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