New Arod Allegations

Arod must be close to playing again, because here come the new Arod stories of the week.  In Selena Roberts new book, she has found one of Arod's ex-high school teammates who says Arod was juicing in school and that the coach also knew about it.  This is the same Selena Roberts from Sports Illustrated who revealed Arod was one of the 104 players who had tested positive for steroids during the "anonymous" testing period in 2003.  Roberts also reveals anonymous Yankee players and a clubhouse guy saw Arod and former Yankee pitcher Kevin Brown possessing HGH in 2004.  Other unnamed Yankee sources says Arod exhibited signs of steroid side effects.  

My initial reaction to these recent allegations is skepticism.  Of course, this will instantly lead to my wife calling me an Arod apologist, which I readily admit.  An ex-teammate in high school?  This could have been the team geek that Arod and his buddies duct-taped to the locker room bench and this guy has an axe to grind.  Maybe Arod forgot who this guy was when he asked Arod for free tickets when he made it to the Big Show.  Is this source really reliable?  As for Arod's anonymous teammates - what happened to the clubhouse code?  Give us your names, you gutless pukes.  Let Arod face his accusers.  And if you're going to name names, are you telling us Arod and Brown were the only juicers in the clubhouse?  Give us all the names! And would those 2 players be that stupid to be seen with HGH?  Well, maybe Brown would - he did punch a wall and broke his hand once.  

I'll be the first to admit if this was Big Sloppy or The Nugget, Youkilis, or that fraud Varitek, I'd be all over those guys and Sox fans.  That's part of the fun.  But, I'd still think the sources were somewhat shady - I just would never admit it to my friends, who root for that unlikeable team.

In the meantime, I hope Arod is taking HGH, with a legal prescription of course, so he can speed his way to a full recovery and spare Yankee fans the likes of Cody Ransom, Angel Berroa and Ramiro Pena.  For the record, if Arod or any other player tests positive for any banned or illegal substance, I'm actually in agreement with Big Sloppy - boot them for a year (although I believe Sloppy made this comment to hide his own shameful truth).  I also think those who tested positive should be tested everyday on their return from exile, with the costs of those tests coming out of the players pocket.  Why not make their salary the league minimum, too, since technically, they may have been cheating for a bigger pay day or causing some other guy at a shot.  Of course, MLB doesn't have the cajones to stand up to the union to make any of this happen.

Game 21 - Kiddie Corp to the Rescue

A lot of Yankee fans have been clamoring for Joba to return to the bullpen, but tonight he demonstrated why he's projected as a potential ace.  Joba pitched 7 solid innings, striking out 6 while allowing 3 hits, 3 walks and 1 run in the Yanks 8-6 win.  Tonight's performance followed on the heels of Phil Hughes great performance last night and with NY newspapers suggesting Joba could be heading for the bullpen if Hughes pitches well while Wang is on the DL.  Hopefully, Joba will use this start to keep the fans, who wish to waste young Joba's career as a set up man, at bay.  I always felt the Yankees ruined the great starting career of Dave Righetti when they turned him into a reliever.  Righetti had won the Rookie of the Year Award and pitched a no-hitter, but the Yankees turned him into their closer, despite needing an ace pitcher for years after Ron Guidry's retirement.     

Nick Swisher was the hitting star tonight, clubbing HRs from both sides of the plate and knocking in 4 runs.  He made a helluva catch in RF, too, in the 8th.  Props to Hideki Matsui, who I killed earlier this month, as he knocked in 3 runs with a bases clearing double.  His average is all the way up to .295 as he's been on a tear lately.  I've also noticed he's not doing the Japanese bailout at the plate, hence, the better numbers and hitting streak.

Yankee Bomber Doghouse:  Jonathan Albaladejo and Mariano Rivera did their best to give the Tigers hope in the 9th for a miracle comeback.  Trailing 8-1, the Tigers knocked both relievers around for 5 runs, making the game seem closer then it was.  I imagine Joba standing in the locker room putting on his street clothes, wondering if he was going to get his first win tonight.  Robinson Cano, hitting a robust .371, left 7 men on base.  I did some digging into his numbers, and Cano is living up to an old title I gave him a couple of years ago - "The Greatest Hitter With No Men on Base to Ever Live".  Despite his great average, he is hitting a paltry .188 with runners in scoring position.  I can't understand how batters just don't focus and bear down with runners on.  And can anyone remember the last time Teixeira actually had a hit?  Sure, he walks a lot, but he's currently driving on the interstate at .197, just below the infamous Mendoza line.  I hope the return of Arod helps protect him in the lineup and I also hope that the wrist that bothered him earlier in the season is not playing a factor.

Yankees Record:  11-10     

Game 20 - Hughes Stops Losing Streak

Phil Hughes was handed a position in the starting rotation last season, and performed terribly, going 0-4 with an E.R.A. over 6 while spending most of the season on the DL.  However, this year, with the signings of CC and AJ and the fifth spot going to Joba, Hughes found himself the odd man out and no longer the phenom Yankee fans have been hearing about for years. 

What most people forget about Hughes is his age.  He is only 22 years old, younger than Joba, and turning 23 in June.   For 6 innings tonight, he was everything the Yankees needed and more.  He held the Tigers to no runs on 2 hits, 2 walks, and 6 Ks in the Yanks 11-o victory.  Believe it or not, there was a period where I thought this beautiful effort by Hughes was going to be wasted, as Detroit pitcher, Edwin Jackson, matched Hughes for 6 frames.  It looked like the Bombers were going into a complete funk, scoring 1 run Sunday, 2 yesterday and 0 through 6 today.  In the 7th, the Yanks' hitters woke up, putting a 10 spot on the board.  Jose Molina delivered the big blow with a grand slam that capped off the inning.  That gives Molina 5 RBIs on the season.  Will he match last year's total of 18?  The race is on. 

But Hughes was the story, working ahead of the hitters and busting them inside with his cutter all night.  He made Placido Polanco, one of the toughest batters to strike out in MLB, buckle his knees on a beautiful curveball, sending him back to the bench.   Hopefully, this start will be a stepping stone to a great future for this young hurler.  The Yanks need some positive news and for Hughes to stay off the DL.

Yankee Bomber Doghouse:  I'd like to put Jorge Posada on this list, but I'll wait to see how the rest of the season develops.  Molina started again tonight because Jorge is nursing a sore hamstring.  But has anyone noticed Yankee pitchers hurling better games the last 2 nights?  When Molina starts, Yanks are 5-3 and have only given up 25 runs in those games.  Hmmm....interesting.  As for tonight's ball game, Teixeira was the only Yankee to go hitless, so he makes the list.  Although I normally won't put players who can't get a run in with runners in scoring position and 2 out, I have to put Melky in the doghouse, even if he went 2-3 with 2 walks.  What has this guy done to anger the baseball gods so badly?  Last season, he hit .208 with RISP, this year, he's 1-13!  Terrible!  He's an automatic out.  And he also forgets how to make contact in those situations.  He's an utter cancer in that lineup.  Edwar Ramirez enters the doghouse, too, for walking a man with a 10-run lead.  Inexcusable.  Not only that - why?

Yanks Record:  A mediocre 10-10

Other Baseball Notes:  Mets still can't beat Florida.  They have to pitch Santana and pray for 4 days of rain.  They're going nowhere this year.  Everybody's hero, Grady Sizemore, is hitting a whopping .256.  Let's stop the slurping.  Looks like King Felix Hernandez might be for real this year and live up to his hype.  I remember watching him mow down the Red Sox for a one-hitter last year.  That was a good day.  He's also very young and will probably only get better.  Big Sloppy, still looking for that first HR.   Looks like my buddy John's favorite player is back - Julio Lugo.  Enjoy Johnny.  I hope the Sox streak ends because of him.  That Brad Penny looks like a good signing with that 8.66 E.R.A. of his.  Time for the Sox to bring up Buchholz.

Game 19 - Offense Miserable Again

The Yanks pitiful ways continued tonight, as they dropped their fourth straight.  Despite the Crooked One pitching a solid, much needed, complete game, the Yanks fell to the Tigers, 4-2.  

Tigers pitcher, Justin Verlander, who entered the game with a solid 9.00 E.R.A., mowed through the Yanks like a John Deere tracker, striking out 9 in 7 innings.  The Pinstripers looked like a team suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, after getting swept this weekend.  It wasn't till the 9th inning, when they were finally able to break through on the scoreboard, when Cano doubled and Swisher knocked him in with a single.  Melky also followed with a single, but all hopes were dashed when Posada, representing the tying run, grounded into a double play, and thus, grounding out any hopes of a comeback.  

The Yanks are a team in crisis mode.  Entering the game, they had the worst E.R.A. in baseball - 6.26.  Nobody is hitting in the clutch, having the second to worst average with runners in scoring position.  Only the Nationals are worse.  If they continue to falter this week, I'm about to officially state their season is over.  Especially with the Sox looking like they won't lose again and the Blue Jays playing this year's version of the Rays.  The only thing that may save the Yanks is the fact that the Jays are the only AL East team who hasn't played anyone else in the division while the others are beating each other up.

Yankee Bomber Doghouse:  Yankee hitters, again.  Posada's double play made sure the Yanks had no chance whatsoever in coming back.  Arod cannot come back quick enough.  But will he be enough?    

