E-Boland and the Bombers

Jim B

Thanks for the update! I just have this feeling about Lilly. I loved this kid when he came up and I know he wants to come back to NY and show them they made a big mistake. He has moxy when it comes to big games and pressure situations. I hope we sign him AND then get Pettite too!

Can we really get both Lilly and Pettitte? That would send a strong message to Carl Pavano. What do we do if Hughes and Humberto Sanchez are ready?

Pavano is a goner. Do you really want to go to war with this guy in your foxhole?

Hughes is young and I believe they are going to give him a year at AAA so as not to rush him. Sanchez might see some time in NY this year, but I think he is the insurance in waiting.

Wasn't Sanchez a reliever in the Tigers' system? If so, then he should see some time with the Yanks in that role.
I agree with Rick. If we can get both Pettitte and Lilly, give Hughes the year at AAA to build up his arm strength.

Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, Lilly, Johnson in '07. (Hughes/Sanchez/Karstens as insurance)

Wang, Pettitte, Hughes, Mussina, Lilly in '08 (Karstens/Sanchez insurance)

Hughes, Wang, Sanchez, Lilly, Karstens in '09.

Igawa would have to bump someone by pitching great to get in the rotation, but otherwise would be relegated to the bullpen. Same goes for Karstens..too much pitching would be a very nice problem to have.

I hope the Yankees get Lilly. As a Blue Jay fan I can honestly say that the Yankees will have no chance at winning any games against the Jays in which Lilly pitches.

Jim's got it going on now. Only question is if Pettite is here in 2008? That is why I am stressing Lilly. For 2008, Johnson will be gone and Pettite too if he signs a 1 year deal. perhaps Igawa could step in or Sanchez at that point?

Jim B. I second the update appreciation. I believe the Yanks will get Lilly and pursue Andy Pettitte. Why have one if two are available. Pettitte's situation of a one year allows us flexibility to transition the younger pitchers into the rotation. I hate what if's but here goes. We dump Crash Pavano pay 3/5 million of his salary. This allows us to pay 5/7 million on Lilly's salary for the next two years.
Lilly has his 4yrs and 10 million. Now its up to him to decide Yanks and Al East or NL with the Cubs and who knows what I'll be playing for by July. There's nothing like pinstripes in October with the ground shaking with NY on your hat.

I hope Sexton is a bad rumor. Dave Kingman revisited. Give Andy Phillips a chance. And the three backup catchers in the farm system. This will allow for the nucleus to gradually change with guidance from the core of proven winners.

John

I'll cover that bet right now.

Larry M

At this point, I'm almost resigned to the fact that we should just let Andy play 1B and bat 9th. Look at the rest of the lineup. My goodness, one weak link is not going to kill us.

And, the pitching is what matters anyway. Let's focus on getting too much of it and having some competition for jobs. Hunger is always a great motivator!

Its perfect if they get both left handers. Eases the burden on RJ coming back. And eases the burden on not rushing Hughes or Sanchez and giving both of them at least half a yr in the minors.

I just read in the NY Daily News that Laura Pettitte has given her "blessing" for Andy's return to the Bronx.

It's probably a case of "be careful what you wish for" with good ol' Laura. She wanted her husband home all the time and when he was, maybe it wasn't like she thought it would be. I travel for work a lot and once in a while my wife will start complaining about it so I skip a few trips. Next thing you know, she's asking when my next trip is and helping me pack!
Come on home Andy, we're waiting for you.

Toronto has lucked out in not resigning the headcase Lilly.

The Cubs have had an offer on the table for Lilly for several days now. Meeting with the Yanks shows Lilly would prefer to play for us. If we don't sign Lilly, it will be obvious that we are now "all about the money". Sad, but get used to it.

If Andy Phillips cant get an OBP of 340+ and doesnt field well, I'm pretty sure that Cash can get a solid fill-in in July.

No need to jump now. 1b is an easy position to fill.

