Quick Note

Just a quick note about the lack of recent updates...there has been a death in my girlfriend's family that has tied up most of my time recently. I'll be back to a normal schedule when things calm down a little.

Games 23 and 24

Game 23:

A lone rough inning
Doomed Ian Kennedy's start
Offense still struggling

Game 24:

Wang was tremendous
Erases playoff demons
Melkman delivers

It was an interesting weekend of games. On Saturday, Ian Kennedy labored through a terrible 2nd inning, but was otherwise pretty good. I still think he has the kind of stuff to succeed in the majors, but right now he's really nibbling instead of attacking hitters. I think he's reading the papers and letting the mediots get in his head, despite the fact that they have a total of three braincells between them.

Yesterday's game was a candidate for game of the year. Both Wang and Sabathia were fantastic, with CC's mistake to Melky the difference (the big lefty seems to be over those early struggles though - 19 k's his last two games). Wang pitched one of the best games I've ever seen from him, deftly mixing in his slider and splitter/change to keep hitters off balance. He finished with 9 k's, 2 BB, and 4 hits allowed, all of which were to lead off innings. If he can keep pitching like this, he may yet win the Cy Young award.

Following Wang were Joba and Mo, who were equally as nasty. Chamberlain struck out 2 in his inning, including Travis Hafner on a 98 mph fastball on the black to end it. Rivera breezed through the 9th on 11 pitches, freezing Peralta with a cutter on the black for the final out. For those scoring at home, Mo now has 10 scoreless innings to start the year, a welcome change from his early season struggles the last few years.

The Yanks have one more in Cleveland today, with Moose squaring off against Aaron Laffey. Hopefully this is the one that gets the offense rolling because, for all the talk about the pitching, the offense has been pretty terrible to this point.

Please...

can we release Billy Traber? I hate LOOGYs to beging with, and he can't get out lefties or righties right now. Give Ohlendorf Bruney or Farnsworth's spot and call up Rasner to be a long man.

Game 23

Hughes looked amazing
Until the skies exploded
Win 1 evasive

I'm pretty sure that the baseball gods hate Phil Hughes. He was off to an amazing start last night - hitting 94, according to game day, and looking crisper than he has since the first start of the year. Then the rains came and the Yankees wisely didn't send him back out to continue. Had that not happened, I have complete faith that he would have calmed the worries of fans. I guess he'll just have to do it next time instead.

In other news, Bruney is on the DL and may miss the rest of the season. Just when it was starting to look like he'd break out, he's gone. Joining him will be Professor Farnsworth, allowing the Yanks to call up Britton and Albaladejo. Hopefully they'll actually use Britton in this stint. He's got the stuff to be a key cog in a big league bullpen. I like Albaladejo as well...he could end up being another key player this year. Waiting in the wings is Scott Patterson, whom I'd like to see at some point this season. He really impressed me this spring, and he's not going to learn much in AAA. At this point, he is what he is.

Besides Edwar and Veras, who most people already know about, there are a few other potential big time relievers waiting in the farm system, should the Yankees decide they need help or that LaTroy Hawkins is toasted garbage. Former second rounder JB Cox, who took over for Huston Street as Texas's closer, is currently rehabbing from TJ surgery at class A Tampa (*just found out he was called up to AAA today*). Joining him in TJ rehab in Tampa is Mark Melancon, whom the Yankees grabbed in the 8th round in 2006. He was widely regarded as the best closer in that draft, and fell into the Yankees' hands solely because of injury concerns. Cox reached AA in 2006, so he could be a fast mover when he completely recovers. He throws a heavy moving fastball in the upper 80's to low 90's and features and excellent slider that BA rated as the best in the system before his injury. Malancon could also move quickly once he completely recovers, as he features a fast ball in the 91 - 94 range and an explosive power curve. My guess is that we won't see either of these guys this year, but they could be important pieces of the pen in the future.

The guy I really wanted to write about is David Robertson, who the Yankees grabbed in the 17th round in 2006. Don't let the draft round fool you, he was pretty highly regarded after posting k/9 ratios of 12.77 and 10.90 in his two years of college. He fell largely due to signability concerns; as a sophomore, he had all kinds of leverage, and teams didn't want to waste a pick on a player they didn't think would sign. I remember at the time most thought the Yankees had no chance of bringing him aboard and that he was a backup in case Melancon didn't sign.

Since joining the Yankee system, Robertson has flat out dominated, earning himself a callup to AAA today. In 84 innings across 3 levels last season, he pitched 84.1 innings and allowed 45 hits, 12 runs, 9 (!) earned, 0 homers, 32 walks, and 113 (!) strikeouts. Batters hit just .154 against him, and he had a nearly 2 outs on the ground for every one in the air. His ratios of 4.82 H/9, 3.42 BB/9, and 12.09 K/9 are nearly other worldly, especially considering he was just 22 years old. He's continued to dominate this year, throwing 14 innings and giving up 7 hits, 1 earned run, 6 walks, and 21 strikeouts. He doesn't throw particularly hard, sitting 89 - 93, but he's supposedly got good sink on the fastball,an excellent curve, and a good change. His lack of velocity and 5'11", 180 lb frame limit his upside and give some reason to doubt him, but it seems that he's pretty close to a finished product, and he's experienced nothing but success at every level at which he has pitched. He may never be a dominant closer, but in a best-case scenerio he could end up like Rafael Betancourt, a reliever who has similar fastball velocity and similar breaking stuff, along with a career 2.80 ERA and 9.14 K/9 in the majors. We could very well see Robertson this season.

Game 22

Slow, slower, slowest
Moose may not be finished yet
Finesse his new game

Unfortunately, other commitments prevented me from watching last night's game, but it was a good one, with a few exceptions. Moose was able to keep Chicago off balance and get through 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 2 homers. He's going to give up the longball as any mistakes he makes are going to be punished, but if he keeps runners off base, he'll be able to get by. He's actually done a fairly good job of preventing baserunners; his WHIP currently stands at 1.21.

On the offensive side of things, Damon continued to heat up, collecting two more hits, and Posada turned in a huge 4 - 5 effort, with 3 of those hits going for doubles. Don't look now, but Damon is now hitting .254/.360/.480. He's not done yet.

On the bad side, Cano continued his early season funk, going 0 - 4. I did read, however, that he hit into some bad luck, which is a good sign. He also walked again, his third and 4 days. Like last year, I expect Cano to heat up with the weather.

In additional bad news, LaTroy continued to suck. He gave up 2 more runs while recording just one out, raising his ERA to an almost comical 11.17. He's not that bad, but it's looking like he's not very good either. At this point, I'd rather just cut him and let one of the many solid relievers in AAA have a chance. Britton, Edwar, Patterson, Albaladejo, and maybe even Veras are all probably capable of besting Hawkins at this point.

Game 21 recap

Wang was good enough
Johnny started to break out
Abreu was grand

The Yankee offense continued to mediocre its way through the season until the 7th last night, when Bobby Abreu's grand slam gave the Yankees the lead and Damon's three-run blast added the insurance. Robinson Cano, who I thought would bust out after the pinch homer against the Devil Rays a while back, doubled and walked. Even the ghost of Jason Giambi hit one out against someone not named Mike Timlin, lifting his average to a robust .120.

Wang wasn't great, but he was just good enough to hold down the Sox. He had a fairly typical outing, giving up 10 hits and 3 runs in 6 innings while getting 8 outs on the ground vs. 5 in the air. Though he recorded 5 strikeouts tonight, he still pitches to contact more than many pitchers, which has led (at least in my memory) to a bunch of games like the one he had tonight. Fortunately he can often survive giving up a lot of hits since he doesn't walk many people and doesn't give up many XBH.

Quick hits-

Even though it's still really early, I'm beginning to get just a little concerned about Hughes, Kennedy, and Cano. I'm still really confident in all of them, I'd just like to see each have a good game soon. That may be all it takes to get them turned around.

Moose has to start pitching the Jamie Moyer. The fastball is gone, Moose. Pitch off the breaking stuff.

Joba should start this year. Having a dominant 8th inning guy is meaningless if you can't get to the 8th.

Games 18, 19, and 20

Game 18:

Phil Hughes was hammered
Cabrera shut down the "O"
Another game dropped

Game 19:

Kennedy's command
Was as steady as a swing
A terrible game

Game 20:

Pettitte helped the Yanks
Out of their doldrums on a
Sometimes rainy day

Game 17 recap haiku

Moose was terrible
The bats tried to awaken
A late rally failed

Game 16 recap haiku

Wang was not perfect
Offense destroys laptop thief
Another win for Yanks

The Yankees beat down the BoSox last night, but I was unable to watch until the last inning due to a soccer game. Wang got hammered, saying after the game that his sinker was moving too much preventing him from throwing it for strikes. This forced him to rely on his other pitches which, obviously, aren't nearly as good. They work well as complementary pitches, but not as the focus of his arsenal.

On the offensive side of things, the bats really came alive. They hammered Clay Buchholz, a juvenile delinquent in the offseason, for 8 hits and 7 runs in 3.2 innings, and finished the night with 15 runs and 16 hits. Abreu and A-Rod both went deep, and everyone else had at least one hit. Chad Moeller (!) reached base 4 of the 5 times he came to plate, something that is nearly unbelievable. If he does nothing else in his Yankee career, his night tonight was valuable.

So, as it turns out, the sky did not fall and the Yanks are now tied for first. It's Moose/Beckett tonight, so it could be another long one.