Yankees Record:  9-10

Game 18 - Gutless Yanks Swept

The Yanks went down quietly tonight, meekly accepting their fate that since 2004, they are still second-class citizens to the Red Sox.  The Yanks managed just 7 singles, 2 each by Cano, Matsui and Cabrera.  Despite Cabrera's hits, he had the most opportunity to do some damage, but he predictably failed once again in the clutch, leaving 4 men on base.  

Andy Pettitte gave a solid effort, giving the Yankee bullpen some relief with 6 innings.  He was done in by 2 errors in the 3rd by Angel Berroa, a leadoff walk to weak hitting Varitek in the fifth and an embarrassing steal of home by Jacoby Ellsbury.  Pettitte should have learned his lesson  when he allowed a steal of home against Toronto 2 years ago that led to a loss.  However, the Yankee hitters were not going to provide any support tonight, looking like a gutless, pathetic team going through the motions and hoping to catch the first flight out of Beantown.  

Some good did come out of this game though - much anticipated Yankee rookie Mark Melancon made his major league debut, holding the Sox scoreless for 2 innings and quickly establishing himself as the best reliever in the bullpen.  He escaped a bases loaded, no out jam in the eighth.  He did what Absolute Joke Burnett should have, but could not, yesterday - he struck out Varitek with the bases loaded.

Yankee Bomber Doghouse:  Yankee hitters, except for Cano and Matsui.  Teixeira, except for some walks, was non-existent this series.  Not what the Yankees had in mind when they signed him for $180M this off-season.

Yankees Record:  9-9, and time to stop the bleeding.

Game 17 - Pitcher's Duel at Fenway

The Yankees suffered another humiliating defeat at the hands of the hated Red Sox. In a matchup that looked to be an old fashioned pitcher's duel on paper, turned into a slow pitch softball game. The Yanks quickly jumped all over Josh Beckett, building a 6-0 lead by the 4th inning. AJ Burnett was cruising, pitching one-hit ball for the first three innings. In the bottom of the 4th, the wheels fell off yet another bus for the Yanks. AJ turned into Absolute Joke, and turned a 6-0 lead into a slim 6-5 margin after 4 innings when he allowed a run scoring single and a grand slam to the highly suspect and suddenly looking buff again, Jason Varitek.

By the end of the 5th, the Yanks lead evaporated as Absolute Joke allowed banjo hitting Jacob Ellsbury to tie the score with a HR and newly anointed Yankee killer, Jason Bay, hit a 2-run double giving the Sox an 8-6 lead. Gone are the days of Manny and a much younger, perhaps enhanced Big Sloppy, but these Red Sox can still hit. How come no one is talking about what a joke hitting in Fenway Park is? I've been telling my buddy Craig even I could have hit about .260 in this ballpark.

The Yanks' hitters did their best by crawling back in this game. They tied the score at 8 on a Damon 2-run shot, only to have the Beantowners bounce back and go up 9-8. The Yanks then reclaimed the lead 10-9 when the midget Pedroia, a fraudulent Gold Glove winner last year, let a ball go through his wickets, leading to the go ahead runs. Never fear, Red Sox fans, the Yankees God-awful bullpen just kept coughing it up, serving up a 3-run blast to the gimp Mike Lowell. The Yanks staged one last gasp, as Cano hit his second HR of the day, bringing the Yanks within 12-11.

The Yankees bullpen however, would do everything they could to make sure the Sox wouldn't blow this game, allowing 4 more runs in the 8th, the fifth straight inning Boston scored.

Yankee Bomber Doghouse: Everyone who impersonated an MLB pitcher on the Yankee staff today. They should all forfeit a day's salary to charity. Absolute Joke was handed a huge 6-0 lead and flushed it down the toilet. 9 Red Sox runs came with 2 out. Unacceptable. For the Yankee hitters, there's not much to complain about, but Jeter failed getting a run in with less than 2 outs, striking out with men on second and third in the 7th. And Melky is up to his old tricks that he pulled last year, where he was horrendous and an utter failure with runners on third with less than 2 out. Finding himself in this position yet again, he weakly grounded back to the pitcher in the 8th, getting Posada caught in a rundown. If I were GM, he would be banished to AAA.

The Yanks have been besieged by injuries as Bruney, Wang and Ransom officially went on the DL today, but that's the least of their worries. I don't think GM Brian Cashman envisioned his bullpen being this horrific. I personally thought the Yanks should have signed reliever Juan Cruz from the D-backs this offseason. He signed with KC for cheap after striking out 71 batters in 51+ innings with a 2.61 E.R.A. Certainly he would have been a huge upgrade over Edwar Ramirez and Jose Veras. Plus, has anyone seen Damaso Marte this year? Why pay so much money on a team and not upgrade the latter part of the game with good relief?

Red Sox are probably feeling giddy these last 2 days. I have not been impressed with either Lester or Beckett and their bullpen is suspect, despite the reports I heard they're bullpen was much improved. They gave up 11 runs today to a Yankee lineup that has been struggling. I don't think they'll be putting up 16 runs everyday to bail out their overhyped pitching staff (although no more overhyped than the Yanks much abused staff). That being said, I feel a sweep coming.

Yanks Record: 9-8

Does today's loss count as a Blown Win?

Game 16 - Brutal Loss

Tonight was a brutal loss to swallow for Yankee fans. Up 4-2 in the bottom of the 9th with 2 out, Mariano Rivera served up a game tying gopher ball to Jason Bay. And then to top off the evening, Kevin "Please Don't Throw at my Big Head" Youkilis won the game in the 11th with a moon shot off of Damaso Marte.

Joba Chamberlain started the game for the Yanks and apparently was visited by the ghost of Chien-Ming Wang past, using 4 double plays in 5 1/3 innings to constantly duck out of trouble and avoiding the big innings by the Bosox. He walked 4 and struck out 2, both Ks coming against the blow hard, hypocrite Big Sloppy Ortiz, who called out Joba for throwing near the Nugget Youkilis' head a couple of times. When Joba left in the 6th with one out, I must admit, I had no confidence the Yankees bullpen would be able to reach Rivera with a lead. Never in my imagination did I imagine Rivera would once again collapse against the hated Red Sox after a brilliant effort by the Yankees pen to bridge the gap to him.

Although the Red Sox had many chances early in the game to break this game open, the Yankees had just as many, if not more, and were a putrid 4-19 with runners in scoring position, blowing one opportunity after another. It seemed like they had 2 runners on base every inning, but couldn't come up with the big hit to put the game out of reach. Hopefully, this game will not carry over the rest of the weekend, however, they must face old nemesis Josh Beckett in Saturday's afternoon match.

Yankee Bomber Doghouse: Rivera. C'mon, you can't be serving up a game tying HR with 2 out in the 9th. Haven't you blown enough saves against the Sox? And of all teams, this just kills Yankee fans. Nick Swisher makes the list for failing to get in a run with the bases loaded and no outs. Different season, different players, and yet the same old results that haunted and killed this team last year - failing to get that runner in from third with less than 2 outs. Others who also failed: Cano, who hit into a miserable double play with the bases loaded in the 9th with 2-out, failing to bring in any insurance run for the Yanks. And Jeter, Teixeira and Cabrera all failed in extra innings with a runner in scoring position.

Where is Brian Bruney? Apparently, he has a cranky elbow and was sent back to NY to have it checked out. They could have used him instead of the ineffective Marte. The Yanks put the ghost of Chien-Ming Wang present on the DL with "weakness in the abductor muscles of both hips". I don't know what this is, but bravo to the Yanks for coming up with this mysterious ailment. They just can't send this guy out again till he's right. The reign of the Interstate King may have come to an end tonight. Cody Ransom was pulled from the game in the 8th for a pulled quadricep and placed on the DL after the game. The Yanks called up Dave Robertson from AAA and probably will call up Angel Berroa to replace Ransom till Arod returns. The only good thing that came out of tonight's game was watching Big Sloppy get the Golden Sombrero with 4 Ks. Time for someone to retire maybe? Or has someone's secret source dried up? Interesting.....who are those 103 other names that tested positive back in 2003? Hmmm.

Yankees Record: 9-7

Blown Wins: 2

Big Sloppy - Shut Your Mouth or Stuff It With Food, Please

This was printed today by Mike Puma of the New York Post who quoted the Big Sloppy regarding Chamberlain's penchant for going after the Big Nugget's nugget – “With Chamberlain scheduled to start for the Yankees in the opener of a three-game series against the Red Sox, David Ortiz yesterday said the talented right-hander should avoid using Kevin Youkilis' head as a bull's-eye. "None of that, man -- just play the game the way it's supposed to be, and that's about it," Ortiz said, referring to Chamberlain.

"This is a guy, as good as he is, the next step for him will be to earn respect from everybody in the league. He's not a bad guy, but when things like that happen, people get the wrong idea."

Thanks, Big Sloppy for putting it all into perspective for us. But where were you, when your good buddy, and fellow countryman, Pedro Martinez, used to routinely knock down Yankee batters like they were milk bottles at a carnival? Where were you being the voice of reason, when Pedro hit Alfonso Soriano and Derek Jeter, sending them to the hospital? Better yet, why didn’t you keep the peace and protect ol’ Don Zimmer who charged at Pedro and was thrown down like a rag doll, because Pedro was gesturing and threatening to bean Posada in his skull?

Big Sloppy – keep your mouth shut and hopefully be ready to duck. You’ve been too cozy in your at bats against the Yanks these past years. Hopefully, Chamberlain or Burnett can change that and keep the portly slugger at zero HRs.

