone want this guy on their team???

Jeter extended his reaching base safely streak in interleague to a record 42 games. Cano continued his hot hittiting, picking up another 2 hits and raising his season average to .244. Meanwhile, since his explosive first game of the doubleheader, Carlos Delgado is 0-6.

Rasner starts for the Yanks tomorrow. He’s 1-5 in his last 6 starts and his ERA has ballooned from 1.80 to 4.50. His Cindarella season could be over with a bad start tomorrow... Ian Kennedy pitched 5 scoreless innings in the minor leagues today, allowing 2 hits, 1 bb, and 4 K’s. He appears to be nearing a major league return.

Ollie Perez starts for the Mets tomorrow. He's normally unhittable or an abject disaster. We should know what kind of game it's going to be after the first inning. 1-0, or 10-9??? Wait and see.

June 27th ~ Mets vs. Yanks (Game 2) Whose your daddy Pedro???

…that would be the Bronx Bombers. What a surreal game. Considering how badly the Mets walloped the Yanks in round 1 and with the pitching matchup for game 2, Mets fans had to be supremely confident. Not so fast. Sidney Ponson pitched 6 shutout innings and we have entered the Twilight Zone.

I didn’t get to see any of the game, but I’ve looked at the boxscore and listened to some of the post game coverage, and I simply can’t believe my eyes or ears. You just can’t write this stuff. Every possible thing seemed to be breaking right for the Mets, and then Ponson didn’t allow a run. Folks, that’s why baseball is the toughest game in the world to predict, because, as cliché as it is to say it … momentum is tomorrow’s starting pitcher.

In other sports the best players can always carry their team, but in baseball, you can’t send A-Rod or Jeter up to the plate in every big spot. You have to rely on everyone. Peyton Manning, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky… these guys can be guaranteed to have the ball in their hands in the clutch. That simply isn’t so in baseball. In baseball, you are only as strong as your weakest player (See: Damon, Johnny), only as fast as your slowest runner (See: Molina, Jose), and only as smart as your dumbest player (See: Farnswortheless, Kyle).

Pettitte v. Santana tomorrow… I bet each of you all the money I have in my pockets right now that one team wins 1-0.

The reason I didn’t see any of game 2 this evening is because I was at the movies. I saw both Wall E and Wanted. Wall E was yet another PIXAR masterpiece, and I laughed throughout the entire thing. After it ended, I snuck into Wanted, sat next to a bunch of drunken clowns, and waited to see Angelia Jolie in tight, sexy outfits and to see tons of things being blown up. And you know what??? The movie was actually pretty good. It had some good "Matrixesq" effects and an OK plot as well. If you have nothing better to do, it’s worth an evening. But Wall E is a must see. It’s easily as good as Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo and all those other classic PIXAR features.

June 27th ~ Mets vs. Yanks (Game 1) CARLOS DELGONO!!

Could there have been any other headline? The story of this game was clearly the struggling Mets 1st baseman (DH today). With a grand slam, and a 3 run homer, and 2 run double, Delgado had 9 RBI’s and went 3 for 5. David Wright and Carlos Beltran also chipped in, plating 3 Mets apiece.

The Mets simply clobbered the Yankee pitching, scoring 15 runs. For the Yankees pitchers, this is one of those games you just try to forget. The funny thing about Delgado is that he has been roasted in the media over the last few weeks. He was hitting .229 with 11 HR’s and 35 RBI’s to this point. He sure picked a lousy time to break out of his slump. All you hear about on sports talk radio is that the Mets should trade him, that he’s old, he’s washed up, etc. Clearly that isn’t 100% true, although his production certainly is down. Regardless, he probably won’t have another game like this the rest of his career.

Despite the result, the Yankees hitters actually had a pretty decent game. Jeter extended his hitting streak to 14 games, he extended his record interleague on base streak to 40 games. It was also the 400th double of his career. Jeter has 2400+ hits in his career, and his next homer will be his 200th. This guy is such a first ballot hall of famer, its ridiculous. Cano also continued hitting the ball hard, and would have done even better, except Jose Reyes robbed him of a hit. A-Rod went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI’s and 2 runs scored.