LaTroy Hawkins to change his number

It's been announced that LaTroy Hawkins will give in, and change his number to 22. Hopefully the braindead morons who were booing him for disgracing Paul O'Neil will now stop, and hopefully no braindead morons start booing him for disgracing Roger Clemens.

I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed to be a Yankee fan.

Game 15 recap haiku

The Rays weren't Devils
Andy lasted seven strong
Mo shut the door tight

Well, break out your minibrooms, the two game sweep is in the books. Andy Pettitte lived on the edge all night, but was able to weasel out of jams and give up only 3 runs despite allowing 9 hits and 3 walks in 7 innings. He had just enough tonight to keep the Yankees in the game, which is what I'd look for from Pettitte all year. He's not going to blow teams away, but he has enough savvy and experience to keep games close. He is now what sportscasters love to call a "crafty lefty."

Quick hits:

Is there anything more fun than watching Mo quietly do his job in the 9th? I know that there is, but I still love watching it. Dude is like a surgeon with that cutter.

Giambi and Cano are killing me. They've each had a big homer in the last week, but they've got to start hitting more. They've become automatic rally killers and proof that, as LaTroy said, "spring don't mean sh*t."

How in the hell do you walk Chad Moeller twice in a game. Seriously. He's Chad Freaking Moeller!

They'll always be the Devil Rays to me.

Early season limerick

This just came to me as I watched tonight's game:

There once was a team called the Yankees
They started off slowly, quite frankly
They couldn't score runs
"Our season is done!"
Yelled the fans as the quickly grew cranky

I'll be back with tonight's game recap limerick shortly.

Game 14 recap haiku

I'd once again apologize for a busy schedule preventing posting, but I don't think I have enough readers for it be necessary. I'd also rather use this time to introduce a new feature: the game recap haiku. I was working in a 4th grade today that was writing poetry, and it gave me the idea to recap Yankee games in Haiku form. I'm hoping to have enough creative juices to keep this up for every game this year.

Bats build a big lead
Bullpen can't protect it but
Cano saves the day

In non-poem form, last night's game went from exciting, to frustrating, to exciting again. The offense came out blazing; Damon, A-Rod and blog favorite Morgan Ensberg all homered in the early innings; Jeter started to come alive; even Chad Moeller impressed, singling up the middle on a pitchout. Ian Kennedy looked good through six, giving up only 2 earned runs.

In the sixth, however, the wheels temporarily fell off.

It started when Kennedy was hit on the hip by a Jason Bartlett line drive. Billy Traber then came in and, after getting Iwamura to line out, promptly gave up a homer to Carl Crawford and hit Carlos Pena with a pitch. He was replaced by Brian Bruney who gave up bombs to BJ Upton and Eva (n) Longoria. Bruney settled down and got out of the inning, but the damage was already done; the game was tied.

The next inning, Robbie Cano brought exciting back and gave the Yanks the lead with a long bomb to right. Bruney was then left in to get the first two outs of the eight, and, thankfully, he managed. Mo then came in and blew the Devil Rays away, striking out two in the process.

The bad was easy to spot in this game...the implosion of the bullpen in the absence of Joba (take a moment to send prayers to his father, by the way). And though Bruney's performance was bad, there is some good to take away. He walked no one and threw 16 of 20 pitches for strikes, the type of strike ratio we never would have seen from him last year. So while his command was terrible, he was at least throwing strikes and not walking anyone. It's a step in the right direction for him.

Anyways, here's hoping for a win and mini-sweep tonight.

Sorry about the lack of posts

I've had a lot going on the last few days, so I haven't really had much of a chance to post. Fortunately, there hasn't been a whole lot of good stuff about which to write. Jeter's hurt and out of game action all together; he likely will miss the opener against Boston. Posada hurt his shoulder and can't catch. The team is having trouble putting runners on base, and, when the do reach scoring position, they can't get the big hit. I don't know how many times this year they've been one big hit from breaking a game open but haven't been able to do it.

Even the weather has been against the Yankees. Hughes fought through cold and windy conditions while also fighting himself. Kennedy was scratched because of a rain delay that never came (though it probably should have), forcing a string of relievers to pitch the early innings.

Eventually the offense will turn things around, but this team is really frustrating to watch right now. I really thought that Girardi's boot camp style spring training would help prevent the slow starts of the last few years, but it really hasn't. There not as bad off as they were last year, but they're just kind of middling along right now.

It's too early to really be concerned; all is not lost. 5-5 records over 10 game stretches happen to even the best teams. The fact that it's the start of the season sort of magnifies it. The same goes for Robbie Cano; he seems to just be a slow starter. Before long, he'll turn it up, along with the rest of the offense. And when this team does get hot, watch out. I have a feeling they're going to do it in a big way.

Last few days

They haven't necessarily looked pretty the last few days, but the Yankees have gotten the job done the last couple days. Sunday, they won behind ace Chien Ming Wang's brilliant performance, Joba (with a little help from lady luck) and Mo's performance, and Hideki Matsui's home run. Once again, the Yankees couldn't score any runs and leaned on their starter/bullpen for support. And boy, was the pitching awesome in this one. Unfortunately, my Little League Yankees had practice so I didn't get to watch, but from the highlights I've seen and what I've read, Wang was in control from the beginning. He was throwing his offspeed stuff for strikes, giving him a very unWang like 6 strikeouts. Joba was Joba, escaping the first and third, no out jam Wang left him with - with the help of a gorgeous play by Cano to turn a soft liner into a DP - and pitching a clean 8th. Mo was nearly as awesome, striking out 2 in a perfect 9th.

If Wang keeps throwing his offspeed stuff for strikes, the rest of league will need to look out. Wang's groundball tendencies + strikeouts = an end to the "is he an ace" debate.

In yesterday's 6-1 win, Moose, to the surprise of everyone, Moose had an excellent start. In 6 innings, he gave up just 1 run, on Johnny Gomes homer, and struck out 3 while walking 1. The offense, led by Bobby Abreu's 3-3, 2 RBI day, finally showed some signs of life. Brian Bruney and Kyle Farnsworth continued to show off their improved control, as each threw an inning without walking a batter. Fun fact of the morning - through 7 combined innings, Bruney and Farnsworth have 0 walks between them. Last year, they'd have probably walked about 6 guys apiece by now. Additionally, Farnsworth has showed off a nasty two-seamer that sits around 91 mph.

Unfortunately, yesterday was not all good news. Derek Jeter, while grounding into a fielder's choice in the first, strained his left quad. Right now, it doesn't look like it will cost him too much time, but that could change as he is further examined. The Yankees have a few options at short - if it's just for a few they could play Wilson Betemit, as they did last night, or they could move A-Rod over for a few games and play Ensberg/Betemit at third. If he's out for an extended period of time, they'll probably go with one of the above options and call up someone like Nick Green to take the utility role. Hopefully, Jeter will return quickly.

On top of Jeter's injury, LaTroy Hawkins continued to look terrible. Though he made it through without giving up a run, he was shaky from the start. His command was erratic - he walked 1 and threw a wild pitch - and looked a bit lost. He did end the night with a strikeout, so hopefully that helps him get into some kind of a groove. He probably won't be great this year, but he also won't have a 21 ERA.

Tonight, the Yankees start their 200 day road trip in Kansas City. Blog namesake Phil Hughes takes on Brian Bannister in the opener. As good as Hughes' first start was, Bannister's 7 inning, 0 run performance was even better. Let's hope Hughes can keep it going and that the Yankees can touch up Bannister. Time for the offense to wake up.

2 - 1

The Yankees are now 2-1 on the young season, thanks to last night's 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays. They were able to squeeze across a couple runs despite the bats having an off night, and Phil Hughes was able to have a very good start despite not having hist best stuff or command.

Reading around the Internets, I've noticed that some people are already starting to panic about the lack of offensive output to this point. To me, this first series was nearly as encouraging as if the Yankees had steamrolled the Jays in their victories. I think we can all easily remember the Yanks' overall struggles both early last year and in 1-run games especially. Through May and into early June, they were terrible in close contests; if they didn't score early and often, they didn't win.

To this point, the season has been different. Despite scoring only 8 runs against Toronto, the Yankees won two games. They were able to scrape together some timely offense, and their starters/bullpen was able to hold Toronto in check. The offense will be there eventually. This showed they can win the close games as well.

It also needs to be considered that the Yankees were facing some great pitching in cold weather. Halladay, Burnett, and McGowan all have good stuff, and AJ and Dustin have blazing fastballs, which can be tough to hit in cold weather. Facing three pitchers of that caliber, few teams would have put up huge run totals. I expect the offense to warm along with the weather...and the facing of some worse pitching.

As for the blog namesake's start, I was impressed. He didn't quite have the extra pop on his fastball or the command his curve, but he still looked good overall. He buckled a number of knees on the curve, and was able to paint the corners with the fastball. The pitch that got Frank Thomas ejected was perfect; Thomas spent the whole at bat backing away from the inside pitch, and Phil placed one in the exact right spot.

He will have plenty of starts this year where he is much worse than last night, but he'll also have plenty where he has better stuff. He won't make people forget Santana this year, but I think he very well could in a few years.

Update: Great article on Hughes' night from John Harper:

One sequence in the fourth inning, in particular, was telling. With a runner at third base and one out after the Jays had already scored a run to go ahead 1-0, Hughes struck out both Vernon Wells and Frank Thomas to escape further damage.