Game 15 - Bullpen Saves Yanks

. Sorry, that was CC coughing up 2 Yankee leads and leaving the game with the scored tied 7-7 in the seventh inning. Another shaky performance. Thankfully, the bullpen pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings, something CC should have been able to do against the weak hitting Athletics lineup. The Yanks finally won the marathon in the 14th inning on a walkoff 2-run shot by Melky Cabrera. Before we start throwing rose petals at Melky's feet and crowning him with laurel, there's more to his story. I'll get to that soon enough.

The Crooked One gave up the A's fourth HR of the year (that's not a misprint, as a team they've hit 4!) to new Yankee killer, Kurt Suzuki (a.k.a. the Suzuki That Swings Like a Man). It was a 3-run shot that gave the A's a quick 3-0 lead in the 2nd. Matsui and Cabrera followed up with back-to-back HRs in the bottom of the inning for the Yanks, cutting the lead to 3-2. The Coughing Clown, however, negatively responded all day whenever the Yankees gave him runs. He promptly gave 1-run back in the fourth. Yankee hitters, to their credit, kept coming back, taking a 5-4 lead on Jeter's fourth HR of the year, a laser to deep, dead center in the 4th. Sabathia had another coughing fit in the 6th, giving up a 2-out hit to Mark Ellis to tie the game. The Yanks once again went ahead 7-5 with 4 straight hits in the bottom of the 6th. In the top of the 7th, you guessed it, CC coughed up another 2-run fur ball, with Matt Holliday getting another 2-out hit to score the tying run. Please, CC, buckle down with 2 out.

To CC's credit, he probably shouldn't have come back out for the 7th inning. He reached the 100 pitch plateau through 6 frames, but Girardi got greedy. If anything, he should have been removed when he gave up a single to Bobby Crosby to start the 7th inning. Amazingly, Girardi came out to visit Sabathia with 2 outs, a man on third, and righty hitting Holliday at the plate. Girardi inexplicably left him in. Bad move, coach, bad move, as Holliday tied the game.

The hometown boys had their chance to score more runs and take the lead in the bottom of the 7th against 40-year old journeyman Russ Springer. Loading the bases with no outs, up steps the Melk-man. He forgot to deliver, striking out on a pitch over his head and once again, justifying why he's considered a fourth or fifth outfielder at best. Then Girardi made what I thought was another questionable move - he pinch hit Ransom for Gardner. Now, I've been one of Ransom's harshest critics, but I believe he has more potential to hit a sac fly than Brett Gardner. He also doubled in his previous at bat and Girardi needs to boost this guy's confidence. My hunch was right, as I listened to Yankee radio announcer, John Sterling tell us how Gardner looked terribly overmatched by Springer's 90 mph fastballs. Gardner popped up. Jeter also followed with a pop out, thus stranding the bags full.

Suddenly then, the pitching either got very good or the hitting very bad, as both teams were shut down till Melky's winning shot. Jose Veras got the win in relief, overcoming his "Walk the First Batter" disease that he recently contracted. After the lead off walk, he settled down to retire the last 10 batters he faced with 4 strikeouts.

Yankee Bomber Doghouse: Sabathia, obviously. A disturbing trend I've noticed about CC - his lack of strikeouts. He only had 2 today (both ol' friend Giambi) and has 12 Ks in 24+ innings. Not his usual ratio. It will be something to monitor in his upcoming starts. Damon made the list with his embarrassing drop on a fly ball, which led to an unearned run. Jeter was camped under it when Damon called him off. Hey Johnny, never call off Jeter, who is probably the best infielder I've ever seen going back on pop ups. Gardner enters the doghouse, for his pathetic pop up with the bases loaded and less than 2 outs. Melky does make my list, despite winning the game in the 14th. He could have saved the pen 5 innings if he hit a simple sac fly with the bases loaded and NO outs in the 7th. Hell, a double play would have brought in a run. And finally, Girardi, for his questionable choice of leaving Sabathia in and pinch hitting Ransom with the light hitting Gardner.

Next up, the blazing hot Red Sox. Joba just aim for the Nugget's (Youkilis) head. Need to cool him off.

Yankee Record: 9-6

Response to Theo Epstein Disciple (TED)

TED said...

First of all Girardi needs to pull Wang into his office and convince him that he has arm fatigue. If that doesn’t work he may want to try and hire Tanya Harding, if she’s not boxing or making movies, to help “influence” Wang into taking some time off. Seriously though I belief loss of confidence is the biggest problem Wang is having, ala Clay Buchholz 2008. I know his ball movement is lacking and his location is up, but I think he’s lost faith in his stuff and instead of rearing back and firing the ball into Posada’s mitt he’s pushing it. Make the guy miss a few starts and have him start from scratch working on his mechanics.

By the way I’m glad you mentioned something about the new Yankee stadium being the Coors Field of the East. I was beginning to think that the huge amount the Empire spent on the new home included some Rocky Mountain air. If this keeps up do you think some pitchers will think twice before signing with the Yanks in the future in fear of inflated ERA’s?

APRIL 21, 2009 3:33 PM 

Dear TED,

Excellent ideas - Girardi should take a page out of Terry Francona’s book by convincing Wang that he has arm fatigue like Matsuzaka, the Dart Thrower.  I’m also betting Tanya Harding would do the kneecap thing for cheap, probably a 6 pack of Schlitz, if the arm fatigue thing doesn’t work.  I think the mysterious Dontrelle Willis “anxiety disorder” is also another good way to go.

I hope your observations are right, and this is just a confidence issue.  Brian Bruney thinks Wang is afraid to push off with his power foot, which he injured last year.  Bruney also suffered the same injury early last season and had trouble trusting his foot upon his return later in the year.  

As for the new stadium being a launching pad, you bring up a good point about free agent pitchers potential fear of signing with the Yanks.  Perhaps the Yanks will begin using humidors like Colorado or build their own “Monster” in right.  We can call it the Blue Monster.  I’m just hoping that first series with Cleveland was a fluke.  Time will tell.   

Have you also noticed all the empty seats?  It appears the Yanks greed is catching up to them.  $2600 for a seat?  Maybe if they resurrected Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Maris and Dimaggio.  They better lower those prices fast, because it almost looks like a Marlins game in the lower stands.

Thanks for reading and keep sending those comments.

-Yankee Bomber

Game 14 - Thank God the Athletics Can't Hit

In a battle of teams who struggle driving in runs, the Yanks used their second inning-four run rally stand up, as they held off the A's, 5-3.  Finally surmounting a rally without the aid of the long ball, the Yanks had a 2-run single from Brett Gardner and RBI singles from Damon and Teixeira.  The inning may have gone longer if Damon hadn't gotten thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.  Damon would redeem himself later with a solo HR in the 6th.  

Andy Pettitte (2-0) picked up the victory, scattering 9 hits over 7 innings.  Except for the 2 runs he allowed in the fourth, Pettitte never allowed the A's to get the big hit, stranding 3 runners at third.  His defense was also stellar behind him, with Gardner making a monster catch in deep center off of Giambi and Teixeira turning a nifty double play with Posada.   The Hammer of God (Mariano) picked up his 4th save of the season.  

Speaking of Giambi, Yankee fans showed true class by greeting him with a standing ovation in his first at bat.  Perhaps Oakland fans (apologies to my wife, who's an A's fan) should take a lesson - they booed Giambi upon his return to Oakland when he signed with the Yanks, despite the fact he wanted to re-sign with Oakland with a no trade clause.  I'd say Red Sox fans should also learn some class from their rivals, but we all know that's genetically impossible.  They booed Johnny Damon upon his initial return to Boston after signing with the Yanks, although it was he who personally destroyed the Yankees in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs.  How quick they forget.

Yankee Bomber Doghouse:  Mr. Interstate, Cody Ransom makes the list (again and again and again).  He weakly popped out to short RF with men on second and third base and no outs, failing once again to get the run in.  The good news for Cody is he went 1-4 (albeit with 2 Ks), raising his average from .150 to a robust .159.  A sac fly, a sac fly, my kingdom for a sac fly.  This team was at or near the bottom of MLB in sac flies last year and so far, they're off to a good start at repeating last year's pitiful performance.

Yankees Record:  8-6

Yankees Rained Out; Wang to Miss Start

The Yanks-Athletics game was rained out tonight.  The Pinstripers announced Chien-Ming Wang will miss his next start due to the rainout and off day, Thursday.  Pettitte will pitch tomorrow and Crooked Cap on Wednesday.  Joba, Burnett and Pettitte will pitch the weekend series against the Bosox.  

I'm hoping Joba tries to put another fastball in Kevin "Big Nugget" Youkilis' ear to try and throw the guy off his game.  Youkilis has been killing the ball since the season started.  I enjoy watching that big headed clown cry and moan every time Joba pitches inside.  Personally, I think Joba gets hypnotized by Youkilis' big dome and the ball just follows it like a planet orbiting the sun.

Ortiz has been slumping terribly, so I predict he'll come out of it when he faces the Yanks.  My prediction:  2 HRs.  It's amazing how most of the league finally caught up to Ortiz except the Yanks.  I still think Yanks money goes into everything but scouting.  I'm sure Dustin "Yoda" Pedrioia will bust out of his slump, too.  

