On the Yankees beat

Oh, only 2 home runs tonight ... it's pretty amazing.

I was thinking that Chase Wright didn't knock anyone down through the 1 2 3 4 home runs. That was sportsmanlike. Remember when Lilly beaned Scott Spezio and got a standing ovation on a Sunday no less. (Tough and gritty New Yorkers of the pre 9-11 world). With Igawa getting smacked by Tampa Bay, I think its time to sound the alarm.

Oh, only 2 home runs tonight ... it's pretty amazing.

I was thinking that Chase Wright didn't knock anyone down through the 1 2 3 4 home runs. That was sportsmanlike. Remember when Lilly beaned Scott Spezio and got a standing ovation on a Sunday no less. (Tough and gritty New Yorkers of the pre 9-11 world). With Igawa getting smacked by Tampa Bay, I think its time to sound the alarm.

2 homers is impressive... he's doing everything in his power to win. Giving up 10 runs to Tampa... this is just getting plain ugly. I have a feeling if Hughes pitches well, Igawa may find himself as a long reliever when moose returns.

EEESHH! What the hell with the pitching this month! Thank god for ARod!

The standard is very low for SP right now I hope Wang straightens this out. (Not too much pressure for his first start back.) And why the hell is Farnsworth warming the bench? Demote his ass to AAA and bring up someone that actually wants to pitch.

Mo looked better, pitches still up but he got the outs. He needs more work. I can't believe we're one of 2 teams without a save.

RELEASE Farnsworthless and get somebody that CAN PITCH. Eat the contract!!! Same thing for Pavano!!!! Package them both for a bag of balls, or even one ball. I don't care. I don't want to see their freaking faces on this team any longer!!!! They are CANCERS. Igawa needs to go to AAA and stay there for the next 4 years. Melky can go with him.

Where is Bernie and Lilly????

24 Runs In Last 4 Games, Lost All Four. Yankees Starting pitching and bullpen are awful. Should Ron Guidry be blame? Are they following correct scouting report?

I guess hindsight is always 20/20, but how did we wind up starting the season with Carl Pavano and Kei Igawa? Carl proved to us for two years that he is a glass jawed bum. Kei isn't worth squat let alone 45 million.

Hell, I'll pitch for a free ticket in the buffet line in the clubhouse.

I never thought I would say this, but Clemens can't get here fast enough.

I wish Hughes could spend all year at AAA, but sometimes you have to man up and take the hill.

If we get Clemens and find lightning in a bottle somewhere a la Aaron Small, we will be ok.

If we continue filling in Carl's holes with AA guys, and throwing Igawa every 5th day, we won't see October.

You don't believe me? We just scored 24 runs in the last 4 games, and lost all of them...

Fire Cashman for signing Pavano and Igawa. Yankees stuck with Igawa five more years...

The sad fact of the matter is that Clemens is going to go to the team with the best chance to win a ring. He has stated that fact. That's all he really cares about is himself. And right about the time he is to decide (the next couple of weeks), the Sox could have a cozy 8-10 game lead if things don't change immediately! I see him jumping back to where he started. And, wouldn't that be great for us????

Hit Our Stars But Don't Retaliate, I am Sick Of This

This team for years has taken on the Character and Personality of their Mgr. Laid Back, no fire in the belly, don't get mad, don't get upset, Don't Scream, Don't argue over close plays, let the other teams pitchers do what ever it takes to win, crying to he Umps, Throwing at our Stars. And it's embarrassing to watch. Well I am sick of it.

How many times are we going to face the Red Sox, and have their pitchers throw at our Stars and Capt. And not do a thing about it. This has been going on for years, when Soriano was nailed along with Jeter in the same inning when Pedro was throwing at this team every game. Now we are on National TV and they are showing, Julian Tavarez Telling Matzuka to throw high and inside to A Rod and knock him off the plate. Then he hits A Rod and Jeter, and we have to listen to those 2 Yankee Haters announcing the game, tell the world he wasn't trying to hit them. BS. don't give me that BS.