But it was the way he did it that made you notice. After going to 3-2 on Wells, he threw a changeup that Wells barely fouled off, then came back with a curve to get a swinging strikeout.

"That's something I probably wouldn't have done last year," said Hughes. "I probably would have thrown a fastball, and unless my location was perfect, he probably would have hit it hard somewhere.

"I have to be able to throw other pitches in counts where a guy like that is expecting a fastball."

On Thomas, meanwhile, he went all hard stuff inside, as the scouting report dictates. In fact, after getting ahead with a curve, Hughes threw four straight fastballs in, three just off the plate, to get to 3-2, and then came in one more time to get Thomas looking at a 93-mph fastball.

If you can't already tell, Hughes is probably my favorite Yankee. He's got one hell of a future ahead of him.

4/3 Liveblog - Blue Jays - Yankees

I'll be in and out tonight.

Here are your starting lineups:

YANKEES
Johnny Damon DH
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jason Giambi 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Hideki Matsui LF
Jose Molina C
Melky Cabrera CF

Starting Pitcher: Phil Hughes

BLUE JAYS
David Eckstein SS
Matt Stairs LF
Alex Rios RF
Vernon Wells CF
Frank Thomas DH
Lyle Overbay 1B
Aaron Hill 2B
Marco Scutaro 3B
Gregg Zaun C

Starting Pitcher: Dustin McGowan

Jorge Posada is out again with a stiff shoulder. Based on what I've read, it's likely nothing to worry about. Hopefully he can return shortly.

Blog namesake Phil Hughes makes his first start of the year tonight. He's fully recovered from his injuries, so look for a return of the stuff that made him the top pitching prospect in baseball just one year ago. I can't wait to see the first batter swing through a 93 mph fastball and laughing at the first to be frozen at a nasty curve. Don't let all the hype fool you...there are still some in the prospect community who like Phil's potential more than Joba's. Yes, he's that good.

On a side note, I've got my nonbaseball fan girlfriend to adopt Hughes as her favorite player, largely because he has the same birthday as me. I have no idea why anyone would find that interesting, but I posted it anyway.

It's 6:43 now and my pizza is here. Dinner time!

7:00 - I've finished my pizza and I'm ready for baseball. Already, Michael Kay is irritating me. That was quick.

7:02 - Can we stop using "Generation Trey?" It's lame. They really don't need a nickname.

7:05 - Michael Kay reminds us again that he is Michael Kay and the guy sitting next to him is Paul O'Neil. We know, Mike.

7:07 - Here we go! Hughes sure does look sharp in that uni.

First Inning - First pitch strike! Yeeha!

Is there a more annoying player than David Eckstein. It's nothing against him, but I'm tired of reading about how scrappy and short he is. Thank God he didn't play football.

Broken bat grounder to the great scrappy one to A-Rod. One away.

Matt Stairs is up. Hughes is hitting 88 fastball. And as I type that, he hits 91. Go figure. Beautiful backdoor curve to sit Stairs down. 2 away.

Professional Yankee Killer Alex Rios is up. Beautiful curve on the inside corner for strike 2. The crowd is yelling "Huuuuuuuuuuughes" which I will confuse for booing for years. Painted the corner with a 91 mph heater for strike 3. What an inning for my man.

Bottom 1 - Johnny Damon promply falls behind 0-2. If he doesn't improve over last year, he needs to be bumped from the leadoff spot, in favor of Jeter. Then Abreu can move to the 2 slot, and Cano can settle into the third spot. And he goes down swinging at 96 mph gas. What an awful swing that was.

Jeter does his little shimmy which makes the women here in New York swoon. He then hits a broken bat grounder to Mighty Midget who plays a competent shortstop despite barely being able to reach first base on his throws.

In steps Abreu, who seems to be in much better shape this year. Hopefully his first half is like last year's second half for him.

McGowan keeps throwing BBs. This could be a long night for Yankee batters, as Abreu goes down "swinging."

Top 2 - For some reason, we're showing video of Hughes hurting his hammy. It still makes me cringe.

Vernon Wells flies out to Cano, who makes a nice catch on a flair in shallow rightfield.

The Big Hurt lifts and easy fly to shallow center on the next pitch for the second out. That didn't take long.

In steps Lyle Overbay, who bothers me simply because he's name Lyle. Hughes starts him off with 2 out of the zone. Overbay grounds out on a 2-1 pitch, ending a ridiculously easy inning. I love the efficiency.

Bottom 2 - Let's go fellas. How about at least a baserunner or two here. Perhaps a run or seven.

A-Rod steps in, looking to continue his hot spring and start to the season. He hits it sharply, but almost right at Scutaro. 1 away.

Giambi has looked decent in the field so far, but not so much at bat. Hopefully he can get going soon...a bounce back from him would be huge for the Yankees this year. McGowan falls behind 3-1, but he's still looking phenomenal. This could be another low scoring affair.

Giambi walks. His batting eye never ceases to amaze me. Even when he's slumping, he still takes his walks.

Cano, first pitch hacking, chops one to third, but just manages to beat it out to avoid the DP. I had high hopes for that AB starting a rally.

Based on how Hideki checked his swing there, I predict a strikeout here. And Hideki doesn't disappoint me, flailing at low breaking ball. I'm not sure he could have looked any worse there.

Well, at least Hughes has thrown fewer pitches so far.

Top 3 - Hughes just got away with a hanger in the middle of the plate. Luckily, Aaron Hill fouled it back, before hitting a liner to Melky for the first out.

Scutaro up. I'd like to break his shins for the walkoff against Mo last year, which ruined my night. Preservation of my good mood should be the top priority for these guys.

Lazy fly ball to Abreu for the second out. There have been a number of very poorly hit fly balls off Hughes tonight. And Zaun grounds one to Giambi, fulfilling the request I was in the middle of typing for more grounders.

Yet another efficient inning for Hughes. He had me a tiny bit worried this spring about how efficient he'd be this year, as he had problems going deep into games. Perhaps I have nothing to worry about.

Bottom 3 - Jose Molina up now. I really wish Jorge was in the lineup tonight...we could really use the offense. Molina somehow manages to stay alive on a weak hack at a breaking ball down and away...that was some good hand-eye.

I now feel like an idiot for pining for Jorge's offense as Molina singles up the middle for the first hit of the night.

Here's hoping soon-to-be-sitting Melky continues his hot start to the season. He's up 3-0 in the count now. Let's get something going here, fellas.

Melky obliges to my request with a walk. 1st and 2nd, no one out for Damon to either strike out or GIDP. Any Johnny falls behind 1-2.

One of the highlights of the early parts of the season are the comical statlines. Johnny is currently sporting a .111 OBP. Nice.

Damon proves me wrong, hitting a screamer directly at the right fielder. He couldn't have hit it much harder. I hate when that happens.

2 on, 1 out for el Capitan. Now would be a nice time for his first ribbie of the year.

Instead, we get a continuation of last years GIDP happy Derek. It's good to have him back.

Top 4 - In steps the Mighty Mite. He looks adorable in that uniform...he's looks all growds up, just like Daddy.

Yes, that wasn't funny. I don't care.

Man, I wish Paulie would do more games. I like his style, and he's got a good voice for it.

David just got himself the cheapest double in the history of the sport. I hate when opponents get those kinds of hits.

Stairs grounds out, but moves the runner over to third. Despite what Kay says, I have a feeling Stairs was trying to get a hit, rather than tap one to Cano.

I don't like Rios. He looks like a putz. Rios taps a breaking ball of the end of his bat over the infield for the first run of the game. What a cheap run.

Molina has Rios nailed on a steal, and Cano boots it. Way to go, Robbie.

Vernon tries to hit a curve to Pluto and came up empty. Hughes strikes out Wells on another beautiful curve...he was totally fooled.

Hughes follows that up with another beauty to Thomas. That's back to back buckled knees, for those of you scoring at home. This ump is not giving Hughes anything on the inside part of the plate. That's 3 borderline pitches called balls in this AB alone. I hate when umps give hitters calls just because the have reputations and the pitcher is a rook. It cheapens the game.

As I say that, Hughes paints the black with a beautiful fastball. That was perfect location. Frank blows several gaskets and gets tossed, despite the fact that everyone in the stadium knew that pitch was coming and that it was a strike. He gets run. See ya, Frank.

I'll now be blogging intermittently, as my girlfriend is here and we will be switching channels frequently.

Through 6, the Jays are up 2-0. The second run scored on a walk, double, and infield hit. Both of the runs Hughes has given up have been the result of cheap singles. The Yankees just can't sustain a rally so far this year...maybe they've got a few cheapies of they're own up their sleeves.

Joba

This is his reaction to striking out Frank Thomas on a 97 mph fastball. Joba is the man. Thanks to Getty Images for the picture.

Put it in the books!

The Yankees won the last home opener in the Stadium, 3 - 2. Overall, it was a good game for the good guys. Wang showed why we shouldn't be concerned with spring stats or two postseason starts; Melky should, both offensively and defensively, why the Yankees didn't trade him; Joba showed he's actually a sophisticated robot; Mo showed he's still Mo (the pitch he struck Overbay out on is one of my favorite things about baseball season); A-Rod picked right up where he left off; Giambi showed some impressive defense and baserunning; and Girardi got his first win. The offense may have only scored 3 runs, but when you're facing Halladay, that's not too shabby.

I know some people don't like Joba's fistpumping, but I love it. It actually gets me pumped up. When I guy plays with that kind of emotion and fire, you can't take it away from him. It'll make him less effective. Besides, I've watched Frankie Rodriguez and Papelbon do it against the Yanks for long enough.