What To Do With Wang

The Yanks have a big decision concerning Chien-Ming Wang.  In 3 starts, he's pitched a total of 6 innings with an E.R.A. of 34.50.  His next scheduled start is against the Red Sox, but you get the feeling, his teammates aren't relishing the thought.  Johnny Damon actually had the guts to call out Wang, as quoted from the New York Post:

"We have six losses on the year right now and he's got three of them," Damon said. "And in all three of those games, we've been blown out and we've had to go to our bullpen. So maybe our bullpen's not sharp the following days. So I don't know what more to say, but hopefully he can figure it out because it'd be tough to keep on going like this."

I applaud Johnny Damon for his honesty.  This team cannot continue to allow Wang to corrupt the bullpen the way he has in his first 3 starts.  Fortunately, for the Yanks, AJ Burnett has been able to provide some distance in his starts, but God help this team if he falters after Wang.  For now, the Yanks can skip Wang's next start in the rotation, with Thursday, his turn in the rotation, being an off day.  That would allow Burnett to open up the Red Sox series.  In the meantime, the Yanks do not have the luxury of banishing Wang to the minors, since he is out of options and likely would be claimed on waivers.  Hopefully, they'll send him to get some work in the bullpen and call up either Phil Hughes, who is 2-0 in the minors, or Alfredo Aceves.  

Do any of you other Yankee fans/Yankee haters have any suggestions?  Let's hear it! 

Game 13 - Instant Replay and a Gift-Wrapped Double

After robbing the Yankees of $40M for the past 4 years, Carl Pavano baffled his old team for 6 innings, leaving the game with a 3-1 lead.  Pavano went 9-8, with an E.R.A. over 5 in 26 career games for the Yankees, costing them an average of $4.5M per win.  He spent most of his time on the DL with injuries that included having a line drive ripped off his skull, a bruised buttocks, broken ribs in a car accident, and finally, Tommy John surgery.  George King, of the New York Post, would dub him "American Idle". 

AJ Burnett didn't have his best stuff today, giving up 3 earned runs and 7 walks, but gutted out 6 1/3 innings.  Unsung hero, Jonathan Albaladejo, came in with the bases loaded in the top of the 7th and retired both batters he faced to keep the Yanks within 2.  Then came the drama.

The Yanks were spared ignominious defeat, when the Indians pulled new Yankee slayer, Pavano, in the bottom of the 7th.  Cano led off with an opposite field double.  Matsui, who's been taking up residence on the interstate, knocked Cano in with a single.  After the Slum Lord of the Interstate, Cody Ransom, forced out Matsui at second with a pathetic bunt attempt, Posada stepped to the plate, pinch hitting for another interstate dweller, Jose Molina.  Posada launched a shot to right.  Indians outfielder, Trevor Crowe jumped at the wall amongst a sea of arms and came down empty handed, but with the ball bouncing down on him.  Fortunately, for the Yankees, the first base umpire ruled it a HR, giving the hometown heroes a 4-3 lead.  Cleveland manager, Eric Wedge, argued the call and the fun started.  

The umpires huddled together for several minutes and after coming to no decision, went to review the instant replay.  MLB now allows umpires to review disputed HR calls.  Granted, this HR was definitely disputable, although I feel the umpires got it right.  However, the system needs some serious kinks ironed out.  It took way too long for the umpires to final determine the call.  If I were managing, I'd be perturbed my reliever was standing on the mound getting cold while it took nearly 5-10 minutes to make a final decision.  

In the bottom of the 8th, the Yanks loaded the bases with 2 outs, when the King of the Interstate, Cody Ransom, stepped to the plate.  I was watching the game on TBS when they showed a disturbing statistic that 8 National League pitching staffs were hitting better than Ransom.  On a full count, Ransom swung at a fastball down the pipe.  It was a nice swing on the ball, but his bat exploded.  The ball appeared to be headed for an easy fly out down the LF line.  Cleveland's LF, Shin-Soo Choo pulled up short like he never really saw the ball, and it fell for a bases clearing double.  Mariano would come in to sew up the 7-3 victory, ending the game by striking out the nauseating Grady Sizemore.   

Game observations:  It appears Swisher's genie has finally gotten back into the bottle, as he struck out 3 times, including once with the bases loaded, against American Idle.  He did hit a double later in the game.  Jeter killed a potential rally, grounding into his second double play of the year with runners on first and second in the 6th.  The Yanks went 3-7 with runners in scoring position after going 1-25 the first 3 games of the series.

Yanks Record:  7-6

Game 12 - Wang Pitches Batting Practice III

It must seem like Groundhog Day to Chien-Ming Wang, because every time he pitches, he gets slapped around like a red-headed stepchild. Today, he got bombed yet again, and the bullpen was even worse, as the Yanks were humiliated and neutered in perhaps the worse performance I have ever laid eyes on. The lost 22-4. 22-4! It was so bad, Girardi pulled Jeter by the 4th inning.

Wang lasted 1.1 innings, giving up 8 earned runs. Strangely, he retired the side in the first inning before the wheels not only fell off the bus, but bounced around and killed all the other motorists around it. Enter in Anthony Claggett, making his major league debut today. I'd say remember this name, but you will never hear from this guy again. I hope his parents taped this performance just to prove to family and friends that he did, indeed, make it to the big show. If I were them, though, I would tape over everything after he makes his first pitch with a Seinfeld rerun or an Andy Rooney interview on 60 minutes.

To say he was terrible would be an understatement. It reminded me of the time when I was a kid and I would play wiffle ball with my little brother and I would crush anything he could throw over the plate. Claggett, today, was my little brother. He should be banished to the furthest regions of the minor leagues. Whoever in the Yankee organization thought that this guy could help the big league club should be out of baseball. He had absolutely nothing for a fastball or off-speed pitches. I just hope this guy didn't unpack his suitcase. 4 straight batters reached base before he retired a batter. When he finally did, Yankee fans gave him the ol' sarcastic Bronx cheer. He followed that by promptly giving up a grand slam and another HR, before mercifully ending the inning. By the time the dust settled, the Indians had scored 14 runs. Believe it or not, the Yanks had led 2-0 after the first on a Mark Teixeira HR.

Claggett shouldn't be the only casualty sent off to a semi-pro team in Des Moines, Iowa. Wang should be banished to Single A ball or the rookie league because he is clearly lost. The Yankees cannot afford to run this guy out there again. They are 6-3 in games he has not pitched. Sadly, I'm starting to yearn for the days when Kei Igawa or Ian Kennedy started. As bad as they were last year, I could falsely hope that maybe, just maybe, they might be able to pitch a half way decent game where the Yanks might be able to compete. In the 3 games Wang has started this year, by the time he has departed, the damage is too much to overcome. I'd take a 5-inning, 5 run outing right now. It would be leap years ahead of what he's provided so far.

As for the hitting, it's hard getting on a team who must have been totally deflated and unmotivated after the second inning debacle. But, they did continue their terrible clutch hitting, going 0-5 with runners in scoring position, including Cano unable to get a run in from third and less than 2 out. For the series, they are 1-25. Piss poor. To save face, the Yanks must beat Pavano tomorrow, and I recommend they beat him badly to put this game in the rearview mirror.

As for the new Yankee Stadium, it's becoming an offensive joke. It's Coors Field East. Cleveland hit 6 HRs today and the Yanks hit 2. Yesterday, the Yanks hit 5 dingers. I never saw balls fly out of the old Yankee Stadium like I have seen the past 3 days. Arod must be licking his chops to get back. He may still hit 40 HRs even after missing the first month of the season. Anything in the air to RF is gone.

Hopefully, Burnett steps up again after another Yankee loss.

Yanks Record: 6-6
Clueless Wang's Record: 0-3, E.R.A. 34.50
The Immortal Anthony Claggett: E.R.A. 43.20 - we hardly knew ye.

Game 11 - Yanks Win, Despite Joba

Despite Joba Chamberlain allowing 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings and Yankee hitters continuing to fail miserably in the clutch by going 0-9 with runners in scoring position, they managed to pull out a 6-5 victory against Cleveland.  

Joba couldn't spot his fastball, his curveball, his slider and probably couldn't spot his uniform in the clubhouse laundry cart, he was so off target today.  Out of 93 pitches, 47 of them were balls.  Terrible.  To make matters worse, he was pitching against Cleveland, another brutal to watch, boring team that takes pitch after pitch.  If umpires starting calling more strikes, perhaps they would eliminate this often used strategy that drags games on endlessly and forces us fans to scream at bullpen guys who probably have no business being in the majors.  

Speaking of bullpens, the Yankees bullpen continued their Jekyll and Hyde performance, pitching shutout ball for the last 4 1/3 innings.  Brian Bruney continues to amaze, striking out 2 more batters, giving him 12 in 6 innings.  Mariano Rivera picked up his 3rd save after making things interesting in the 9th.  After giving up 2 singles after recording the first out, he struck out the highly overrated, overhyped, overslurped Grady Sizemore and Mark DeRosa to end the game.  

I'm sure everybody is all smiles with the Yankee hitters clubbing 5 HRs today, but they were all solo shots.  I saw a team that just continued to struggle manufacturing runs.  Jeter, Damon, Teixeira, Cano, and Cabrera all hit their HRs to right field.  Apparently, there is a jet stream out there as balls seem to take off when hit to RF.  Jeter hit the go-ahead shot in the bottom of the 8th.   However, this team couldn't drive in a man on second with no outs twice, and left men all over the place.  Posada has left 11 men on in 2 games now.  Nobody on this team would ever make it as a Green Beret, with their motto "No man left behind", because there are good men, and more importantly, good runs being wasted out there.  