Jim

I saw that earlier today too. I think it is just a matter of getting everything worked out. I am 95% sure Pettite is back.

The issue of importance to me is the Lilly situation. Jim just reported that O'Brien ruled out the Jays, so that is encouraging. It's like Larry M said....there's nothing like October with the ground shaking under your feet and a NY on your cap. I hope Lilly gets his chance to come home too.

Right on Rufus

Roy- If they do sign him, then what does that say?

b]Lilly's agent set to meet with Yankees[/b]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2688676

[b][quote]LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Ted Lilly still isn't sure where he'll be pitching in 2007. But it won't be in Toronto.

Lilly crossed the Blue Jays off his list Wednesday and has narrowed his possible destinations to the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, his agent, Larry O'Brien, told ESPN.com at the winter meetings.

O'Brien, who is seeking a four-year, $40 million deal, plans to meet with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman on Wednesday night. If the Yankees fail to make a strong enough pitch, it would clear the way for Lilly to sign with Chicago.

O'Brien told Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi on Wednesday afternoon that the Blue Jays are out of the race. Toronto continues to pursue free agent Gil Meche as a possible No. 3 starter behind Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett.

"We're not moving forward with Toronto," O'Brien said. "It had nothing to do with the dollars or a lack of aggressiveness on the part of the Blue Jays. What it boiled down to was Ted decided he would like a change of scenery. He's looking forward to the challenge of trying to win a pennant and a World Series for the Cubs or the Yankees."

Lilly, 30, has a career 59-58 record in eight major-league seasons with Montreal, the Yankees, Oakland and Toronto. He went 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA for the Blue Jays last season.[/quote][/b]

Jim, what do you do, I want to travel...

I can't imagine the Yankees getting Sexson. Personally I think they are just trying to get the "right" deal with the likes of Hillenbrand and if that doesn't work out, they will re-sign Craig Wilson. He can play a bunch of different positions (including third catcher), has left handed pitchers for lunch (except for the last two months of '05) and wil be far cheaper than Sexson/Hillenbrand

And to John the Blue Jays fan, you can have wins during Lilly's starts, after all, you've earned the bragging rights coming off your first non-3rd place finish in 8 years.

Personally I'd be happy with either Lilly or Pettitte. Both are obviously not a number 1 or even number 2 pitchers but I'm seriously concerned about RJ's back.

Call me crazy but I have a feeling Pavano may surprise everyone. He's been seeking extra help to fix all these "ailments" with a hope of returning. I heard they discovered one leg was longer than the other.

Also, I can see Igawa starting as a reliever/spot starter until he gets his feet wet.

Yankees Lineup vs Redsox Lineup

Damon Coco

Jeter Lugo

Abreu Ortiz

AROD Manny

Giambiü Drew

Matsui Varitek

Posada Lowell

Cano Cora

Phillips Youkilis

The Yankees starting pitching rotation is still question mark. The Yankees lineup is excellent, the Sox lineup is now much improved if Manny is not dealt. The difference has been and WILL ALWAYS BE the pitching.

Last season, the Yankees pitching was better. If the Sox sign D-Mat, get a couple BP guys, they will be improved in that area. The question mark there is a closer.

A Boston rotation of D-Mat, Schilling, Beckett, Pappelbon, and Wakefield is a pretty good rotation vs. Mussina, Wang, Johnson, Wright and .......

Yanks possess Rivera. That is the key difference.

Besides, it's the team that makes the best moves at the break, where the Yankees have been the victor's more times than not.

RICK- If the Yanks sign Lilly, it shows winning this year is 1st, and dollars are 2nd.

Brian,
During that exam, it was also discovered that Pavano had no balls. He's a goner!

Atticas: I run a branch of Internet Company and we have network locations all over the world, especially in Europe, Asia and South America so I spend a lot of time in Tokyo, Italy, Austria, Amsterdam, Germany, Buenos Aires, Mexico etc.
The travel gets old after a while, especially since I have two little kids, but it is a lot of fun too.