I didn't liveblog tonight, but I hope to in the future, during times I'm there for the whole game. We'll see how it goes.

Rejoice! Baseball is back.

Opening day washout

How disappointing was it that opening day washed out? Oh well, what's one more day?

In other news, the Yankees have signed outfielder Isuro Tanaka out of the Independent Leagues to a one-year deal. It sounds like he's not great with the bat, but he can run and play all three outfield positions.

I like the move. It gives the Yanks some flexibility if someone gets hurt and they think Gardner isn't ready. Some of you may remember Tanaka for his amazing catch with the Indians in 1994, as he climbed the fence and made a bare-handed grab to take away a potential homer.

He issued the following press release:

I am honored to have been given this opportunity by the New York Yankees. I look forward to proving that I have the marbles to play in the great city of New York and I hope to bring much honor and another championship to the fans and my new teammates. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the Bronx Block for the tip.

Opening Day!

The long winter is finally over and opening day has arrived. Unfortunately for most of us, the game is at 1 while we are at work. At least we'll be able to follow on MLB's Gameday.

And our misleading headline of the day award goes to...John Harper, for this little number: Scouts say Yankees should have traded for Johan Santana (and I followed a link to get there that read: Scouts down on Yankess' young arms, which is equally as misleading).

Going in, I expected to read about how scouts were skeptical of the future potential of the young guys and about how they will probably never be successful enough to lead the Yanks to championships. Instead, I found that Harper polled 6 scouts and executives, and 4 of them said they think the Yanks will miss the playoffs this year. The consensus seemed to be, however, that their future is extremely bright given all the young talent. To wit:

Each of the six polled made a point of saying they were impressed by the way the young trio performed in spring training, yet four of the six said they believe the Yankees indeed will miss the playoffs in 2008, citing the inevitable growing pains as well as questions about the rest of the pitching staff.

"I love their future," was the way one scout put it. "But if you think those young guys aren't going to take their lumps at times this season against American League lineups, you're dreaming."

The pollees are in no way down on the Yankees' young arms and don't seem to be saying the team should have traded some away for Santana. They just think that they will take some lumps this year and that the team may miss the playoffs as a result, a perfectly reasonable belief. However, the presence of a bright future means, to me at least, that the team made the right decision in not trading for Johan. In a few years, we'll probably all be glad that the Yanks kept the kids while they're dominating and Santana is breaking down.

Also, forgive me for not respecting the opinion of unnamed executives and scouts. Particularly with the executives, it's quite possible they don't know what they're talking about.

Enough of that. It's opening day. Baseball is back, baby!

The (George) King of dumb

George King is stupid. Anyone who has ever read one of his columns knows it. Recently, he took his idiocracy to dangerous new levels:

Moving Chamberlain in front of Rivera was not only the right move for 2008, but forever. Finding somebody to dominate the seventh and eighth innings is harder than discovering a fourth and fifth starter.

This is so ridiculous, it's almost not worth ripping apart. To call Joba a fourth or fifth starter is borderline insanity. Were he starting for the Yankees this year, that might be his role; in the future, however, he projects as a dominating, shut-you-down ace. He's drawn comparisons to Justin Verlander in terms of stuff. A player like that has way more value in the rotation throwing 200+ innings a year than in the pen throwing 70.

Many top-flight relievers are failed starters; Eric Gagne, K-Rod, and Mariano Rivera come to mind immediately. Players that succeed in the pen after flaming out as starters do so because they lack the stamina to go deep into games, they only have one or two good pitches, or because their velocity increases in short stints. Joba doesn't suffer from any of these problems. He can go deep into games while maintaining his velocity (reports have had him hitting 97 in the 7th), and his change and curve show the potential to be plus pitches. He should be given the chance to fail as a starter before settling into the bullpen.

Alex Rodriguez is the man

I didn't post it yesterday, but there was an excellent article on Alex Rodriguez written by John Harper published in the Daily News (yes, you read that correctly - the NY Daily News published a good article). In it, A-Rod talks a bit about his maturation as a player and a person, about his regrets over the opt-out fiasco, and about his regrets over signing with the Rangers over the Mets in 2000. Some of the good stuff:

"I went for the contract when my true desire was to go play for the Mets," Rodriguez said of his decision to ink his $252 million deal with Texas eight years ago.

As A-Rod looked back on the events of the past offseason, he seemed haunted by the idea that in breaking free of the Yankees he could have made another decision based strictly on money and wound up as unhappy as he was in Texas for three years.

The three-time MVP says that at some point after his opt-out decision in October, he realized he could have been heading for a similar scenario, with Boras dictating his next destination.

"So to make the right decision just feels really good," Rodriguez said, "versus being taken down a road where I'm like, 'Oh, my God, where am I? Oh, $400 million to play in some place I hate? Great, I'll blow my --- head off.'

On finally relaxing in New York, he said the following:

Proud and happy, with no issues hanging over him for a change - unless Jose Canseco truly has some dirt to dish - A-Rod seems more at ease than ever as a Yankee. He says he learned to thrive in New York last year by no longer trying to please everyone, as well as no longer feeling compelled to react to everything said or written about him.

Derek Jeter even seems to be warming up to him again, engaging him more in clubhouse banter a year after A-Rod stopped pretending publicly that they were still best friends.

"Once you start letting go a little bit, things start coming to you a little easier," A-Rod said. "They did for me last year. In the past, I've always said, 'I have to do this and I have to do that,' mainly because of the expectations.

"Now I've come to a point where, if I get a hit with the bases loaded, cool, and if I don't, so what? Next at-bat. Or next game. People always want it to be about the .individual battle with me, but I just want to be part of this team, and I think that will help me get to where I want to go."

Many Yankee fans will never embrace him, and that's sad. They should be able to just sit back, watch the show, and enjoy the fact that they get to watch one of the best players in the history of the game - truly a once-in-a-generation talent - play for their team every day. And when all is said and done, Rodriguez will quite possibly capture the all-time home run record as a Yankee and will assuredly enter the Hall as a Yankee. Fellow fans, I emplore you...get off his back, ignore his faults, and enjoy what is quite possibly the best player you'll ever see.

Update: After I read wrote the above prose, I stumbled across this article, but Bob Klapisch, which is completely unreasonable. Determined to make an A-Rod story out of nothing, Klapisch theorizes that the Yankees will be unhappy with Rodriguez for saying that he regrets not signing with the Mets in 2000. In his own words: Imagine how the Yankees feel today knowing the cornerstone of the franchise, to whom they've committed $275 million, has been pining for the Mets all along.

Looking at A-Rod's statement, only an idiot would come to that conclusion. All that he is saying is that, while he was stuck losing in Texas, he wished that he had taken less money to play for the better team - the team for which he wanted to play. This is not at all a knock on the Yankees; Alex is not saying that he wishes he was with the Mets now or that he prefers the Mets to the Yankees. He was simply sharing with the rest of the world that his time in Texas tought him that money is not the only thing that matters. Wouldn't being stuck in baseball purgatory for three years, even with an absurd contract, make most competitive people regret not choosing the higher profile, more talented team. If the Yankees were trying to sign Rodriguez that offseason, I could see them being upset as it would be a sign that he might be a closet Mets fan. The Yankees, however, weren't in on the bidding. If they had been and he had chosen the Texas contract over the better team, I'm sure he'd be making similar statements about how he wished he had signed with the Yankees. Or, for that matter, any hypothetical good team that may have been in the hunt.

In this case, there is no smoke and there is no fire. Klapisch is, in grand Mike Lupica style, trying to portray Rodriguez in a negative light even when there is no reason too. The fact that, to this point, no other memebers of the media have run with this story is very telling. The jackals are usually overanalyze every statement out of A-Rod's mouth, and the fact that they haven't jumped all over this one shows just how foolish and absurd Klapisch's article is. If I were Bob, I'd be embarassed to be mentioned in the same breath as Lupica, who writes the same article every single week during baseball season, with a few different adjectives and some of the words rearranged.

The bullpen

Lots of articles recently about the state of the bullpen. As of this moment, only Farnsworth, Hawkins, Joba, and Rivera have spots lined up. Right now, it's impossible to tell in which direction the Yankees are leaning for the final spots. The good news is that the Yankees have plenty of guys competing, so if the winner in ineffective, there will be a replacement a phone call away. Following are the competitors and my thoughts on them.

The Long Relievers - I truly hope the Yankees don't take a long reliever for the sake of taking one. It appears, however, that Girardi really wants someone who can go 4 - 5 innings, and these are the unimpressive candidates:

Jeff Karstens: Karstens had a good run with Team USA this offseason, but he's been slammed with the Yankees, to the tune of a 5.65 ERA and 21/20 K/BB ratio in 57 innings. He's also been smacked around in his last 2 spring outings, leaving him with a 9.64 ERA this spring.

Even ignoring his major league numbers, which are partially skewed by a stretch last season in which he tried to pitch through an injury, I'm not a huge fan of Karstens. He gave up better than a hit an inning in the minors, and though his K/9 of 7.53 is decent, he doesn't seem to have the stuff to keep that up against Major League hitters. What he has is decent command of an assortment of below average - average pitches. I may be selling him short, but I just don't see him ever amounting too much in the bigs; he's just too hittable.