The Yanks were hit with more bad news today when Matsui couldn't go because of fluid buildup on his knee.  This is a glass half-empty, half-full kind of news.  For as bad as Matsui has been, that leaves more playing time for Melky.  Hopefully, he'll take advantage of his playing time, and is off to a good start with his HR today.  It appears Nady is done for the season.  

Tomorrow, Wang tries to get past the first inning.  I hope the bullpen goes to bed early tonight.  It could be a long Saturday afternoon.

Congrats to Cody Ransom.  After falling below the interstate, his single in his third at bat brought his average up to .121.  Arod - please, where are you, buddy?  Hurry!

Yankees Record:  6-5 

Game 10 - Stadium Opening is a Bust

How embarrassing!  It appears the old Yankee ghosts and the aura and mystique of the old stadium did not carry over to the new digs.  After all the annoying pomp and ceremonies were completed, the Yanks and Cleveland Indians actually played a game today. Unfortunately, only the Indians truly showed up, smacking around the Yanks 10-2.  In typical Yankee fashion, they made Cliff Lee regain his Cy Young form, even though he struggled in spring training with an E.R.A. in double digits and a 9.90 E.R.A. in his first 2 starts. They were 1-10 with runners in scoring position and seem to be continuing the same aggravating trend that characterized their whole season last year.  

Crooked Cap Sabathia kept the Yanks in the game, despite his wildness (5 walks). He pitched 1-run ball for 5 2/3 innings, before departing with an alarming 122 pitches and the score still tied 1-1.  The wheels fell off in the top of the 7th.  To quote Yankee announcer, Michael Kay, "the bullpen was dreadful."  Jose Veras, who was partially responsible for blowing the Royals game last week, came in and walked the first batter on 4 pitches.  2 doubles later, he was out of the game and the Yanks were down 3-1.  Damaso Marte did his best impersonation of an arsonist by throwing more gasoline onto the fire, as he got bombed for 6 runs.  He gave up a grand slam to the highly overrated media darling, Grady Sizemore, and a solo shot to Victor Martinez.  9 total runs in one inning!  My men's slow pitch softball team hasn't scored 9 runs in a game yet.  It was an absolute miserable performance that totally derailed the script of the stadium's new opening. It was the Yanks first home opening loss since 1997.   

The Yankees hitting wasn't any better.  They constantly had Lee on the ropes, putting 10 men on base the first 5 innings.  None of those runners scored - it was Posada's HR that finally put the Bombers on the board.  Currently, there are quite a few guys living on the interstate (hitting less than .200):  Teixeira, Matsui, and Cody Ransom are killing this team offensively. Ransom is barely hanging on to the interstate, lowering, as if it's possible, his batting average from .120 to .100!  He couldn't even knock in a run in the last inning with the bases loaded and 1 out, fittingly ending the game with a double play.   

As for positives, though far and few between today, Cano kept up his hot hitting with 3 knocks. Swisher had a double, and recent Yankee call up, Dave Robertson, pitched 2 shutout innings in mop up duty.  It appears the Yanks will lose outfielder Xavier Nady for the year, which is huge. 

Nady is a steady ballplayer with some pop from the right side.  He also gave them depth and it pushed Melky Cabrera deep on the bench.  Unfortunately, Melky now will have a larger role. With Matsui slumping, Girardi was able to bench him with Damon, Nady and Swisher in the fold.  It appears that Matsui will be able to keep his at bats now.  Speaking of which, I must give Girardi huge props for benching Matsui for a couple of games this week.  Under the padre Joe Torre regime, Torre would have continued to run Matsui out there everyday because of his blind faith in veteran players.

Arod - please hurry back.  This lineup is WEAK!

Other notes:  Red Sox put Matsuzaka on the 15-day DL with "shoulder fatigue".  I read Terry Francona had to convince the Dart Thrower to go on the DL.  I'm thinking Francona can't stand watching him throw 25-30 pitch innings.  I think the league has finally caught up to his wood allergy act.  It's a shame.  I was looking forward to the Yanks slapping him around later this month. 

Yanks Record:  5-5

    

Game 9 - Capitalist Yanks Overcome Socialist Rays in Squeaker

The free spending Yankees defeated the revenue hoarding Rays, 4-3 today, as the Yankee old timers stepped up, yet again, and helped the Yanks win the series.  Andy Pettitte pitched 7 1/3 innings, giving up 3 earned runs and provided the Yankees with a quality start and another respite for the beleaguered bullpen.  Derek Jeter knocked in the winning run with 2 out in the top of the ninth and Mariano Rivera needed just 8 pitches to record the final three outs for his second save.  

Brian Bruney, still channeling the ghost of Goose Gossage for a second straight game, came in to strike out 2 more Rays in 2/3 of an inning, giving him 5 straight Ks overall.  Who is this guy all of a sudden?  Robinson Cano helped the Yanks tie the game 2-2 with a 2-run HR in the 4th inning, before Carlos Pena put the Penny Pinchers up 3-2 with a HR in the bottom of the inning.  

Yankee hitters struggled all day, but Joe Maddon, Rays manager, began to outguess himself and started to believe the hype that everything he did turned to gold.  He started the ol' Tony LaRussa school of thought with mixing and matching his bullpen and paid the price.  Jeter doubled to lead off the eighth and with Maddon bringing in lefty JP Howell, Johnny Damon doubled in the tying run.   In the ninth, Maddon brought in his 6th pitcher of the day, Troy Percival.  He gave up a one out double to Cody Ransom, and after Jose Molina lined out to 3rd, Mr. November stepped up and delivered the game winning hit.  The win gave the Yanks a 5-4 record on their longest road trip to start a season in team history.  

Congratulations to Cody Ransom who is finally hitting on the interstate.  Unfortunately, Mark Teixeira joined him today with an 0-4 and 3 Ks and is now hitting .174.  Cano and Swisher continued their hot hitting, although Swisher struck out with Damon on second in the 8th.  As a team, the Yanks struck out another 8 times today.  These high strike out rates could begin to haunt them if they begin leaving potential runs on base. 

I'm hoping the Rays get exposed this year.  I wonder what Maddon would have done if the game remained tied for awhile, since he practically blew through his whole bullpen.  I'm just dumbfounded by these managers with the quick hooks on their pitchers.  I'm also tired of hearing about all their young talent. They better have young talent - they've had 2 out the top 40 draft picks for the last 10 years!

Other Notes:

- Tomorrow, the new Yankee Stadium opens with Crooked Cap taking on his old teammates, the Indians.  Let's hope some of the old ghosts in old Yankee Stadium have made the trip across the street.

-Kudos to Tim Wakefield for his near no-no which he lost in the 8th against the A's.  I remember going to a game in Boston in the mid-'90s where Wakefield had a no-hitter going into the 8th when Mark "I'm not hear to talk about the past" McGuire deposited one over the Green Monster.

-Rangers' Ian Kinsler hit for the cycle and went 6-6. LA's Orlando Hudson also hit for the cycle earlier this week.

  

Yankees Record:  5-4  

Daisuke: Japanese for Dart Thrower

It looks like the Red Sox dart throwing champion, Daisuke Matsuzaka, was off target tonight, giving up 5 runs in the first, and his only, inning.  He threw 43 pitches and I hope my friend, John, who was going to the game tonight, didn't fall asleep while the Dart Thrower was doing his best not to have any Athletics make contact.  I get the feeling when I'm watching this guy that he is petrified to go after major league hitters, because he nibbles all around the plate and is constantly at the 100-120 pitch count by the 5th inning.  Hey Dart Thrower - "Trust your fielders."  Besides, you don't have Manny lumbering around in LF anymore.  

It's good to see ol' Yankee friend, Carl "American Idle" Pavano get lit up for Cleveland against the Royals.  It still amazes me this man has not been credited with one of the biggest heists in history when he robbed the Yankees of $39.5M over 4 seasons.  Pavano is due to pitch in Yankee Stadium on Saturday. I'm sure he'll receive a reception reminiscent of Reggie Jackson's return when he signed with the Angels.  If you don't remember, Reggie received a standing ovation, hit a HR that game against the Yanks, and received another standing ovation from the fans.  I hope Pavano is booed out of the new ballpark.  

Game 8 - AJ Saves the Day

Capitalism 1, Socialism 1.  Not enough superlatives could describe the performance by AJ Burnett today.  After watching Wang do his best impersonation of a pitcher who does not belong in the major leagues (hell, I've seen better pitchers in my slow pitch softball leagues), Burnett tossed 8 solid innings, striking out 9, and provided a huge shot in the arm to a depleted bullpen. 

Burnett pitched a no-hitter through 6 innings, till he gave up 3 consecutive singles and a sac fly in the 7th, allowing the penny pinching Rays to tie the score 2-2.  The revenue sharing, keeping the rest of the league afloat, Yankees, recaptured the lead in the top of the 8th on a Mark Teixeira sac fly, and blew the game open with 4 runs in the ninth with Brett Gardner driving in a run with a double and Jeter following up with a 3-run HR.  Brian Bruney struck out the side on 10 pitches in the ninth to help the boys from Gotham tie up the series.  