The Yanks are fine, this is just one of those games. They could pound Pedro tonight, after all, they are his daddy…or the Mets could score another 15 runs, Sidney Ponson is on the hill. The nice thing about having a doubleheader today is that the Yanks can get this one out of their heads very quickly.

On a personal note, I just found out that my best friends sister was killed in a carcrash earlier today. My thoughts and prayers go out to Jason and his family. Kristin Marie O'Brien was 18 years old.

June 26th ~ All Joba all the time!

I love me some Joba. The kid (it’s sad for me that he’s younger than I) is simply unbelievable. And you know what? He’s only going to get better. For once, the baseball scouts and pundits were right. This guy DOES have ace stuff, and he IS able to keep his command and velocity late into a game. He K’d a batter to end the 7th inning with a 97 MPH fastball. Looking back on the season and Wang’s injury, if the Yanks hadn’t moved Joba out of the ‘pen, they would really be sorry right now. Start to start, at this point, he might actually be the best pitcher on the staff ... if not the most consistent, certainly the most dominant. He has the velocity to blow batters away, and he has the nasty breaking pitches to strike them out. With a little more command (which he showed last night, only walking 1 Buc), Joba will be nigh unhittable.

The Yankees also scored 10 runs last night… not too shabby. Captain Clutch has been hot lately, he’s riding a 13 game hitting streak and he has reached base safely via hit or walk in a record 38 straight interleague games. Abreu has hit HR’s in 2 straight games and looks to get out of his slump. Cano’s is FINALLY starting to string a few good games together, and after flirting with the Mendoza Line for nearly half the season, he finally has his average up to .241.

Moose looks for his 11th win of the season tonight, one which, I must admit, I didn’t think he’d get to the entire season. I predicted he’d go 10-10, 5.00(ish) before the season started… and I’ve never been so glad to be wrong in my life. He’s gone 9-2 in his last 11 decisions, and has lasted at least 6 innings in each of his last 5 starts. Where would the Yanks be without him this season???

June 25th ~ Yanks return to Pitt, Rasner gets pounded

The Yankees played a meaningful game in the city of Pittsburgh for the first time since 1960 last night. In Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, Pirate hero and Hall of Famer, Bill Mazeroski, hit a walk-off home run to left, over Yogi Berra's head, to win the World Series. It was before my time, but remembering moments like that is one of the best parts of interleague.

Interleague is great because it gives teams and cities the chance to not only see new faces in new places, but also to relive and remember great moments in the past. ESPN has been running old clips of "The Catch" (SF v. Cle, 1954), and Mazeroski's homer and other great baseball moments all week long. That can't be anything but good for baseball. For teams that have a history, or haven't seen each other in 50 years, interleague can really be something special. For teams with heated rivalries, it is merely an excuse to get back at it. See: Yanks/Mets, Cubs/Chi Sox, A's/Giants, Astros/Rangers, and this year, to a lesser extent… DEVIL Rays/Marlins.

As for the game itself, Rasner and the Yankees struggled. Rasner is 1-4, with a 7.00 ERA in June (5 starts). In 27 June innings, Rasner has allowed 22 runs. At this point his 3-1, 1.80 May seems awfully far behind him.

Joba gets his next start tonight, and he is no longer on a pitch count… well see how deep into the game he can go. Strikeout pitchers tend to throw a lot of pitches, as opposed to groundout pitchers who make batters put the ball in play. The Yanks have lost 3 of 4 and need a good start to buoy them right now.

Double trouble for the Mets as both Carlos Beltran and Skipper Jerry Manuel were ejected last night for arguing balls and strikes. This team is both a mess and a joke right now. Oh, they also lost 11-0.

On Sunday, Kevin Youkilis hit 2 homers, including the game winning walk-off for the Red Sox.

Not to be outdone on Sunday, Jim Edmonds hit 2 homeruns IN THE SAME INNING. There's something you don't see everyday.

June 21 ~ The Giese man cometh

Dan Giese made his first major league start today, and while he lost, he certainly gave the Yankees everything they could have hoped for. Giese essentially made 2 mistakes in the entire game, but they really cost him. Giese’s throwing error would have been an easy double play, he left a fastball out over the plate and 2 runs scored.