Yea, um...Wright is....on the Orioles. so...right.

The similarities between Drew and Abreu are pretty interesting. At this point, Drew will get on base slightly less and slug a bit more, may pick it a bit better and won't run as much, most definitely up in the HR department. But the OPS, the "attitude," and the perception along with the move to the major market are pretty close.

Craig's post above illustrates why I think the Yanks are trying to win right now. They know they may only have the great Mariano for a few more seasons and they want to try to win a couple more WS before he retires.

Roy

That's what I'm hoping for.

I keep reading this report of the yanks even considering getting sexon for melky or whoever. if this crime actually happens it will be the final nail in cashman's couffin as a half decent GM. he, and all of us actually, keep speaking about returning to the model of the 90's - inside grown young talent + hard playing FA additions. how does a strike-out first asks questions later pull hitter who rarely goes opposite field fit into the picture??? does he work the count (well, it does take 3 pitches to strike out...)? is he patient? is he clutch??? where the hell is that coming from? like rick here likes to say, i wouldn't trade a bag of balls for him, i wouldn't even trade pavano. well, i take that back...
my only hope is that they're trying to light a fire under other teams who might want melky and have something better to offer.
but honestly, i think cashman is panicking and is about to make another huge mistake.

A a Blue Jays fan I am happy that Lily is leaving. His inconsistency and a penchant for throwing too many pitches was frustrating. I have seen him blow a huge lead and foolishly get mad at the manager for pulling him from the game. I sincerely hope he ends up in NY.

Gil L

BC might be trying to light a fire under Florida for Willis by floating Melky's name. I can't see Sexon in pinstripes either.

Mostly what I miss is players who just HATE to lose.
O'Neill; Posada; Jeter from the recent teams and Munson: Nettles; Randolph and Piniella from a while back.
Nothing pisses me off more than seeing a player who doesn't look upset at all after a playoff loss.
Pettitte was a fierce competitor (sorry for the cliche') and I'd like to see some of that in the rotation. Somewhere along the way Randy Johnson gave into age not only physically, but he just decided he didn't care anymore it appears. I want the guy who bites everyone's head off after a loss, that doesn't bother me. I'd prefer they get mad. I loved it when Posada went apesh*t in the clubhouse after the Angels kicked our butts in the playoffs a few years ago.
I miss the days of Bo Jackson breaking a bat over his knee (or head) after a strikeout, at least show the fans you care too.

I'm sure Ted was just having a bad night. He has also pitched well and sometimes received no run support, such as a 2-1 loss vs Boston in which he struck out like 9 guys. It was probably very stuffy in the dome that night, in front of 15,000 fans. He handles Boston well. Let's get him back !

Paul

Go back to your Blue Jay blog. Or, are they ML enough to even have one? The only reason your team finished 3rd for the first time in 10 years is because of Lilly's 15 wins.

Paul,
At least Lilly didn't just shrug his shoulders and hand the ball to the manager. He wanted to stay in the game, even though he was getting beat. As a number 5 starter for the Yanks, he'd be just fine. We'll take him off your hands.
(ps- I hear he kicked Gibbons' ass, I like that too).

Jim A

That's why Billy will always be #1 in my program and #1 in my heart. Give me the guys with fire and desire!

RJ HAS deteriorated physically, but I think the biggest problem is like you say, he doesn't really care anymore.

We need "warriors" and Pettite and Lilly fit that bill.

Growing dissent over CBA
By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports
December 5, 2006

[quote]
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Less than six weeks after baseball's owners and players' union agreed to a new five-year labor contract, signs of dissent are coming from top executives concerned with rocketing salaries.

"I'm already lamenting it," Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday at baseball's winter meetings.

Reinsdorf's fears center not only on his own team's ability to compete, but that of low-revenue teams to sign free agents, a problem echoed by executives in similar situations.