Nick Swisher kept up his hot hitting, with his team leading 4th homer in the fourth inning, after being brushed back with a high fastball - possibly retaliation for his previous night's stint on the mound where he seemed to enjoy himself.   Swisher played in LF for Damon, who sat this one out, but Girardi did the right thing and kept the 53-year old on the bench and used Posada as the DH.  And this just in - after last night's APB for Derek Jeter's whereabouts, he was spotted going 3-5 along with that HR he hit.  Gardner also went 3-5, showing some pop in his light bat with 2 doubles.  Thank God he's gotten off to a decent start, otherwise we'd be talking about Melky possibly replacing him, or worse, trading for Mike Cameron - another low contact type hitter this team can't afford to have in the lineup (another 10 Ks for the team tonight).  

Burnett, though, was the story of the night.  Once again, he was called upon to stop a 2 game losing streak.  He retired the first 6 batters he faced before walking Pat Burrell on a full count. He proceeded to retire the next 12 batters before Carl Crawford laced an opposite field single to left on a 1-2 count.  Perhaps shaken up, Longoria and Pena followed with singles as well and with Burrell's SF, the Yanks 2-0 lead was gone.  However, the Yanks regained the lead in the top of the 8th, and Girardi did the right thing by sending Burnett back out to the mound in the bottom of the frame as he retired all 3 batters.  Brian Bruney harnessed the ghost of Goose Gossage in the ninth, throwing pure gas to end the game.  It makes one wonder why relief pitchers can't perform this way when the game is on the line with a 1 or 2 run lead.  It was the best I've ever seen of Bruney.  

Yanks Record:  4-4

Game 7 - Wang Pitches Batting Practice II (The Sequel)

If his first performance was not scary enough, Wang's efforts in the sequel today were down right frightful. What an absolute pitiful, gutless appearance by a man who had been the Yankees ace for the past 2 and half seasons.  1+ innings and 8 earned runs - inexplicable.  His E.R.A. now stands at a robust 28.93.  If he were to throw a complete game shutout next game, his E.R.A. would still be in double digits.  I'm still trying to get back the 24 minutes and 42 pitches it took Wang to get through the first inning and 22 minutes for Wang and reliever Albaladejo to wrap up the second inning, with the Yanks down an insurmountable 9-0.  

The socialist Rays took the capitalist Yanks behind the wood shed, slapping them 15-5.  The lone Yankee star of the night was Nick Swisher, who hit a HR and in emergency relief, was the only Yankee pitcher to throw a scoreless frame.

As for the rest of the Pinstripers, has anyone seen Derek Jeter?  Since collecting 5 hits in his first 2 games, he's gone 1-20.   Cody Ransom is batting .083 - I've seen pitchers in the N.L. have better averages then this guy.  I'm not sure why he's putting pressure on himself - Arod is coming back and taking over, even if Ransom were hitting over .500.  As for the 53 year-old (Matsui), he gave another brilliant performance, going 0-3 with 3 weak groundouts to first and is now a combined 3-24 this season.  I have wasted enough blog space on him in my last couple of posts. 

But tonight's game wasn't lost because of the Yankees struggles at the plate.  It came down to pitching, or the lack of it.  Not only did Wang get lit up for 8 runs, the bullpen gave up 7 runs in 7 innings.  Is it too early to start considering Phil Hughes?

At least one good thing may have come out of tonight's game - maybe the Yankees found their 8th inning bridge to Mariano with Nick Swisher.  Yanks will need AJ Burnett to step up tomorrow and pitch deep into the game.  This bullpen is spent.

Yanks Record:  3-4   

Game 6 - Girardi Blows Game

The Yanks flushed a nice comeback today, falling to the Royals 6-4.  Manager Joe Girardi overmanaged himself, trying to play mix and match with his relievers in the 8th inning.  His relievers coughed up the 4-3 lead, and a nice performance by Joba Chamberlain, by giving up 3 runs - all after 2 outs.  

I actually blame Tony LaRussa for this loss.  He's the one that started the reliever parade in the late 1980s-early 1990s and has every manager mimicking this overblown stategy ever since. 

It's also led to the game averaging over 3 hours in length.  Girardi brought in lefty Damaso Marte to start the 8th inning and he promptly retired the first 2 batters he faced.  Marte relieved Brian Bruney, who had pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning.  Bruney has been tabbed the 8th inning bridge to Mariano Rivera, but I thought Girardi made a good move, keeping Marte for the 8th to face the Royals lefty batters.  However, that was his last good decision of the day.  

Girardi started getting cute by overthinking and overplaying his hand.  Instead of staying with the hot hand, Marte, he brought in Jose Veras to face pinch hitter, Billy Butler.  Veras promptly walked Butler and Girardi made another trip to the mound. Out goes Veras and in comes Phil Coke.  The lefty Coke promptly got lit up for 3 straight hits and when the dust settled, the lead was gone and the Yanks were down 6-4.  The Yanks promptly went down quickly in the 9th, with Royals closer Joakim Soria striking out the side.  

I don't understand why managers won't stay with the hot hand when it comes to relievers. Marte cruised through the first 2 batters.  He was in the game, already warmed up, and throwing strikes.  Let him face the righty hitter - if he gives up a hit or walk, then you can start tinkering with the idea of bringing in another reliever.  Instead, Girardi opted for the merry-go-round of relievers and paid the price.  What Girardi should have thought about, and obviously didn't, was what would he have done if the Royals just tied the game and not gone ahead?  This game could have gone 12, 13 or 14 innings and his bullpen was near depletion!  If you want the win that badly, just bring in Mariano to get the last out in the 8th and pitch the 9th.  If Mo gives up the tying run, at least Girardi still would have had plenty of relievers in the pen. 

Unfortunately, this loss will bring out the people who think Joba should be in the pen.  I think Joba should get his chance as a starter, and has the potential to be an ace someday.  I think he's more valuable giving 150-175 innings a year, opposed to 60-75 innings.  

Other disturbing trends from the game and series:  I hope Teixeira's wrist injury is minor, because Matsui is killing this lineup.  This guy is starting to look like the 53 year-old that he is. He took strike 3 right down the pipe to lead off the ninth.  Nice job.  Also, I don't want to see Melky Cabrera anywhere near a game unless the Yanks are up by 10, down by 10, or as a defensive replacement in the 9th inning.  He went 0-3 today, hitting into 2 double plays.  For the season, he's now 0-4, with a K, the 2 DPs, and a pop up.  I'd rather see some other young kid getting a chance.  Melky is what he is - a below average player.  

Nick Swisher finally played the goat, allowing a weak grounder to go through his wickets at first, leading to 2 unearned runs against Joba.  What's really disturbing for this team though, were all the strikeouts this series.  The Yanks struck out 29 times!  That's nearly 10 a game, and equivalent to a whole game worth of strikeouts.  This team needs to put the ball in play and make things happen.  Without Arod and with an aging, decrepit Matsui being run out there everyday in the lineup, their offense needs to make things happen.  You can't put pressure on a defense without hitting it into play.

Wang will need to step up tomorrow against the socialist Rays.

Yanks Record:  3-3 

Games Blown To Date:  1

P.S.  Dear TED - Please see response under Game 5 comments.

Game 5 - Sabathia Begins Earning His Paycheck

Crooked Cap came rearing back today, and it started from the very first batter:  Coco-roach Crisp. He struck out the Coco-roach with a mid-90s fastball, and would finish with 6 Ks in 7 2/3 shutout innings.  Unlike his first start, he was able to locate his fastball, consistently hitting 93-94 on the radar gun.  Some thought he may have an undisclosed injury after he was seen with a heating pad in his first start, but any doubts should have been erased today.  The Crooked One did hit 2 lefties with vicious inside fastballs, which led my imagination to run wild with thoughts of CC drilling a hard one into David "Big Sloppy" Ortiz' rib cage.  Ah, I can only dream. 

Back to reality for the moment, Nick Swisher continued his torrid hitting, knocking in 3 ribbies with a triple and HR.  Swisher was playing first base for Teixeira, who was sitting out with a sore wrist.  However, Girardi must seriously consider making Swisher the everyday DH/OF with Xavier Nady and Johnny Damon, leaving the fossil, Matsui, buried on the bench.  Although Matsui collected his second hit of the season and went 1-4, he looked lost in a couple of at bats. He left a man at third with less than 2 outs in the third inning with one of his patented weak rollers to second.  For a man who was so renown for his power in Japan and nicknamed Godzilla, he hits grounders so weak, they wouldn't kill worms.  

Jorge Posada continued to drink from the fountain of youth, driving in the 3 other Yankee runs. His 6 RBIs for the season are now only 12 short of Jose Molina's total for all of last season, leaving one to wonder where the Yankees may have finished last year with a healthy Posada. For all the Yankee injuries last season (Wang, Posada, and Arod missing 26 games), this team still won 89 games.  Something to chew on, Red Sox fans.  

The Yanks did strike out 9 times today, making it 20 Ks in 2 games.  Are the Royals bullpen this good? 

On a personal note, my wife and I went to an Athletics-Mariners game today with our friends Alan and Amber.  The Mariners won 8-5 after pounding the A's bullpen for 5 runs.  I almost fainted in my seat when I witnessed Jason Giambi legging out an infield single.  I don't recall him doing that in his 7 years with the Pinstripers.  The A's lineup is an interesting mix:  Matt Holliday, Orlando Cabrera, Giambi and Nomar Garciaparra.  This could have been quite the team in these guys prime.  My highlight though, was seeing ol' Johnny Wetteland as the Seattle bullpen coach.  Yankee fans should remember Wetteland as the 1996 World Series MVP when the Yanks beat the Braves in 6 games.  

Note:  Neither Suzuki played today.  I was disappointed Kurt didn't start.  Griffey, Jr. also sat out to Alan's disappointment.    