This is the first game that Chien-Ming Wang has missed due to his injury, and the Yankees have been hoping that someone from within the organization would step up. If Giese can pitch like this every 5 days, the Yankees have found their answer.

The Yanks have now dropped 2 straight after winning 7 in a row. That’s why baseball is such a strange game, because momentum is the next days starting pitcher. Volquez and now Thompson have shut down the streaking Yankees, and they’ll look to avoid the sweep tomorrow.

June 20 ~ Jobamania IV, the Final Adventure

Joba Chamberlain made his final “pitched count” start yesterday, and it was a doozie. He threw exactly 100 pitches and went 5.2 innings. He K’d a career high (but not for long) 9 batters and helped the Yanks complete their sweep of the hapless (and helpless) Padres. Joba walked 3 and allowed 4 hits, but he only allowed 1 run. He also got out of a bases loaded with no one out jam in the 2nd inning. A great defensive play saved a run. It’s nice that Joba blocked the plate and all… but he could have gotten hurt and man did the entire stadium cringe when he did it.

The Yankees couldn’t be hotter right now. 7 in a row, 9 of 11, 20 of 28. They’ve been beating up lousy NL teams, but hey, they could be losing these games. In their next 10 games, they play the Reds, Pirates, and Mets. They may never lose again...

… or they may lose tonight. Why? Young hurler Edinson Volquez is starting for the Reds . He’s been the best pitcher in baseball this season and has a 9-2 record to go along with a 1.64 ERA. He also has other redonkulous numbers. He’s K’d 105 batters in only 88 IP. He’s allowed only SIXTEEN (16) earned runs in those 88 innings. By the way, in his 2 losses, he has allowed only 1 earned run. The first loss was @Atl and he went 6 and allowed 1 ER. The other loss was when he came out of the bullpen and didn’t allow an ER, but gave up 3 unearned. The Yanks sure will have their hands full tonight.

June 18th ~ Yankees keep rolling along…

The Yanks have won 6 straight and are 19-8 since “rock bottom”. This is the run they really needed to get on. That being said, there are a lot of little things to take from tonight’s game rather than one overarching theme. Here’s the list as I see it:

• A-Rod is REALLY locked in. He has hit homers in four straight games. He has made ridiculous “web gem” plays at 3rd base for a few nights running as well.
• Jorge is a legitimate hitter and a great game caller. This team really missed him, but is humming along nicely since he’s been back.
• Cano looks better. He’s not rolling his wrists over and trying to pull those outside pitches anymore, he’s going the other way with them.
• Rasner struggled, but 2 runs over 5 IP ain’t bad. He gets his 4th win and moves back to .500. He lowered his ERA to 3.64, and thus far, he’s been exactly the sub that the Yankees have needed. He’ll need to continue pitching well because Wang went down, but if the offense keeps hitting like this, he’ll keep winning.
• The scoreless innings pitched streak ends at 23.
• The 27 unanswered runs streak was the best since 1949.
• Edwar Ramirez needs a third pitch. Fastball and changeup will only fool major leaguers for so long. He needs a curve/slider/cutter. Maybe Rivera can help him out with the latter.
• Farnsworthless is what he is. (More to come on that tomorrow)
• 2 out hits will get you to heaven… and the Yanks are simply heavenly tonight.
• Mariano Rivera is unbelievable. Simply the best ever. He recorded his 19th save of the year. He didn’t have that many until August 12th last year.

The Yanks signed Sidney Ponson to a AAA contract today. This year he is 4-1 with a 3.88 ERA (for the Rangers), but don’t let those numbers fool you, this guy is a disaster. You might remember that Ponson has been a Yankee before. In 2006 Ponson appeared in 5 games for the Yanks (3 starts) and went 0-1 with a 10.47 ERA. He pitched 16.1 innings and allowed 33 base runners and 20 runs. Ouch. I’d much rather see an unknown minor leaguer get a spot start. This guy is NOT the answer.