The agreement, unanimously approved by the owners, guarantees labor peace until 2011, assuring baseball 16 years of uninterrupted play, the most since 1972. In announcing the contract, commissioner Bud Selig and union head Donald Fehr painted a rosy picture, claiming baseball made $5.2 billion in revenue last season and that the game's booming economics led to negotiations with minimal contention.

"They still have problems," said Reinsdorf, a close friend and ally of Selig's. "Revenue sharing has helped somewhat, but not enough. We need a system of salary restraint. Until there's a system of salary restraint, the players are going to get all incremental revenue."

"I'm OK with it," Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "I really am. I find it interesting. I find it a great challenge."

And, without skipping a beat, he said: "I know I'm crazy."

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AsGnsqo4arZ01d6XwiIHOPwRvLYF?slug=jp-revenue120506&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

And for the record, (as most of us know) George was the only owner to vote against it.[/quote]

He beat up Gibbons in front of about 50 people, the same number of fans in the seats at the skydome unless the Yanks are in town.

Regarding Lilly, both the Blue Jays and The Yankees may be in luck. His agent seems to be using The Yankees as a means to lever more money out of The Cubs. The rumors of his signing with Chicago have been strong all week.

Jim,

I think Pettite's wife made that comment to him because she feels that he really wants to pitch for the Yanks and end his career here. A 2 year "sacrifice" for him to be away from her and the kids is a small price to pay considering that this will be the "curtain call" for him.

Seems Gibbons has problems with quite a few players. Nice to see Lilly kick his ass. Obviously, he's got some toughness and fire in his belly?

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AsGnsqo4arZ01d6XwiIHOPwRvLYF?slug=jp-revenue120506&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Paul

Are you still here? The ONLY way Lilly signs with Cubs is if we don't even make an offer. He wants to be a Yankee soooooo bad. Everyone does!

Cool Jim...need any travelling lawyers?! O:-)

I find Yankee fans to be totally predictable. When a new saviour is signed to pitch for the Yankees, he is treated as the second coming of Christ. When he subsequently is proven to have feet of clay, the fans are ready to crucify him. Think Pavano, Wright, Brown etc. Relax, Lilly is just another pitcher with a 59/58 WL record. Last year he was 15 and 13. The 13 losses indicate that he is not an elete pitcher. You would be better off if he signs with the Cubs.

Nobody's saying he's going to be our savior, but considering the options, hell I'd take him.

And, with the Yankees he'll fair even better because our team is better. He might have been 17-11 with us.

Atticas...I'm sure we could try to work something out. Yankee fans are always welcome. :)

Rick: I agree about Billy. that's why his tenures were short but eventful. He just hated to lose more than anything.
Joe T. hides it well but he hates it too. I heard an interview with him one night after a loss and the question was something like "does losing like this make you think about retiring". His answer was great, he said "losing gets my stomach churning and burning and I can't stand leaving the stadium feeling this way. I wish we could just start the next game now. I won't sleep at all tonight anyway".
His face is usually stoic, but the guy hates losing.

I think our buddy Lou Piniella will blow a gasket by May 1st.

Our opening day pitcher should be Pettitte if he returns !

do you really want to tie Lilly up for 4 yrs?I could see 2 w/option yr...Larry I agree Sexson would be an unmitigated disaster.....I don't think if the Yanks sign Lilly they'll sign Pettitte....anyway why would Lilly want to play for the Cubs? They're at least 2 yrs away from rising out of the ashes.

Paul,
You're way off base. Nobody ever considered any of the guys you named to be saviors and we'd like Lilly as a number 4 or 5 starter, hardly a savior.
Lilly's record wasn't good because he was on a bad team.
If he comes to the Yanks, that will change.
We have a 19 game winner on our staff so I'd be hard pressed to call any other pitcher in the league (except Johan Santana) a savior.