Happy Easter!

Yanks Record:  3-2

Game 4 - Pettitte Outstanding

The Yankees replayed a hit from the past, as Andy Pettitte  mowed through the KC Royals lineup through 7 solid innings in the Yanks 4-1 victory.  Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter drove in 3 of the 4 runs and Mariano Rivera came in and nailed down the final 3 outs for his first save of the season, demonstrating the old timers still have some game left in them.

Pettitte allowed three hits and one run in his 7 innings of work, but should have left with a shutout.  Nick Swisher dropped a fly ball when he came charging in during the second inning.  It was scored a double and allowed the only KC run of the game to come in.  Swisher would atone for his gaffe in the second with an RBI double in the 4th, for his team leading 6 RBIs.  Girardi continued his game of revolving Nady, Swisher and Matsui by sitting down Nady.  Bad choice - Matsui was horrendous, going 0-4, leaving 3 guys in scoring position and striking out twice.  

Please, Joe, find a nice warm spot on the bench for the 48 year old Matsui and call on him to pinch hit once in a while.  

The Yankees may have been able to do more damage but threw some outs away with their base running blunders.  Brett Gardner was picked off first.  Cody Ransom forgot his little league training when you're suppose to hold at second when the ball is hit in front of you to the SS. Like a frightened child, he remained frozen till he finally realized his bone head mistake before being tagged out.  I hope this doesn't become the Yankees new disturbing trend.  Earlier in the week, Nady was caught napping at third on a line drive and tagged out.

As for the rest of the game, the Royals should seriously consider ever scheduling another game at 3 pm local time.  After the shadows settled in around the batters box in the 5th inning, the Yankees struck out 9 times and the Royals 7 times.  16 Ks for the final 30 outs of the game!  I thought I was watching a Sandy Koufax - Juan Marichal duel.  I knew things got out of hand when ex-Yankee, Kyle Farnsworth, came in and struck out the side in the 7th inning.  

Let's hope the old timers have at least one last season of glory in them.

Yanks Record:  2-2       

To my friend, Sean, regarding his Suzuki comments

Dear Sean,

Thank you for your support and comments on the Suzuki blog.  In your comments, you thought I would be a huge Suzuki fan if he were wearing the Yankee pinstripes.  My friend, you couldn't be further from the truth.  I bad-mouth the Yankees so much, my buddies wonder if I truly am a Yankee fan.  Believe me, I would be chewing out the gutless girl's softball player if he were playing for my beloved team.   He's selfish, a manager killer, and has a strange fetish for singles. Plus, he pretends he doesn't speak English. What is there to love about this guy?  I don't think I could stand watching him all season, yelling "swing like a man" over 600 at bats.  My wife would probably leave me or I'd be going through remote controls like a fat kid goes through doughnuts.

Keep reading!

-Conan  

Game 3 - Victory!

It appears the Yankees will not go 0-162 this season.  Joe Girardi gets to manage another day. And finally, the Yankees off-season acquisitions came through.  Congratulations to AJ Burnett for registering the first strikeout for Yankee starters this year.  It wasn't a masterpiece performance, but AJ gave a gritty performance.  Facing the bases loaded in the 4th, with the Yanks holding a tenuous 3-2 lead, AJ struck out Aubrey Huff to end the inning and virtually ending the Orioles last threat of the game.

Positives of the game:  Tex hit his first HR as a Yankee.  Nick Swisher went 3-5 with a HR and 5 RBIs, allowing me to dream that I will never see the likes of Matsui again.  History was made when Cano and Jose Molina walked in the same game.  I'll have to remember to tell my grandkids someday where I was on this momentous occasion.  What has gotten into Cano?  3 walks in 3 games.  I don't think he got his third walk last year till after July 4th.  Plus, he looks great at the plate, knocking one out today as well.  He's going the other way, just like he did when he was hitting well before last year's debacle.  Congrats to Ramiro Pena on his first major league hit.  Watch out, Derek.  This guy plays a mean SS.  On defense, Molina gunned down Felix Pie, continuing his great defense that he displayed time and again last season. 

The Yanks bullpen also pitched great - again giving up no hits in 3 2/3 innings with 6 Ks.  It was good to see Phil Coke rebound from Tuesday's appearance, striking out both hitters he faced. Girardi needs to limit this guy to one inning.  Brian Bruney also rebounded from his dreadful performance on Tuesday with 2 Ks in an inning.  

My friends know I won't end this blog without bringing up the negatives.  Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon appeared to take the afternoon off while the rest of the team came out hitting. They went a combined 0-8, and Double Play Derek finally made his appearance this season, hitting into an inning ending, rally ending, double play in the 6th inning with a man on third.  

That's twice this year, Derek, you've left a man on third.  Yes, I'm keeping count.  Brett Gardner nearly left the bases loaded, too, but his weak grounder to the pitcher was thrown past the catcher.  Speaking of the Orioles catcher, Chad Moeller, he of the career batting average less than .230 - he went 2-3 with a double off of Burnett.  Luckily, he didn't cause any damage.  

Finally, my prayers go out to the family of Angels pitcher, Nick Adenhart.  After throwing 6 shutout innings against the Athletics last night, his career and life ended way too soon when a driver ran the red light and crashed into Adenhart's vehicle.  

Yanks Record:  1-2

Game 2 - Wang Pitches Batting Practice

Whoa, I just realized I had a case of dyslexia the other day when I wrote out my season projections. I meant the Yankees would win 49 games, not 94. The Baltimore No Names have totally outclassed the Yanks in the first 2 games. The ghost of Yankee Killer Past, Kevin Millar must have visited them. In the meantime, the Yankees front office needs serious plumbing work. If anyone knows a good plumber, please call Brian Cashman and the Steinbrenner brothers. So far, in first two games, 2 out of the 3 major free agent signings seem like the Yanks have flushed $340M down the toilet and it is clogged pretty badly. Sabathia was terrible and Mark Teixeira looks absolutely lost at the plate. AJ Burnett goes tomorrow to try and salvage something out of the Baltimore series.

Meanwhile, the Yankees starting pitching, which was thought to be seriously addressed in the offseason, is not living up to the hype. Chien-Ming Wang looked like he was throwing batting practice to the Orioles tonight. He lasted 11 outs while allowing 12 base runners. If his sinker ball isn't dipping, batters are going to tee off on that flat fastball that finds the heart of the plate every time. Nick Markakis had a field day, going 3-3 with a single, double and 2-run HR.

Though the Yankee hitters made the 7-5 loss look respectable, after initially falling behind 7-1, they are still exhibiting the same terrible symptoms that plagued them throughout all of last season. Once again, I had to witness the Yankees strand a base runner on third base with no outs. Cano reached third base in the 6th inning on a wild pitch after he doubled in Posada. Nady lined out to short and Ransom, the man that's suppose to make us forget about Madonna's ex-boyfriend, Arod, popped up on a pitch down the middle of the plate. These guys have immediately made my list, joining Jeter, who failed in Game 1 in a similar situation. Tex has gotten a case of the Cano, popping up 3 times. Matsui has got to stop bailing out every time he swings a bat - he looks like a scared little leaguer. Will someone please teach Japanese hitters to step towards the pitch and not bail out?

To compound matters, the Yanks had a visit from another ghost of seasons past - they still cannot beat a pitcher they have never faced before. Who is Koji Uehara? He didn't last past 4 innings all spring, yet here he was, slicing through the Yanks lineup. I was beginning to think I was exaggerating this phenomenon, but Yankee announcers confirmed my observation. What's frightening is the fact that I've seen rookie pitchers with ERAs over 7.00 mow this team down. Who, for the love of God, is doing the scouting for this team? Is this why they pay their players well? There's no scouting? I bet Uehara gets lit up in his next start.

Cano, who last season was the King of the Pop Up, has shown early signs of life again, going 2-4. Unfortunately, he's passed his dreaded pop up disease from last season to his first base counterpart. Jeter has also gotten off to a good start, going 5-9 in the first 2 games. Perhaps he's trying to make us forget he can't get to any grounder to his left. The Yanks bullpen also performed brilliantly, pitching 4+ innings of no-hit ball. Too bad Wang had already ensured the game was out of hand before he departed. Last year, I read an article on SI.com that the Taiwanese economy performs nearly 20% better when Wang has a good start. I'm sure the Taiwan market crashed today after that dreadful performance.

Last year, the Yankees bullpen pitched the second most innings in baseball. It seems like they are determined to come in first this year, and that is NOT a good thing.

This just in - there was a Mark Teixeira sighting. He finally got his first Yankee hit and RBI in the 9th.

Yanks Record:  0-2

More on Suzuki

I'd like to thank my friend Erick for pointing me to the following website, that points out that Ichiro is in fact, his first name, and not his last, as many have contended in the past. Apparently, "ICHIRO" started in the Japan League as a promotional stunt and embarrassingly carried over to our great game. I say, "Ban it!"

Scroll down to "Jersey Names Follow Up" on the below link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lukas/041216

Thanks again, Erick.

Response to one of my readers

Dear Theo Epstein Disciple (TED),

First, I'd like to thank you for your support and kind words. I must agree with you that Crooked Cap may fold like a cheap tent in a wind storm under the glare of the NY lights. His track record for big games is highly suspect, and unfortunately, he has career-wise, crumbled when he pitched against the team from New England. Yesterday wasn't a pretty start to his Yankee career.