Tiger’s out for the season, which is too bad, but he did more in the US Open than most guys do during their entire careers. Check out this ESPN poll (what’s wrong with Arkansas???). It’s pretty clear that while golf is popular… Tiger carries it. You can’t say that about any other professional sport or league.

Yankeeography: 1998 premieres tonight, and I had really been looking forward to seeing it. However, thanks to the stupid rain 78 minute delay, it’s going to be debuting too late and I’ll have to catch a rerun. That team was, in my opinion, the greatest team in the history of baseball. They went 125-50 and swept the World Series. No team in history has done better. Not the Big Red Machine, and Not Murderer’s Row. That was a magical season. Can you believe that it was 10 years ago already? God, I'm getting old.

June 17th ~ 20 and counting…

The Yankees have pitched two straight shutouts for the first time since May, 2005. Tacking on previous innings, the staff has just thrown 20 consecutive scoring innings. Wang’s injury is still a big blow, but the entire staff has really gotten into a good groove recently.

Oh yeah, the Bombers clubbed 8 runs tonight, included Jason “never gonna shave the ‘stache” Giambi, who smashed two of them. The Yanks have won 5 straight, and are 5 games over .500 for the first time this season. They have won 10 out of their last 13 games and are 18-8 over the last 26... since “rock bottom” on May 20th.

Just because I'm still mad… shame on the Mets (again). They’re losing 3-1 in the 2nd by the way and have already blown a top of the 1st lead. Way to step up Santana. This team is a trainwreck right now.

At the risk of becoming famously incorrect, I'm going to congratulate the Celtics on their NBA championship. They’re blowing out the Lakers at halftime and I need to go to bed! So congrats to the C’s, especially Paul Pierce (probable series MVP) who toiled in Boston when the team was really really bad.

With all that was going on with the Yankees, I wasn’t able to talk about an unbelievable US (golf) Open. You all, of course, know by now that Tiger beat Rocco Mediate in sudden death after an 18 hole playoff. Tiger made some unbelievable putts on 18 to stay alive and eventually win the major, but the real story was Rocco. He was down three stokes after 10 holes, then he charged back. Everyone (84%) thought he’d get totally blown out, but he really hung in there. Not only that, but he had a great attitude, and was nothing but gracious to Tiger and the gallery throughout the day. He was laughing and joking and seemed to be having a great time, despite the incredible pressure that he must have been under. Congrats to him on a great performance, and I for one wish him nothing but the best in the future.

June 17 ~ Classless, craven and cowardly move by the Mets

Despite its title, I normally try not to use this soapbox to pontificate. I typically try to comment on the games or stories and simply share my thoughts and maybe bring a unique insight with my commentary. Today howver, I have to lace up my preaching boots and call down some fire and brimstone.

What were the Mets thinking??? Everyone knew that Willie was on thin ice, everyone knew he was about to get fired, and everyone knew that Charlie Manuel was about to become the new Mets manager. The Mets couldn’t possibly have screwed up firing Willie… and yet they did. They turned the story away from the manager and the team’s performance and they managed to make it about the MANNER in which they fired him. Terrible job.

They embarrassed and insulted Willie. They made him fly to California, play an interleague game against the Angels, then they fired him in the middle of the night, after a WIN no less! If there was nothing he could do to save himself, not even win, then why fly him out to California?

What did the Mets brass think would happen? Did they think no one would notice? Did they hope to get the team on a winning streak so that they could come home as conquering heroes? Regardless of what they were thinking, it was the wrong thing. . This is a move that might have worked 20 years ago, but not anymore. With the internet and other instant access technology, the only thing that the Mets bought by their late announcement was that they avoided the front page of the early New York papers… but not the late editions.

The Mets totally screwed the pooch on this one, it’s the worst way they could have possibly handled the situation. Instead of minimizing the firing, their attempt totally backfired and they actually managed to increase the media storm and raise the hackles of their fanbase. And this was a move EVERYONE knew was coming. Terrible job.