Ruse: Agreed. I think the money doesn't bother the Yanks with Lilly, but the contract length does. They'd probably pay him more per year for a shorter deal than sign him for 4 years. I'd like to see him signed for no more than 3 years.
That's why Pettitte is so appealing to them. He will want a short term deal, which fits their plans better.

Well actually their(Pettite's) stay here was good They lived in i believe in westchester or jersey and was good cause they was community folks with the clemons and I think the oneil's , whom both was retiring or leaving the yankees , another thing too is that the Pettites are DEVOTE Christians! and when the securities of Roger and Paul left and the Polictical mess that was coming out of the YAnkee camp was irritating them so why go through stress here when you can be at home where it seemed the Stros's really wanted Andy.

Jim is correct in thinking that Lilly should not get a 4 year contract. His agent has clearly stated that Lilly wants a 4 year contract and is willing to take less money to get the 4th year. Pettitte makes much more sense than a 31 year old underachiever.

Jim A. Agreed I just don't think the Yanks like the idea of waiting till Dec 22 for Pettitte to decide.For strategy if the Yanks sign Lilly they probably can go either way w/Pettitte...I'm still interested in them signing Mulder to a Lieber-type deal...might be a little far-fetched...he is an excellent lefty who is one of the few pitchers I've seen of recent that can win without his best stuff while pitching effectively.

Get Lilly and Pettitte and we get #27, baby!

I am not crazy about the Yanks going after Lilly. Personally I don't think he is worth that money and secondly when Lilly was here he didn't do anything. In 2001 Lilly went 5-6 with a 5.37 era and in 2002 he went 3-6 with a 3.40 era. He is a career .500 pitcher or slighty above 59-58. He is a southpaw Jared Wright where he thorws alot of pitches and works the bullpen. The reason Lilly got mad at Gibbons is he blew a huge lead. Personally Pettitte is a better route. Proven winner and will come at a cheaper expense then Lilly.

Paul-

As a Yankee fan I have to agree with alot of what your saying. Although I find it strange that a Jays fan is on our blog. I do however disagree that all Yankee fans are predictable. The true Yankee fans don't always agree with every signing the Yanks make. I think you mean the predictable fans are the ones that the day after we sign a free agent they are standing on line at Modell's ready to get there jersey of the player we just signed.

Ruse: One thing I liked about Mulder was his refusal to quit, even though he was in tremendous pain. I watched a couple of his last starts in St. Louis and they were painful to watch. He was getting killed and the announcers were saying that LaRussa was begging him to just give in and have the surgery. It's not the smartest career move (pitching with a bad shoulder) but I bet his teammates respected him for it.

People keep saying so and so "isn't worth the money" but what do we care? If the team wants to spend it, then let them spend it. Frankly, I don't think anybody should be paid a million dollars to play baseball, but hey, it's not my money. So what if a hot dog and a beer costs $45? :)

I'd like to find one player that fans think is "worth the money".

Eaton got 9 mill. I think Lilly is worth 10.

Good news everyone -- Steve Philips on Michael Kay's show says that he thinks Pettitte stays with the Astros. So I guess I should start ordering my #46 pinstripe jersey!

The latest rumor is that Lilly has told the Yankees that he would prefer to sign with them. It looks as if the Blue Jays will get Meche to replace him. As a Blue Jays fan, I am pleased. We get the younger pitcher who has more upside. Good luck to the Yankees and Yankee fans.

Paul, this is like your 5th post saying the exact same thing. Get a life. I guess when you're a Blue Jays fan, you don't have very much to brag out, so take this and have fun with it.

I'll be glad to take him Paul. I just hope we get him.

Man what do you think Paul will do next year when they lose Wells

Wait till Paul finds out Wells is going to be a Yankee too. He'll probably say that he sucked anyhow and he's glad we got him.