That being said, it reminds me of Randy Johnson, who was another big pitcher that crumbled like aged cheese when it came to dealing with the NY media. Though he didn't fare well in the Big Apple, he still won 17 games in each of the 2 seasons he played there (and was 5-0 against Boston). 17 wins for the Crooked One may seem bloated, but if he's at least slightly above average, he should at least achieve that. Andy Pettitte won 14 games last year and he was terrible. Hell, Boston's own pitcher, Matsuzaka, is allergic to wood bats, pitching and weaving and bobbing his way through 5 innings and 183 pitches a game just to have his pitches avoid any contact with the bat. He won 18 games last year! So, yes, I do think 17 wins on a team like the Yankees is achievable.

As for AJ's nickname, I'll reveal it after his first bad start.

TED, I look forward to you keeping me honest this year.

Sincerely,

Yankee Bomber

Game 1 - Sabathia God-Awful

Ol' Crooked Cap was terrible today.  Absolutely terrible.  He couldn't throw his fastball for a strike.  The man didn't even have a strikeout in his 4+ innings.  Yankee announcer Ken Singleton thinks maybe Sabathia was having issues with his ribs.  He was using a heat pad between innings. I thought Girardi left him in 2 batters too long, too.  

The other new Yankee, Mark Teixeira, wasn't any better.  0-4 and left a big run at third in the 8th when the Yanks were still only a run down.  What was up with all the Baltimore fans booing him though?  Baltimore had no shot at signing him.  They made an initial offer, but was blown out of the water by Boston and Washington before the Yankees ever got involved in the bidding.  The B-mo fans must be delusional.  

New season, new pitcher, and the Yanks still make Brian "I bought steroids, but didn't use them" Roberts look like the greatest 2B ever.  And Adam Jones?  3-3 with 2 walks?  C'mon. And then there's the every man for every season, Cesar Izturis.  This guy's played for half the league, but today, the Yanks made Izturis and Roberts look like the greatest offensive middle infielders since Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker of the Tigers during the 1980s.  

Yankees hitting:  Jeter goes 3-5, but what I remember is him failing miserably in bringing in the runner from third with less than 2 outs in the 8th that would have tied the game at that point.  Terrible.  That's what killed this team constantly last year.  It was like a bad disease.  Posada and Matsui had nice bombs to give the Yanks a fighting chance.  Posada's HR tied him with the immortal Don Mattingly for 8th place on the all time Yankees list.  Mark this day down:  Cano walked - twice!  I might not be able to write that down again till mid-August.  Swisher had a nice pinch hit double in the 8th.  Girardi did a nice job moving Gardner earlier in the game when Jeter hit it through the hole while the SS was covering the bag.  Otherwise, Mr. Double Play would have started his quest to lead the league for a second straight year.

Yankees pitching:  I already discussed Sabathia's brilliant performance.  Historically, he hasn't pitched well in the playoffs, so pitching in New York might be a scary proposition for this guy.  Girardi should have never let reliever Phil Coke come out for the 8th inning.  He threw an inning and a third and looked good.  He had nothing left when he came back out in the 8th and gave up the 2 run homer to Izturis.  Bruney looked like a deer in headlights as well.  Why is a grown man who can throw 97 mph nibbling at the corners?  Challenge the hitters!   Marte - useless.  I thought the bullpen would do well this year.  I might need to seriously reassess.  Why should I reassess - the Yanks GM, Brian Cashman might need to.     

Final score 10-5, Baltimore.  

Yanks record:  0-1.  So far, a $200M bust.

Season Predictions

Here's my rough predictions for the Yankee players in 2009:

Batters:

Jeter:  .285, 12 HRs, 63 RBIs

Damon:  .286, 16 HRs, 72 RBIs

Teixeira:  .292, 32 HRs, 111 RBIs

Rodriguez:  .295, 24 HRs, 89 RBIs

Matsui:  .281, 17 HRs, 93 RBIs

Posada:  .278, 22 HRs, 82 RBIs

Cano:  .306, 23 HRs, 96 RBIs

Nady:  .275, 19 HRs, 78 RBIs

Swisher:  .258, 17 HRs, 58 RBIs

Gardner:  .261, 3 HRs, 45 RBIs, 42 SBs

Pitchers:  

Sabathia:  17 - 10

Wang:  15 - 9

Burnett:  16 - 9

Pettite:  14 - 11

Chamberlain:  12 - 10

Rivera:  35 SVs

Team:  94 wins, 68 losses - Wildcard

Of course, all of this hinges on the team's health and the old timers not breaking down. Otherwise, they're in for another year clawing for runs and leaving their solid pitching staff frustrated.

American League playoffs:  Red Sox, Yanks, White Sox, Angels

National League playoffs:  Phillies, Braves, Cubs, Diamondbacks

World Series:  Angels vs. Phillies

Champs:  Angels

A.L. MVP:  Kevin "Big Nugget" Youkilis  - although I hate this crybaby

N.L. MVP:  Ryan Howard

A.L. Cy Young:  Jon Lester

N.L. Cy Young:  Johan Santana

I'm just not feeling the love for Tampa this year.  I don't think they'll be sneaking up on anybody, like they did last year.  Also, their young pitchers threw a lot of innings last season, including the playoffs, and that can sometimes come back to bite teams the following season.

As for the Cubs vs. Red Sox series all the so-called baseball experts are calling for:  Dream on.  I can see the Red Sox reaching the series, but the Cubs aren't built for the playoffs.  Alfonso Soriano usually is overmatched by good pitching.   Kosuke Fukudome is God awful and hated by his own manager, Lou Piniella.  Their middle infield is a couple of nobodies and beyond Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster, their pitching is suspect, especially when you don't know if Rich "Pulled Oblique Muscle" Harden will show up.  If someone else knocks out the Red Sox in the playoffs, the Angels will be champs.  But if the Angels have to play the Bosox head on - you can probably forget it.  That team needs to change their underwear every time they see Boston.

Ichiro...I mean, Suzuki

Ichiro Suzuki was diagnosed today with an ulcer and fatigue.  I hope the Seattle girls softball team can overcome this.  More on that soon.  What is the deal with MLB allowing Suzuki to have his first name, "ICHIRO", on the back of his jersey?  I don't see the Athletics catcher, Kurt Suzuki have "KURT" on the back of his.  I've had issues with this for years.  I can't believe baseball allows this crap.  He's not Cher.  He's no Madonna.  At first, I thought perhaps it was a Japanese culture thing with the names.  But, I hear Hideki Matsui referred to as Matsui all the time, and Daisuke Matsuzaka has even been referred to by his last name.  Hideki Nomo was called Nomo all the time- again, last name.  Why not refer So Taguchi as just "So"?  I can hear it now during the telecast - "So steps up to the plate."  "So who is batting?"  "Yeah, So..."  "I just want to know who's batting!"  

Arod didn't have "AROD" on the back of his Texas uniform.  Pudge Rodriquez didn't have "PUDGE" on there either, yet these players are well known by their catchy nicknames.  How about Pedro in his hey day?  There was no question who one was referring to when they mentioned his first name only.

To compound matters on this Suzuki fella, my friend, Craig, called me the other day to tell me he bought his son baseball cards.  Everyone of the cards had the players first and last name, except for one - yep, that fella named Suzuki from Seattle.  First name only.  First names should be reserved only for rock stars and the Brazilian soccer team.  

As for Suzuki, the ballplayer, and I'm talking about the one from Seattle, I just can't respect a man who bats like he's leading off for the girls softball team.  I swear I've seen this guy take 3 steps out of the box while he's swinging.  Swing the bat like a man!  Please, it's embarrassing.  It must be a Japanese thing, because I've seen Matsui and Fukudome (a.k.a. FU dummy) bailout all the time in the box like gutless pukes.   

I've read Suzuki, and I'm still referring to the Seattle guy, has this weird fetish for singles and won't hit for extra base hits, although you hear he hits home runs in batting practice all the time.  One of the strangest stats I've ever seen was the season he set the hits record for 262 hits (of which 225 of those hits were singles), he only scored 101 runs.  He had 49 walks that year, too, putting him on base over 300 times!  Now, maybe, that's the sign of a team that can't drive in runs, but for a guy who's speed has been highly touted, he only stole 36 bases that year.  Which brings up another Suzuki rumor - he won't steal bases unless he thinks he has an absolute chance at being safe.  His selfish play allegedly led to the downfall and dismissal of Mike Hargrove as manager in 2007.  And now this past offseason, there were rumors how bad the locker room was with this guy.  Not to mention, he's a sneaky bastard who speaks the English language well, but pretends not to speak it.  Hey Suzuki, how about we pay that $19 million per year American dollars in yen?  I'm sure you'd quickly speak the English language then.     

My own personal favorite Suzuki moment came while I lived in Seattle and went to a Boston - Seattle game. Hideki Nomo was pitching for Boston when the scoreboard put up the note that Suzuki's first home run in Japan came against Nomo.  My man Nomo promptly hit Suzuki square in the back, where he lied writhing in pain for 5 minutes.  I can't ever recall Jason Giambi, Paul O'Neill, Arod or even Chuck Knoblauch embarrassing themselves the way Suzuki did that day.  Please, just jog down to first base, without rubbing the spot, like a man, the way baseball is supposed to be played.  

To quote Yankee fans, when the Yanks were eliminating the fraudulent 116 win Seattle team in the 2001 American League Championship Series - "Sayonara", Ichiro, uh, er, Suzuki.