You want to know what would make this worse? Tonight’s game. Santana is starting, and last time he did, the bullpen blew the lead. If that happens tonight, under new management… the head of every single Met is going to explode! All the Met haters will be coming out of the woodwork calling for someone else to be fired. Now that Willie is gone, the burden to get this team going falls squarely on the shoulders of one man, Omar Minaya. If this team continues to struggle… whose head do you all think will roll next? Sayonara Omar.

June 16 ~ Wang Injury Update

The Yankees announced today that CMW sprained his right foot’s Lisfranc ligament. He also has a partial tear of another one of his foot ligaments. The injuries will require him to wear a boot for at least 6 weeks.

The Yankees say that once he removes the boot, he’ll need about 4 weeks to get his arm back in shape, meaning that he’ll need several rehab starts and simulated games in the minors before we see him back with the big league club. Of course, teams are often overly optimistic concerning the amount of time needed to get a player back to the club, so at the moment the 10 week mark is the very EARLIEST we will get to see the Yanks #1 pitch again. That date would be somewhere in the September 1st range… but I expect it to be late September or early October.

This is the second Lisfranc injury the Yankees pitching staff has faced this season, reliever Brian Bruney suffered a similar injury while attempting to cover first base earlier this season.

This announcement led to immediate speculation as to what the Yankees will do to replace a pitcher as important as Wang. The way I see it, there are three ways they can go: promote from within, sign a free agent, or make a trade. Each of the strategies has its strengths and weaknesses, and each involves different players.

Top options from within:

Ian Kennedy: Kennedy was injured recently, but appears to be nearing a return. The Yanks certainly won’t rush him back, but if he is able to return soon he could be their guy. He’ll need to make at least one rehab start before he comes back to the majors, but the Yankees can surely find someone to plug in for a spot start. As devastating as Wang’s injury appears to be, it might be the exact opportunity that Kennedy needs to prove himself worthy of being in the Bombers' rotation.

Dan Giese: Recently, Giese was the long reliever called up to the majors to come in after Joba reached his pitch limit. Giese was fairly successful in that role going 1-1 and posting a 1.23 ERA in 7.1 IP. He has walked 1 batter and K’d 4. He could certainly get the initial nod and go start to start until he gets roughed up or the Yanks come up with something better.

Kei Igawa: While I hesitate to even bring him up, he is a viable option. While the K man has a 2-4 career record in the majors (to go along with a 6.75 ERA), Igawa has pitched fairly well in AAA this season. So far he is 6-4 with a 3.73 ERA in Scranton Wilkes-Barre. If Kennedy is still injured, and the Yanks aren’t sold on Giese or he can’t get the job done… we may see Igawa back in the Bronx.

Top Free Agent Options:

Roger Clemens: Just kidding…

David Wells: Not kidding… Sure, Boomer hasn’t pitched since last year, and hasn’t been a Yankee since 2003, but right now the Yanks are desperate. Boomer knows how to pitch in the stadium, he’s a fan favorite, and the Yankees wouldn’t have to give any prospects away to get his services. The man knows how to pitch, he’s won 239 games… why not him?

Freddy Garcia: This former White Sox hurler and World Series stud (7 shutout innings against the Astros) is available. He had a shoulder injury, probably why he wasn’t picked up this offseason, but he has been throwing off a mound and it appears he could be ready to go anytime now.

Rodrigo Lopez: The best of a bad lot, Lopez is the best free agent (other than Garcia) on the market. He went 4-4 for the Rockies last year, and posted a 4.42 ERA. He’s not great, but you know exactly what you’re going to get when he takes the mound. He’s 65-65 in his career with a 4.80 ERA. With the Yankees offense behind him, he’d likely be over .500, but the ERA is a bit high. Certainly a last resort, but the Yankees need someone who can eat up some innings right now, and Lopez does average about 200 IP per season.

Top Trade Options:

C.C. Sabathia (Cle): Yankee fans should be more than familiar with this hefty lefty, after all… they saw him last postseason. He won the Cy Young last year, going 19-7 and posting a 3.21 ERA. He’s far and away the best pitcher on this list, but he will also be the costliest. First of all, there’s the risk that the Yankees would be renting him for a few months. He’s a free agent at the end of the season, and if the Yankees give away some prospects, they’d better be able to sign him. I’m not sure what trade chips the Indians would want for a rental player, but they have a great centerfielder (Grady Sizemore) which probably takes Melky Cabrera out of the equasion. Robinson Cano would likely be the key chip in that deal, which might be more than the Yankees are willing to pay for C.C., which stands for Carsten Charles by the way, I’d go with C.C. too.