Kei Igawa: Though his name has become a curse to Yankee fans, he had a pretty successful career in Japan. His first season in the bigs didn't go as smoothly as hoped, but he did show some potential. He struck out 7.05/9 in the majors (I think he was leading Yankee starters in K/9 when he was demoted) and posted a 71/15 K/BB in 68.1 innings in AAA.

Sadly, that's pretty much the only good things I can find about his season. He gave up too many hits - 76 in 67 innings in the majors, 68 in 68.1 in the minors - too many home runs - 10 in 68.1 innings in the minors, 15 in 67 innings in the majors - and walked too many - 37 in 67 Major League innings.

After watching Igawa pitch last season and looking at his numbers, its clear that command and control are his biggest problems. He has the stuff to miss bats and be a successful pitcher, but he was rarely able to hit his spots. Even when he wasn't walking people, he always seemed to miss the mitt.

I know most people have completely given up on Igawa, but I still have some hope for him. His K/9, even with the big club, were encouraging and his career BB/9 of 2.58 in Japan shows that he does have the potential to improve his command. With that said, I think it's more likely that he flames out than it is that he'll improve enough to help the Yanks. I'm not sure why his command was so terrible on our side of the pond, but I've heard that Major League baseballs are bigger than Japanese balls, so that may have some sort of effect. It's also possible that he was thrown off in the spring training, when the Yanks didn't let him use his usual spring routine. He also seemed completely out of sorts during day games, as I've never seen another pitcher wear sunglasses on the mound. Whatever the reason, he'll have to show the Yankees something before they risk sticking him back on the mound during a big league game. Encouragingly, his spring outings have been decent after a horrible first outing, and he struck out 8 in 4 scoreless innings against Yankee minor leaguers. I don't think he's done enough to make the roster, but I think we'll see him at some point this year.

Darrell Rasner: Rasner was acquired on waivers from the Nationals several years back. He's had some success in the majors, with a 4.13 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 52 innings. This is a really small sample size, and his K/9 of 4.47, in the absence of a Wang-like sinker, is entirely too low to maintain that kind of success. He also missed much of last season with an injury, which is always somewhat concerning. He doesn't have dynamite stuff, but seems to have enough to survive in the Majors.

My take: I'm not quite sure why, but I like Rasner better than Karstens, even though they seem to be pretty similar pitchers. Their minor league numbers are eerily close:

Rasner - 3.41 ERA, 9.15 H/9, 0.52 HR/9, 2.41 BB/9, 6.78 K/9, 1.28 WHIP
Karstens - 3.48 ERA, 9/12 H/9, 0.71 HR/9, 2.30 BB/9, 7.53 K/9, 1.27 WHIP

I think Rasner's SSS success and Karstens' SSS failure has obscured the judgment of a lot of people, myself included. Even disregarding spring numbers entirely, I have more faith in Rasner than in Karstens. Just based on watching them the last few seasons, it looks to my untrained eyes like he has better stuff. Again, this could be because my last memory of Karstens is of him getting slammed while trying to work through injury.

If I'm the Yankees, and I'm determined to have a long man, I start the year with Rasner on the roster and Karstens and Igawa in the minors. I think Igawa has the most potential of the three, but I'd also like to see him prove that he can throw the ball in the vicinity of the strike zone before giving him a spot on the Major League roster. If Rasner starts getting hammered and Igawa proves he does actually suck, Karstens will be available to be called up.

My true solution, however, is to not have a long man.

The Lefties - Girardi has said that he'd like to have a lefty on the roster, but isn't committed to it. While it's nice to have a lefty in the pen, it's a mistake to carry one over a superior right hander. The Yanks have limited options in camp.

Sean Henn: Henn may begin the season on the DL with a tender shoulder and has pretty much no chance to make the squad. If you watched the Yanks last season, you know that he pretty much doesn't belong. However, here's a fun Henn fact for you: when drafted, he supposedly hit the upper 90's with his fastball. Wouldn't it be nice if that came back and he suddenly had a pitch with which he could get out big league hitters?

Billy Traber: I have not had a chance to see Traber pitch this spring, so I don't know a whole lot about his stuff. I do know that he's pitched 6 2/3 innings and given up 2 unearned runs, 2 hits, one walk, and struck out 7. It's only the spring, but he's been effective.

On the plus side, he did hold lefties to a .176 average last year, with 15 Ks in 15.1 innings. In his career, he's held lefties to a .212 average in 55 innings, with 53 Ks. It appears that, if nothing else, he can get lefties out. Righties are a different story, however, as they hit .380 against him last year, and have hit .328 against him in his career.

My take: Unless Traber has improved his ability to retire righties, he shouldn't be on the team. He's a LOOGY (Lefty One Out GuY) at best, and I'm not a big LOOGY fan. It's easy for a bullpen to get tired when there's a guy on the roster who only pitches to one or two batters in a game. Also, there aren't all that many huge lefty hitters in the AL, I'd rather have a good right hander face pretty much all of them. Do you feel comfortable with Traber facing David Ortiz in a big spot just because he throws with his left had?

My solution: No lefty in the pen to start the year. Take an extra guy from the list below.

The rest - If the Yankees decide to go with a long man, the following guys are competing for 2 spots. If they want a lefty and long man, they're competing for one. All have a lot of potential, and all have a number of question marks. If nothing else, the depth is nice.

Jonathan Albaladejo: Acquired by the Yankees for Tyler Clippard, Albaladejo has little chance of making the team this spring, but will likely play a role with them in the future. He has pretty good stuff, featuring a fastball at 91 - 93 MPH and an average curve and slider. He has good control and has posted a K/BB of 440/103 in his minor league career, and at 6'5" and 250 pounds, he's quite an intimidating figure on the mound.

He pitched well in limited time with the Nats last year, but he hasn't been great this spring. I'd like to see him start the year in the minors to work on developing at least one of his offspeed pitches. While I like his fastball, control, and ability to get grounders, I'd like to see him scrap one of his breaking balls in order to more fully develop the other. Given the Yankees' history with prospects, we'll likely see him scrap the slider and work on the curve. An above average curve would help him tremendously.

Chris Britton: Britton has already been exiled to the minors by the Yankees. There appears to be something the Yankees don't like about him, and I'm not sure what it is. He had a successful 53 inning stint with the O's in 2006, and has good minor league numbers across the board. He has good control (2.85 BB/9 in the majors, 2.84 in the minors), strikes out batters (6.24 in the majors, 9.44 in the minors), and keeps the ball in the yard (.81 HR/9 in the majors, .80 in the minors). While he doesn't have dominating stuff, he has a fastball that reaches the low 90's and a very good curve. It does appear that he is a product of the Sydney Ponson/Curt Schilling donut diet, but that's no reason to keep him down. He may never be a setup man or closer, but he could be a big (*rimshot*) part of the Yankee bullpen. Hopefully we'll see him at some point this season, and not as part of the AAA express. He's earned the right to pitch in the majors and he could really help the Yankees.

Brian Bruney: You all know the story on Brian Bruney. He can bring the heat and strike out a ton of guys. He can also walk the ballpark and has a reputation for being thick-headed and difficult to instruct. The good news is that he dedicated himself to conditioning in the offseason and showed up at camp in the best shape of his life. Whether or not the improved condition helps him to harness his upper 90's fastball has yet to be seen. If he improves his control, he could be absolutely dominating. If he doesn't, he could continue to post a 1/1 K/BB and find himself off the Yankees. If he can lower his walks to even 3.0/9, he could be a huge asset. Let's hope it happens.

Ross Ohlendorf: Acquired in the Randy Johnson trade, the Yankees have moved Ohlendorf to the bullpen and like what they have seen. As a starter, he showed great control of a low 90's sinking fastball and some unimpressive secondary pitches. As a reliever, he's bumped his velocity to the mid - upper 90's, and he spent the offseason working on a splitter to neutralize lefties. I've read good things about his splitter this spring, and it sounds like it has the potential to be a big pitch for him in the future.

I love what I saw from Ohlendorf at the end of last season. In his callup, he showed a great fastball and excellent slider, though I've read that his slider isn't normally that impressive. I think he'll be a big time reliever for the Yankees this year, provided he can find some consistency with his splitter or slider.

Scott Patterson: Patterson a relative unknown, as the Yankees rescued him from Independent League purgatory in 2006. He was a decent starter in the Indies, but he really took off when he moved to the bullpen. Since the Yankees signed him, he has been nothing short of dominant. In AA in 2006, he posted a 2.33 ERA in 38 innings, allowing 26 hits, 8 BB, and striking out 44. The K/9 of 10.24 was fantastic, but he did allow 8 homers, which is a bit high, and he was 27 years old. Last year, he eased some of those concerns, posting a 1.09 ERA in 74 AA innings, allowing 45 hits, 15 BB, 1 homer (!), and striking out 91. He may have been pretty old, but those numbers are head turning in any league. He's been nearly perfect so far this spring, giving up 1 hit and no walks, while striking out 5, in 6 innings.

Patterson is a huge man, standing 6'7" and 230 pounds. He doesn't have the blistering fastball you might expect from someone that says, but he has fantastic command of his 89 - 91 MPH fastball. He also throws and an extreme downhill plane, employing a straight-over-the-top motion that makes it difficult for batters to pick up the ball. Right now, he throws a slow, loopy, show-me curve that isn't much more than a change of pace pitch. He worked on a slider for a while and has supposedly been working on a splitter, though I haven't heard a thing about how it's developed.