The Yankee fans on this talk are wonderful. Vernon Wells is the real deal and you have the class to recognize it. We can all live in hope! You also recognize that Lilly is jusy a journeyman pitcher. Good Evening Yankee fans!May the force be with you!

Rick Keyes: I don't look at Andy Phillips as the weak link in the lineup. I believe if given the opporunity to play fairly regular and this is the key. He will produce offensively for the Yankees. Defensively, he is far superior to Giambi. If he fails by trading dead line than move for Texiera (switch hitter). We need to spend our money on pitching. For all we know, the Yanks maybe using Lilly's intended signing or advance talks to get Pettitte's -ss off of the chair. I believe Andy wants to finish in NY. BC does not want to pay 56 million (total) for four years unless he absolutely is forced to. And the only guy to stop it is Andy Pettitte. Also, if Pettitte or Lilly is signed Crash Pavano is out of here.

I just heard something interesting ... ever heard of revenge well someone stated that pettite is making the yankees sweat for how they did him in 03. Test them to see if they really want you. sounds wacky but hey . and that he is serious looking at both places and seeing if he would really want to stay with that astros team especially since the cubs is better on paper and the cards , plus also the fact that he does not have to bat up and can pitch 6 - 7 innings and get a win with a pretty good bullpen helps too.

Larry M

Pavano is out of here anyway. This is a fact that I have been telling everyone for months. Whoever is going to pitch, but it won't be him. As far as Phillips goes, tell me what players in the following lineup is he better than offensively:

Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
ARod 3B
Giambi DH
Matsui LF
Cano 2B
Posada C
Phillips 1B

He is the weak link, but, I could live with that.

Duh.

Rick Keyes, of course with that line up, Phillips is not going to be able match up using past numbers BUT

1) He could very well have a better year than anyone of those if they should get injured or struggle.

And don't tell me all of them are going to have MVP years.

You know that's not going to happen.

2) Do you need another all-star in place of Phillips?

3) And just because he is not the biggest name in that lineup doesn't mean he is no good.

Duh Eric

My response was to Larry M from above. He said he didn't see Phillips as the weak link in the lineup. Well, he clearly is.

Also, I never said he was no good and I did say that I COULD live with him at 1B because of the rest of the lineup. With that lineup and GOOD pitching, we could do quite well.

As usual, your comments make no sense.

Obviously to someone like you it wouldn't make any sense.

To anyone with any sort of baseball knowledge, they would know my comments are nothing but sensical.

When you use the label, "weak link", it implies something about that player as being a poor player.

That is not the case.

A normal lineup is going to have their strongest hitters higher in the batting order but that does not diminish the hitters at the bottom of the lineup, esp. one like the Yankees.

You actually want to have a balanced lineup.

All sluggers up and down the lineup is not necessarily a good thing.

Good News! Lilly is signing with the Cubs for 4 years. He is not worth the $40 million. Pettite is a much better option and better value.

well lets compare here is Andy's career stats,

SEASON TEAM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
2004 NYY 5 8 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 .250 .250 .625 .875
2005 NYY 27 40 7 6 4 0 1 4 1 13 0 0 .150 .171 .325 .496
2006 NYY 110 246 30 59 11 3 7 29 15 56 3 2 .240 .281 .394 .675
Total -- 142 294 38 67 15 3 9 35 16 70 3 2 .228 .266 .391 .657

Well here is Wilson

He batted 212 for the yanks in 100 at bats in sparadic situations.

over all he is decent

2001 Pit 88 158 27 49 3 1 13 32 15 53 3 1 .310 .390 .589 .979
2002 Pit 131 368 48 97 16 1 16 57 32 116 2 3 .264 .355 .443 .798
2003 Pit 116 309 49 81 15 4 18 48 35 89 3 1 .262 .360 .511 .871
2004 Pit 155 561 97 148 35 5 29 82 50 169 2 2 .264 .354 .499 .853
2005 Pit 59 197 23 52 14 1 5 22 30 69 3 0 .264 .387 .421 .808
2006 NYY 40 104 15 22 4 0 4 8 4 34 0 0 .212 .248 .365 .613
2006 Pit 85 255 38 68 11 2 13 41 24 88 1 0 .267 .339 .478 .817
Total -- 674 1952 297 517 98 14 98 290 190 618 14 7 .265 .354 .480 .834

What are you comparing Bronx Bomber?