Bronson Arroyo (Cin): This former Red Sox hurler is having a lousy season, so the price is right. He’s posted a 4-5 record and a 5.31 ERA. However in his last 8 starts 5 have been exemplary; he's 3-1. He would cost considerably less than Sabathia, and he knows how to pitch in the AL East.

Other names that have been thrown around the office and internet include Joe Blanton, Rich Harden, Kevin Millwood, Derek Lowe, Vicente Padilla, Scott Kazmir and Randy Wolf. I don’t think any of these are likely, but only time will tell. Wang’s loss is a terrible blow to the Yankees who were just starting to get on a roll, but they have had injuries before and they have always pulled through.

How’s that Santana deal looking now???

June 15th ~ Monumental Yankee blowout could include worst loss of season.

The Yanks pounded the Astros and completed the 3 game sweep and 5-1 road trip earlier today. And yet, the only thing that really mattered in this game was the mysterious leg injury that knocked Chien-Ming Wang from the game. He rounded third base, and didn’t appear to tweak anything or step awkwardly on the base or any other obvious misstep, but he limped off the field, and was carted away from the locker room shortly thereafter.

The Yankees released an official statement from Wang. “I feel sore. The doctors say I have to go to get an MRI tomorrow. Of course I’m disappointed. And on Tuesday, when I know more, I will talk.” Wang has been the winningest pitcher in baseball over the last 3 seasons (46 wins), and if he were out for a long period of time, the Yankees would really suffer.

Wang burst out of the gate this season, starting 6-0. He then hit a rough streak before winning his last two starts. Having won 19 games each of the past two seasons, Wang was hoping that he might reach the 20 game mark for the first time in his career this season. He still has a shot, but if this injury holds him out for any length of time, any chance at that great accomplishment might be gone.

Hold your breathe, cross your fingers, wear your pajamas inside out, and hide a tooth under your pillow until Tuesday…

June 14th ~ Moose gets his 10th win

OK dear readers… time for me to man up and eat some crow. I predicted that Moose would finish this season in the area of 10-10 and 5.00. Right now, he is tied for the American League lead with 10 wins, and has recorded double digit wins in 17 straight years, an American League Record. Greg Maddox, Cy Young, and Steve Carlton are the only pitchers ahead of Moose on that list, and all three are in the Hall of Fame. Does Moose deserve a spot as well? That’s a debate for another day. As for now, Moose is 10-4 with a 3.87 ERA. Quite frankly, his stats are unbelievable… there’s just not much more that can be said. He has done a great job transitioning from the power pitcher he used to be to the location (“Moyeresq”) pitcher that he is now.

The Yanks are 3 games over .500 for the first time this season. It’s hard to believe that it took them this long to get there, but better late than never. This team is destined for the playoffs, and the ineffectiveness of the Tigers and Indians has only served to convince me of that fact. Here are two things I know. (1) The DEVIL Rays will not be there at the end of the year, and (2) the Yankees will only get better in the second half of the season. If Pettitte and Wang can join the roll that Rasner, Joba, and Moose have been on… this team is going to go on a ridiculous run. Add a healthy Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy (into the bullpen perhaps?) and you have the ingredients for a deep October run.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow’s pitching matchup. Wang (7-2, 4.30) vs. Oswalt (5-6, 5.06). Oswalt’s numbers may not be all that impressive, but make no mistake, he is one of the elite pitchers in the game. I expect him to bring his “A” game tomorrow. It should be a great pitchers duel. Wang had a good start last time out, snapping a string of poor starts, and he looks to get on a good roll with his 2nd straight good start.

As of right now the Yanks are 4-1 on this road trip. So far so good, but a sweep of the Astros would really put a cap on the trip.