Even without an excellent breaking ball, Patterson could be a very useful pitcher for the Yankees. There aren't many pitchers who throw straight over the top, and there are even less of them who are 6'7", so he is a very unique pitcher. With his good command and deceptive delivery, I think he could post good numbers in the bigs for a few seasons, though at 28 years old, he's not going to improve much.

My take: I like all of these guys quite a bit. I think we'll likely see Bruney at the beginning of the year, as I don't think he has any options left. He's shown enough improvement in command (3BB in 7 innings - vs. 9 K's) to start the season on the roster. His arm is too tantalizing to give up on. However, if he struggles or someone gets hurt, it's nice that the Yankees have a bunch of guys with potential they can call on (I didn't even cover injury returnees JB Cox, Humberto Sanchez and Mark Melancon, or Edwar Ramirez). There is a very good chance we'll see all of these guys at some point this year..and it is extremely exciting. This post at the fantastic River Avenue Blues shows that the most effective way to build a bullpen is to acquire a bunch of moving pieces that can be called upon rather than to spend a lot of money on relievers who are, by nature, inconsistent.

There may be a lot of unknowns, but the tools are in place for the Yankees to have a dominant bullpen this year.

Rejoice!

Rejoice, blog readers, for Morgan Ensberg has made the Yankees. I think it's largely due to the occasional praise given to him on this blog. You're welcome, Morgan.

I apologize for the lack of postings lately, but I was at Turning Stone for Spring Break. Even being an Irish boy in a casino on St. Patties day did not give me good luck.

Papelbon really is an idiot

I documented in a earlier post some idiotic comments comments from Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, and he came out with some dumb ones today. It appears he's been taking notes from Schilling on how to make stupid comments to the press. The difference is, I think Schilling has at least some manner of intelligence, whereas Papelbon lacks a functioning brain. From today's Post:

It's one thing for owners to have a little back-and-forth like John Henry and Hank Steinbrenner The-A-Rod-Gamble did recently in regard to Red Sox Nation vs. Yankees Universe. It's another for a young player to take a shot at an owner.

That's what Jonathan Papelbon, 27, did in criticizing Steinbrenner.

"I don't know if he's trying to stir things up or not," the Bosox closer said. "I sure as hell don't care, because he sure as hell hasn't stepped on a baseball field. He needs to just stick to pencil-pushing, I guess."

Hammerin' Hank fired back yesterday.

"Being insulted by Papelbon is like being attacked by a mouse," Steinbrenner told The Post.

"John Henry and I traded a couple of jabs good-naturedly," he added. "So now, all of a sudden, this player, this 20-something kid who really doesn't know his way in the world, comes out with a personal insult. There's no excuse for that."

Hey Jon, become smart enough to have a valid opinion, and some people might actually care what you think. For now, just go back to giving up game-winning taters to A-Rod.

And a quick note to Elliot Johnson, who claimed he had no choice but to bowl over Francisco Cervelli in a game a few days ago: you are an idiot. Watch the second clip here to see the play, and check out this quote from Cervelli:

Cervelli, who suffered a fractured wrist and is out 10 weeks, said yesterday that he was surprised to have been hit in such a manner.

"I gave him the back of the plate, he had room," Cervelli said. The young catcher added he has learned a valuable lesson and will expect anything next time.

Not only did you break the wrist of a young catcher, but you also probably would have been safe if you slid instead of running him over. But, yeah, you sure showed the manager what kind of player you are: both stupid and bad.

On Shelley, retaliation, and the dewussification of the Yanks

By now, you all know what happened in yesterday's game between the Yankees and Devil Rays. If you've been living under a rock or haven't been able to check the sports pages, both benches emptied following a hard slide into second base by Shelley Duncan in the bottom of the first. Popular belief is that Shelley's slide was in response to an incident from last week, in which Devil Ray Elliott Johnson broke Yankee catcher Francisco Cervelli's wrist in a collision at the plate. You can read about the home plate collision here and watch video of the Shelley slide here (the second video also shows the collision at the plate).

I didn't write about the Cervelli injury at the time, but I think it was completely uncalled for. It was a clean hit, but it was also a spring training game. No benefit can come from such a collision with the catcher; the game means nothing, and the run means nothing. Johnson may well have been trying to impress his manager, but one play at the plate is not going to be the difference between making the team and riding buses at AAA (especially for Johnson...his minor league career is a joke). Spring training is a time to get into shape, and to get back into the swing of things. It is not a time to play like the 7th game of the World Series.

A big part of the problem is Devil Ray manager Joe Maddon, who is both delusional and ball-less. He's been encouraging his team, who have sucked so hard for so long that they've developed a Napoleon complex (I'm reminded of Demitri Young plowing into John Flaherty in ST a few years ago and saying that they were the Tigers and not the Kitties), to play rough in meaningless games all spring. He, as well as members of his team, condoned Carl Crawford's plastering of Astros catcher Humberto Quintero as "a good, hard play" while ignoring the fact that such a collision could easily have taken Crawford (to say nothing of Quintero), arguably the teams best player, out of action for a long amount of time.

After the Cervelli collision, Maddon locked himself in his office and refused to talk to reporters, a gutless, spineless, ball-less move. After such a ridiculous play, he should at least be a man about it. He later defended the play as good "hardball" and when asked whether he wanted to talk to Girardi about it, he made some of the stupidest comments I've ever heard:

“Honestly, I really haven’t even thought about that,” said Maddon. “I like the guy, I like Joe, I’ve always liked Joe. If he would like to have a conversation, God, I’d like to talk about politics, I’m good with global warming, I’m good with a lot of different topics on a daily basis. I like iTunes, I download some stuff off iTunes, I like different restaurants, I like red wine. I have a lot of different areas I can go conversationally.”

What a jackass. I'd love to see the two get in a fight. Girardi would stomp Maddon.

Flashing forward to yesterday's game, I think Shelley's slide was a bit on the dirty slide. It wasn't nearly as bad as many people, especially on the D-Rays, have made it out to be. It was also awesome to see. He came in higher than I would have liked, but it's about time the Yankees started defending themselves. All too often in the Torre years the Yankees would sit by while player after player got drilled. After an uncalled for shot resulting in injury, something had to be done. I can't even criticize Shelley for going in high, as I've done the same thing in many soccer games in defense of teammates. I've been accused multiple times of trying to injure, and some of those claims have been accurate. When you defend teammates, you want to make it known what you are doing.

Not surprisingly, the opinions of Maddon changed when the shoe was on the other foot. He called Shelley's slide "borderline criminal," a statement that is completely idiotic (anyone else noticing a theme with Maddon?). Why a spike to the shin is criminal but bowling over a catcher is "a good, hard baseball play" is beyond me. One ended with a broken wrist, one ended with a booboo. Which is more criminal?

Johnny Gomes, who deserves the longest suspension for charging in from the outfield and attempting (and failing badly) to tackle Duncan, made the comments that pissed me off the most, saying:

"I've never played for the Yankees; I've played against them and I watched them growing up, but I know that's not the Yankee way," Gomes said of the slide. "That's not how they play. Those guys are athletes, they're clean-shaven; you rarely see the Yankees do stuff like that."

I'm sick of all the nonsense about the Yankee way. His implication seems to be that it would be acceptable for another team to retaliate, but not the Yankees. Most teams would have been mad about the injured catcher and most would have retaliated; it's about time the Yankees joined that group. Retaliation was warranted and it was issued; that may not be the Yankee way, but it's the way the game is meant to be played. My guess is that Johnny was just mad that he looked like such a fruit when trying to tackle the monster that is Shelley Duncan:

So to sum up today's post:
1. Bowling the catcher is uncalled-for in spring training.
2. Elliott Johnson sucks and isn't making the D-Rays anyway.
3. Joe Maddon is a moron.
4. Shelley Duncan is awesome.
5. The Yankees will, with any luck, start retaliating more often.
6. Johnny Gomes completely lacks tackling ability.

*Update:
I found the below quotes from the Yahoo article I linked earlier:

“His left foot was right there blocking the plate, and my options were either hook around and slide, I thought that would probably have taken too much time and I would have been out,” Johnson said. “The time that I had there, the instinct was slide and be out or hit it him and see if I can pop the ball loose.”

Johnson does understand Girardi’s point of view.

“Hopefully he’s OK,” Johnson said. “I’m not trying to hurt anybody. But I’m trying to show these guys what I can do, and I was just trying to score the run. Looking back at it, I’d have to say I’d probably do the same thing.”

Hey Elliott...you've got a career .250/.325/.377 line in the minors. Run over as many catchers as you want, you still suck.

The Joba debate

I'll probably have more to say about the great Joba debate of 2008 (it rhymes!) before long. However, Peter Abraham summed up my opinion pretty well today:

Mike and the Mad Dog were at Legends Field the last two days and interviewed assorted Yankees. Listen to the clips on WFAN.com if you want.

I just listened to their interview with Brian Cashman and wanted to put my head through a wall as they discussed Joba Chamberlain. They want him to pitch the 8th inning based on the 24 innings everybody saw last season.

What they (and many other people) don’t seem to understand is that Chamberlain was brilliant as a starter in the minors last season. Not good, brilliant. He was 9-2 with a 2.45 ERA. He was considered one of the best two or three starter prospects in the game.

The Yankees scouted him and drafted him as a starter. He throws four pitches and stands 6-2, 230 pounds. He’s a classic big, power right-hander. Using Joba as for one inning would be like saying A-Rod should be a pinch hitter because he’s such a great hitter.