If the point you're trying to make with that is that Andy's numbers so far aren't very good, well you couldn't be more misleading.

First, you know the most important number out of those you just posted is 294.

That's right, Andy's only got 294 AB's in three years.

Also keep in mind that those AB's were not contiguous.

They came mostly from late-inning substition for Giambi at first.

No one can get into a groove under those conditions unless you're Babe Ruth, and even then I'm not so sure the Babe can.

Yeah, just look at the AB's and then tell me you are seriously thinking about comparing them.

Apples and oranges.

You can't compare them.

294 AB's vs. 1952 AB's.

How much you wanna bet that when Andy's got 1952 AB's, his numbers will surpass those of Wilson?

Bronx Bomber, you thought you can make your case by comparing their numbers but as I've explained, you're only exposing how flawed your case is.

NO no nooooo,

What i'm doing is answering all questions by posting up both people numbers. i argued against andy but never saw his stats, in reality he is worth being on the team but at this critcial year he is not worth being a starter. remember this is torre's WALK year and cashman is under heavy watch , and if i know The boss a 240 hitter or worse would create a tragedy in Yankee land when others were available. also is all that pressure fair to ANdy's developement. and for the record he is not a Superb fielding Oreleud is better even with age 1b and two he is signed to us so we can AFFORD to experiment. and to have a low BA plus LOW power numbers coming from 1b is not flying. if you hitting low BA you better have 25 or better homeruns and 70 -80 rbi's and some walks

well if you review their 2006 stats especially Wilson in Pitt with 255 at bats in 85 games the mans power numbers better andy , in fact his numbers in crappy at bats for the yanks power wise was decent. andy in 246 at bats either matches in some areas or is below

And what makes you think he is going to hit .240 this year?

Have all the things I said about him getting better if he played more not sink in for you?

Do you think Andy is going to hit .240 forever?

And how can you say his fielding isn't as good or better than Olerud?

Fielding is not something that is easily quantifiable (if that's even a word but you know what I mean).

So if you are basing your judgment on observation then my question is how can you know how well Andy fields if you haven't even seen that much of him?

By the same way people judged Sheff's fielding at the position!!

ANdy is a platoon type player so far maybe cash should've sent him to Winter Ball.

Believe it or not The yankees are under alot of Pressure.

My question is if we give Phillips the job and he FLOPS what is the back up plan?????

Oh give me a break with that power number garbage.

You are obviously scraping the bottom of the barrel with that one.

13 HR's vs. 7 HR's.

Are you serious?

6 homeruns more makes Wilson more powerful?

Keep in mind that Wilson has had 7 major league years experience.

Andy's got what, 1/2 a season total?

You are really reaching for every bit but you know you are losing this argument.

Andy's only a platoon player if they make him out to be, otherwise he can start and play with the best of them.

The Yankees are always under a lot of pressure.

Tell me a time when they are not.

Bronx Bomber, you obviously have a lot to learn.

It's the big superstars that more often fail under pressure.

You have seen that for the Yankees the past six post seasons.

The little guys are the ones that step up.

Funny how you are so quick to assume that Andy's going to "flop."

Andy has just as much a chance to flop as anyone on the team, including your A-Rods, Damons, Giambi's, Randy Johnsons and so on.

Do you have a back up plan for everyone on team?

I guess being a woman, I found the comment about having her husband home not being all it's cracked up to be, was a rather stupid response. Laura just wants her husband to be happy. Don't make assumptions to other people's personal lives. It's ignorant.