June 14th ~ Jobamania III

I really hope that last nights performance can end the Joba as a starter vs. Joba as a reliever debate. Clearly, this guy is and will be a horse and should be used in the rotation. He threw a Fastball, Curve, Slider, and Changeup, and was throwing 97 MPH into the 6th inning. He would have come out for the 7th, but he was pinch hit for. Oh and by the way… he only stuck out 2 Astros. That means he’s learning to be economical and also requires him to throw fewer pitches. It was also nice to see his fist pump at the end of the 6th inning after he K’d Brad Ausmus. It shows that he is still pumped up and had enough energy despite throwing a career high in pitches. That was a big inning for Joba as it was getting late in a tight ballgame and he really needed to keep the Astros from scoring.

The Yankee bullpen was fantastic. It threw 3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks, and 4 K’s. Jose Veras got the win and Kyle Farnsworthless got his first save since 2006. I was absolutely sure that he was going to give this one up one in the 9th, especially after plunking the leadoff hitter…once again showing that he doesn’t have the mental constitution to continually pitch in tight situations. However, 2 Houston miscues bailed Farnsworthless out of a potentially disastrous situation. Michael Bourn bunted and popped it right to the mound, and Wiggington was caught stealing 2nd.

The Yankees really need to get another reliever to replace that which was Joba! You simply can’t pitch Rivera everyday, and no one else can really be trusted day in and day out. I blame Brian Cashman for not having that reliever ready to step in after Joba had left that role since, according to all Yankee sources, the plan was always to move Joba into the starting role mid-season. If that’s true... then why wasn’t Joba’s bullpen replacement ready to go? Instead, now we are back in the same spot we were last year, holding our breath each and every game once the starter leaves and before Rivera takes the mound. Something has to be done. Either a youngster must be promoted from the minors, or a trade must be made, but sooner or later this current Yankee pen is going to blow a really important game and the Yanks will be forced to make a move out of desperation. I’d rather do it before then, and avoid all the pain and angst.

Oh yeah… Captain Clutch comes through again! Only his 4th HR of the year, but man did he time it perfectly!

Instant replay might be used this season. That’s a fantastic idea. Can’t happen fast enough. This won’t irrevocably destroy the integrity of the game as some purists fear, it will merely serve to help the umpires get the calls right. To determine what really happened. No more “selling” a call to the umpires to buy yourself an out or a tag or a catch. This puts the emphasis back on the players and on the game action, and allows for the fact that at real time, even very good umpires make mistakes. Bravo to MLB!

Chipper Jones was struck in the face by a foul ball in, what was apparently, a freak batting practice accident. That’s really terrible and quite unlucky. This guy is having a special season, and is hitting .414 nearly half-way through June!! That’s just unfathomable. I really hope that he doesn’t miss much time, and that nothing is wrong with his eye, because it would be awful to rob him of the chance to chase the .400 mark down the stretch of the season. I don’t think he can do it, but I’d sure love to see him try!

The Mets need to either fire Willie Randolph, or endorse him and keep him around for the rest of the season. This game to game thing is NOT helping the team win games, and is probably making Willie’s job that much harder. It isn’t his fault Billy Wagner blew 3 saves in a row, it isn’t his fault Church got a concussion, it isn’t his fault Alou is an injury waiting to happen, it isn’t his fault Schneider can’t hit, and it most certainly isn’t his fault that Delgado is getting old. Omar Minaya put this team together, and deserves far more blame than Willie. I blame the players, and Omar ahead of Willie, and yet it is his job that’s going to get axed. The Mets should do it now, or wait till the season is over. This yo-yo manager stuff has to end.

June 13th ~ While you (and I) were sleeping…

It was a grand series in Oakland for the Yankees who took 2 of 3 from the Athletics. The two pitchers on the Yanks’ staff who had been struggling recently each put up spectacular performances. Wang did it on Tuesday (…into Wednesday…yawn) allowing 1 ER over 7.1 IP and Pettitte did it last night (into this morning... yawn) going a 8 full innings and allowing just 1 ER. Wang moved his record to an impressive 7-2 and lowered his ERA to 4.30