Joba is, by most accounts, the number one pitching prospect in the game today. You wouldn't put Beckett or Johan in the pen, even though they'd be extremely successful there; you'd probably be laughed at for suggesting it. While Joba isn't at their level yet, he could reach that level very soon. He could be the Yankees' answer to those pitchers. It's beyond foolish to take someone with his level of talent and put him there.

And they day Mike and the Mad Dog have a valid opinion about present day baseball is the day pigs fly, Hell freezes over, and all the Diet Coke he drinks actually helps Mike to lose a pound.

The only article from today that matters

Is this one, from the Daily News. Blog namesake Phil Hughes, nearly traded this offseason for Johan Santana, threw 4 hitless innings yesterday. He has yet to allow a hit in 6 innings this spring. Yesterday, he struck out 1 and walked 2. Some of the good stuff:

"My fastball was good," Hughes said. "I threw some good breaking balls and a couple good changeups, but my slider was pretty bad. It's getting there."

Manager Joe Girardi likes what he sees:

Joe Girardi called the outing "really good," praising Hughes for using all his pitches, holding baserunners and "doing everything he has to do to be successful."

Said Girardi: "It seems like he's growing as a pitcher."

After his injury last year, we didn't see the real Phil Hughes until the playoffs, when he picked up the only Yankee victory against Cleveland, and I'm still not convinced he was even all the way back even then. Lacking his usual leg drive, he lost much of the snap on his curveball and some of his velocity. His 4.46 ERA is nothing to sneeze at, especially for a 21-year-old learning to pitch in the Majors, but it's made even more impressive when you consider that he did it without having his best stuff. I was only ever able to watch short clips of him pitching in the minors, but one thing I noticed when watching him with the Yanks was that, even sitting around 90 MPH, he still got a lot of swings and misses on his fastball. It seemed hitters had a hard time getting a read on the pitch. Having his normal velocity back will help him tremendously.

I'm expecting big things from my favorite Yankee this year. He's not yet ready to contend for a Cy Young, but he probably can put up a high 3's ERA and win a bunch of ballgames, which is what the Yanks need from him. Of course, his innings cap will limit him somewhat, but I still think he'll make the team happy that they held onto him. I can't wait for his first regular season start.

Wang, Joba, and Ian

I've noticed over the last few days that there is some unwarranted panic on the part of Yankee fans about the struggles of Wang, Joba, and Ian in the last couple of days. Everyone needs to relax, take a deep breath, and remember that it is spring training. While it's certainly not encouraging to see players struggle, it's also not necessarily a sign that there is something wrong. Consider:

1. This early, players often don't have arm strength and command in mid-season form.
2. Pitchers often use spring training to work on things, perhaps throwing to a side of the plate or using their offspead pitches more than they would in the regular season.
3. Pitchers sometimes struggle in the regular season. One bad outing does not mean that they're completely finished.
4. Short outings magnify the numbers. It's quite possible that, given more innings in their respective starts, Ian and Joba would have settled down and not given up any more runs.

The sky is not falling, and none of the aforementioned pitchers are toast. If they continue to struggle for the rest of spring, it'll be time to worry a little. But until that happens, rest easy and enjoy the fact that baseball is back.

Melancon - this year's Joba?

I've seen this suggested in a few different articles this offseason, and there's another one today. The highlights:

As Joba Chamberlain blazed through the Yankees' minor league system and became a late-summer sensation in the Bronx, Mark Melancon quietly rehabbed his elbow and silently cheered.

Suddenly, it's not crazy to believe that a kid with a few innings and immense potential could join the 2008 pennant race by August.......

At 6 feet 2, 215 pounds, Melancon (pronounced muh-LAN-sen) already is in possession of an electric fastball out of a high, three-quarter delivery. But his plus-rated, big major league curveball sets him apart. "It's just a hammer," said Mark Newman, the Yankees' chief of baseball operations.

I like Melancon a lot and see him as a big part of the Yankee bullpen, but I'm trying to hold off from expecting too much from him on the big-league level this year. He's about to turn 23, has 7 2/3 minor league innings under his belt, and is in his first year back from Tommy John surgery. It's entirely possible that he'll prove himself ready to contribute to a contender, but it's also possible that he'll need the entire year to get his form back, even if he looks great right now. While I wouldn't bet on him helping the Yanks a whole lot this year, I definitely wouldn't count him out, especially with the raves about his mental makeup.

Moose's Start

Murray Chass says that Moose's year will have an impact on the big 3:

All of which means the Yankees are counting on Mussina, partly because they are paying him $11.5 million this season, partly because his distinguished track record of 250 career wins makes him an ideal veteran presence to nurture a young staff.

The problem, of course, is that because he looked finished last season, to the point where he had to be pulled from the rotation in favor of Kennedy, even an early spring training start is subject to scrutiny.

As such the three-run monster home run that Carlos Lee hit off Mussina Monday was enough to set off alarms - March or not - at least among Yankee fans.

The Yankees definitely need innings out of Moose this year. With so many young starters on innings restrictions they need someone to pick up the slack and eat up some innings. I'm not expecting a return to his previous form, but 180 - 200 league average innings would be nice from him.

Also, if any alarms went off in your head because Moose gave up a home run to Carlos Lee in his first spring training start, you are an idiot.

Game Recap

Moose got off to a tough start, posting the following line: 2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 1 HR. Peter Abraham reminds us to keep it in perspective:

Mike Mussina wasn’t too upset with his performance, noting that worrying about the results this early in spring training would be counter-productive. He also noted that four of the six hits he allowed came on two-strke counts.

“I didn’t have an out pitch,” he said.

I’m sure the many members if the Yankee Panic Society will proclaim that Mussina is finished. But you can make up a long list of pitchers who looked like bums the first week of March and did fine once the season started. The list of pitchers who looked great the first week of March and proved to be bums is even longer.

He is absolutely right, of course. It was Mussina's first start of the spring, so there's really no reason to worry yet. Even the great Johan Santana got smacked around the other day. We shouldn't get too high or too low about any spring training results.

Even though I just admitted it doesn't mean much, blog favorite Morgan Ensberg was, at last check, 2-2 with a double, an RBI, a run, and an error. Shelley Duncan, unwilling to give any ground in the race to platoon with Giambi at first, is 1-2 with a double, RBI, and run.

Keep raking, Morgan.

Short post today

I'm fighting off a cold and have little energy, but if I get out of the habit of posting, I'll have a hard time getting back to it.

Shelley Duncan got off to a red-hot start this spring:

Shelley Duncan warns against gushing about the sizzling first exhibition game performance he delivered yesterday against the Phillies.

"You can't make too much of it," said Duncan, who clubbed a three-run homer in the first inning and drilled a two-run double off the left-field wall in the third that propelled the Yankees New York Yto a 9-3 win at Bright House Networks Field. "In spring training you can get locked in and the feeling goes away."

I like Shelley, but I have some concerns about him at the Major League level. It's quite possible he'd make an excellent platoon player, but I fear the holes in his swing will be overexposed. Then again, I think some of that is just my desire to see Morgan Ensberg make the team.

Chien-Ming Wang is working on developing his change up, which is good news for the Yankees and bad news for the rest of the league. Improving this pitch will allow him to strike more guys out, which, combined with his extreme groundball tendencies, makes for one hell of a pitcher. I hope he uses the pitch more throughout the season.

"Winning 19 games is all well and good but you have to change," pitching coach Dave Eiland said of Wang's willingness to make the change-up an out pitch that can be used eight to 10 percent of the time.

Wang learned the circle change in the minor leagues but basically has been a two-pitch hurler. And since his signature sinking fastball is so filthy, Wang has been able to get by. Yet, good hitting teams like the Red Sox and Indians have spanked Wang recently. Who can ever forget the paddling the Indians gave Wang in two ALDS games last year when the Yankees' ace went 0-2 with a 19.06 ERA. In 52/3 innings he gave up 14 hits (three homers).

"He puts it in the hitters' mind that instead of two pitches, now they go up there and think he might throw another one," said catcher Jose Molina who caught Wang's two-inning effort yesterday at Bright House Networks Field, where the Yankees topped the Phillies, 9-3.

Great quote from blog favorite Morgan Ensberg

On the team's win over USF:

Morgan Ensberg, who won a College World Series title while at Southern California, joked about a return trip after the win over USF. Said Ensberg: "If we keep playing like this, we'll be in Omaha in June."

Kei Igawa

There's not much I really need to say about Igawa. I had moderately high hopes for him when he was signed. I didn't think he'd be great, but I thought he'd miss enough bats to be a decent starter. It turns out I was only part right; he did miss plenty of bats, striking out 7.05/9 innings last year. His other numbers weren't so pretty: 10.11 H/9, 2 HR/9!, and 4.92 BB/9. He was better in AAA, but still allowed 1.32 HR/9, which is entirely too many for someone who puts a lot of guys on base.

Igawa's spring got off to a horrible start yesterday, giving up 4 runs on 1 hit (a grand slam), 2 walks, and a hit batter. Keep in mind that he was facing college kids using wood bats, and that the guy who hit the grand slam hasn't played in 2 years because of injuries and a transfer. Igawa apparently was hit hard in the head at some point during the game, because after the game, he was delusional:

In one inning, he allowed four runs, one hit, two walks and hit a batter.

The hit was a grand slam by Eric Bauman, who hadn't played collegiate baseball since 2005 because of transferring and injury.

"My control was pretty good," said Igawa, oblivious to the walks and hit batter.

"What I would like to do is to get more control when I am throwing harder. Today, I felt like I was throwing too low."

If two walks, a hit batter, and a wild pitch are good control, I'd hate to see him have bad control.

In much better news, the big three had a pretty decent day:

Chamberlain, who was given the start even though he is being groomed as Mariano Rivera's setup man, retired all six hitters he faced, fanning two. Kennedy, who is being counted on as the fourth or fifth starter, worked two scoreless innings and gave up a single. In one inning, Hughes faced three batters, didn't give up a hit and whiffed two.

It was an exhibition against a college team, but it was still good to see the big 3 have a successful day. I have huge hopes for all of them, particularly Phil Hughes (as the blog title would imply). I can't wait to see all three of them in real game action this year.

*Note: I refuse to post any part of the rest of the article, as it is George King and he insists on calling them Generation Trey, which is too stupid to even mock. King also insists on constantly reminding his readers that the pitchers were just facing college guys, as though we were all predicting a 3 way Cy Young race between the three because of their first exhibition starts. This is why I think George King should be fired...out of a cannon, into the sun.

Another slow news day today

Tino Martinez, an assistant coach at South Florida, doesn't want any nonsense when the Yankees play an exhibition game against the university today:

Tino Martinez remembers a San Diego State player sliding hard into second base against the New York Yankees in a 1998 exhibition game in San Diego. As a volunteer assistant coach at South Florida, Martinez also knows the college players will be nervous today at Legends Field when the Yankees host the Bulls in an exhibition game.

So, Martinez, also a special assistant to Brian Cashman, spread the word to the USF staff that there will be no "look-at-me-slides" and no trying to jam Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and the rest of the Yankees' star-studded lineup.

"I told our coaches, no pitching inside," Martinez said. "You don't want a catcher setting up inside on Jeter or A-Rod and then having the pitcher be nervous and miss," Martinez said.

From the same article, the big three will each pich today. I know it's a spring game against a college team, but I can't wait to hear how they fare:

Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes will be the first three pitchers used by Joe Girardi today. Chamberlain and Kennedy will throw two innings and Hughes one.

Again from the same article, don't expect to see Mo until Wednesday:

Don't expect Mariano Rivera in a game before Wednesday. Rivera isn't slated to work Sunday against the Phillies at Legends Field and doesn't normally travel, so he won't pitch Monday (at Houston) and Tuesday (at Toronto).

"Mo knows exactly what he is doing with his body," Girardi said of the ease-into-it plan Rivera adopted the past two springs.

This shouldn't be surprising; this is how Mo typically does spring training. We'll probably see him for 8 - 10 innings. What I do wonder about is if we'll see him bust out and continue to work on the changeup we saw him throw with some success last year. It could be a huge weapon for him as he continues to get older.

The Times makes even harder to not love Joba Chamberlain:

If everything works out for Joba Chamberlain — and life has been a dream lately — he will start and finish this season with a trip to Disney World. That is where athletes go after winning a championship, and it is where Chamberlain is going this weekend, with a family from Nebraska in tow.

Chamberlain is still so new to the major leagues that he remains, officially, a rookie. He will start the Yankees’ first exhibition game Friday against the University of South Florida, and his outsized persona — incandescent on the mound, effervescent off it — has made him an instant celebrity.

That status is felt most acutely in his hometown of Lincoln, Neb., where he is revered as a role model. An American Indian of modest roots, Chamberlain might as well be Johnny Appleseed or John Henry, a folk hero for children.

“For Lincoln to have someone like Joba, it’s the ultimate dream of little kids here,” said Deb Dabbert, the principal at Belmont Elementary in Lincoln. “He’s someone who worked really hard and made it great. Teachers use Joba a lot as an example of work ethic and following your dream. But they also stress his humbleness, because fame has not changed him.”

Chamberlain is 22, and his talent is the envy of pitchers much older. But he remains a “big kid,” he said, enamored with tattoos and text messaging, bounding through the clubhouse and telling no one in particular about the virtues of a big bowl of Apple Jacks.

Chamberlain has never been to Disney World. His father, Harlan, worked at a prison and raised two children without a wife, and he could never afford a family vacation. Chamberlain did not fly on an airplane until he was 18.

Last November, as he relaxed after a dizzying season, Chamberlain reflected on how far he had come and decided to invite someone like himself along for the ride. When he gets to Disney World this weekend, a family of five from Lincoln will be there with him, courtesy of Chamberlain.

“There are a lot of foundations, like Make-A-Wish, that do things for sick kids, and that’s great,” Chamberlain said. “I love that, and I do things like that. But a lot of things go unseen about parents that live paycheck to paycheck and make it by, but they don’t have anything extra to go take a trip.

“I’ve never taken a family vacation my entire life. I started thinking, I want to do something for a family — not necessarily that has someone sick, but someone who works for a living, pays their bills, provides for their family but doesn’t have enough extra money to do something that they want to do.”

Chamberlain often trades text messages with Jerome Ehrlich, his high school coach, who was one of the first people he contacted after he reached the major leagues last August. Ehrlich is also the physical education teacher at Belmont Elementary, which Chamberlain remembered because Ehrlich used to take the baseball team there to read to the children.

Chamberlain asked Ehrlich and Dabbert, the principal, to pick a worthy student from a working family to accompany him to Disney World, where he will take part in a weekend promotion for ESPN.

The student they picked was a fifth-grade boy, Kristan Martin, who will meet Chamberlain with his parents, Jeremy and Jeni Mort; his brother, Peyton Mort; and his sister, Sage Mort. Jeremy Mort told Dabbert that he cried after learning of the trip.

“We’re all in shock; it’s phenomenal,” said Mort, who is the general manager for the Kabredlos convenience store chain. “It speaks volumes to his character that he’d do something like this for a family he’s never even met before.

“The teachers obviously saw something in my son as far as his work ethic, which is something my wife and I try to instill in all our kids. It’s a Nebraska thing — hard work, that’s what we do.”

He's an amazing pitcher, and an equally as amazing person. How many athletes, met with almost instant celebrity and larger-than-life status in New York, would do something like this? I can't think of many.

How many teams regret letting Joba fall into the Yankees' hands with the 41st overall pick in 2006? Although, to be fair, I don't think the Yankees could have foreseen his meteoric rise to the majors.

Bobby Murcer will undergo a brain biopsy

There's a chance it's scar tissue from radiation, but there's also a chance it's another cancerous tumor. Hopefully it's just scar tissue...I like Murcer in the booth, and he seems like a great guy. My thoughts and prayers are with he and his family this evening. From the Star-Ledger:

"I've got to go back to Houston on Monday for more tests," Murcer told the Daily News, "which means I'm going to have to miss the first two spring-training (broadcasts). I still hope to be in Tampa in time for the third game (on March 7) and I'm still planning on doing my full schedule of games for the regular season."

According to the Daily News, Murcer's wife sent an e-mail to friends saying that an MRI revealed an "area that doctors are concerned about. ... Please pray that it will be determined to be necrosis (scar tissue from the radiation), and not another cancerous tumor. It's one of the two."

Not too much in the news today

Kind of a boring morning in terms of Yankee articles.

Matsui wants to play left, but the Yankees are penciling him in as the DH. I would have him take some reps at first, to see how he handles it. If he can do even a decent job there, it gives the Yanks a lot more flexibility. He may be unable to handle it, but it's worth a shot.

Girardi is planning on Moose having a spot in the rotation. This isn't all that surprising; unless he is lit up this spring, I always figured he'd be starting, at least at the beginning of the year. It sounds like he thinks his struggles last year were injury related:

Mussina had the worst season of his career, a path he started down when he strained his left hamstring in his second start. Karstens and Rasner were young pitchers getting opportunities to start but were struck down by injury early in the season.

"Health-wise, I was OK until Minnesota," Mussina said. "Then it was just one thing after another. Hamstrings take a long, long time to heal."

Moose continues with the display of humor:

When Mike Mussina was asked about Roger Clemens being referred to the Department of Justice for investigation, his first comment was: "I wasn't at the party." He was alluding to the Jose Canseco barbecue that has gotten so much press in recent weeks. When someone joked that they had pictures, he said: "You may have photos, but I'm not in them."

First round draft pick Andrew Brackman is a big man. And he temporarily struggled with his decision to give up basketball for baseball:

As a 6-foot-10 power forward on North Carolina State's basketball team, Andrew Brackman might have been an NBA draft choice. "I was told I could play at the next level," said Brackman, 22, who made a "very difficult decision" in choosing baseball over his first love. A right-handed power pitcher, Brackman also was rated the seventh-best overall prospect in last June's draft by Baseball America.

Elbow problems allowed him to slip to the Yankees with the final pick in the first round. He signed a four-year, $4.55 million deal, but admitted to "a little bit" of regret before undergoing Tommy John surgery last August. "If I was playing basketball, would I be having this surgery?" Brackman said he asked himself.

Brackman is bracing for a full year of rehabbing in Tampa, but is now comfortable with his decision. "Being here, and being able to participate [in big league camp] sort of makes you work that much harder for next year," said Brackman, who could battle for a spot in next year's starting rotation.

Brackman probably won't be battling for a spot in next year's rotation. His basketball commitment and a few injuries kept him from pitching too many innings in college. He most certainly needs some time in the minors, just to gain some more experience on the mound.

On another note, between Brackman, C.J. Henry, and Austin Jackson, the Yankees could have one hell of a minor league basketball team. If necessary, they could even bring back Aaron Boone on a minor league deal.