Don't give me that Japanese BS, about bowing and tipping of the hat, and being the gentle nice guy because he knew exactly what he was doing and probably was told by the Red Sox players, don't worry about us, they won't retaliate, just get them off the plate and nail them.

And I blame this on the Manger of the New York Yankees and have blamed him for years. I said last year when he didn't get fired, (and he should have been fired right after we lost 4 straight to this team after winning the first 3)
We had the chance to hire Sweet Lou and we blew it. We need a Manager on this team with the personality and Character of a Sweet Lou, Billy Martin and Larry Bowa. And please don't give me that BS about the WS Torre Won, we won, because we had the Character and Personality of a Don Zimmer, Paul O'Neil and the Rocket. Not because of Joe Torre. You can bet the house on it, if Sweet Lou or Billy Martin, or even Larry Bowa, Don Zimmer is the Mgr of this team, after A Rod and Jeter get hit, Down goes Otiz and Manny. You can bet on it. And you can bet the Red Sox Players are laughing at this team and patting this Japanese Pitcher on the back and telling him that's how you play when you play the Yankees. Again, I am sick of this.

I don't think we need to sound the alarm yet. Remember a few years back against this very same Tampa team we brought Cano up and our record was well below .500 11-19 I believe. We have been there before and recovered well from it. However this year I think it is time to say goodbye to some old friends. With that said Fransworthless,Meyers,Pavano,and Giambi need to find the door and let themseleves out. This team cannot win when you pay a guy to setup and be ready daily and Fransworthless cannot provide us with that. Meyers should not be payed because he does not log enough major league hours to be on the clock therefore he is useless. Pavano is our Kerry Wood and has provided us with nothing but x-ray bills.And the whole reason why we have a mess at first base is all because of Giambi. Here we have a guy that we signed to big bucks to play first and he turned into a DH. We should not have that much depth at first instead we could have an extra roster spot for a spot that we are in more need for like another outfielder or pitcher or backup catcher.He runs the bases like crap and his bat is not needed for this team to win. I was not suprised to see Giambi strike out in the ninth to kill whatever momentum that A-Rod gave off that homer. Hopefully we can move this junk out soon enough.

The only way there will be major changes to this organization is if there pain.

If they lose either by having a lousy record or not win the division, then you can be sure that there will be impetus for changes.

Otherwise, if they pull another one out, then there will not be wholesale changes and the usual cast of characters will return.

I peeked at the comments and gathered that alot of you saw the game last night. I had the misfortune to go and watch Igawa with great seats behind home plate.

I'm not happy that I said, "stay away from this guy (Igawa)" I saw a thirty second clip of him pitching in the winter. He needs much work and not at this level. The Devil Rays are no chump hitting team. They can run and get their bats on the ball. Igawa had 97 pitches in 4.1 innings, no clue where home plate was. He shows very little emotion which is not a negative but my god. You are stinking up the house, one pitch at 91 if there is no one better on the farm then we are in deep trouble with him as number 4 or 5.If, he cannot win the offensive power that the Yankees have.You know that he's bad. He was hit often and hard.Has no pickoff move to speak of to first. If, the Devil Rays weren't pounding him from the rightside. They would have had track races at first to second. He is not ready for prime time. Send him down and who scouted this guy; three blind mice. Igawa was awarded the starting slot because of his contract. He is what he is, do not expect more. Colter, my boy for 6'7" is not the answer not with and 85 mph fastball. I know its not about speed in pitching but the D-Rays were having a picnic. Arod made a great diving stab in the first inning to save Igawa.

I'm a proponet of its early but you must beat the Devil Rays and the Yankee farm system must have one shining light down at AAA. Igawa dos not belong period.

Its time for the Yankees to stop babying their AAA prospects whoever they maybe. If, we can send our 18 year olds into battle both males and females. The Yankees can pitch our young guys in the major legues. If the fear emotional strain is too much pitching in big league basball than we are being way over protective.
Cashman start looking for some pitching or bring up some young guys. The Yankees should be able to transition young pitching with this offensive lineup.

I'm not saying sound the the alarm either .. but the Yankees ... yes, YANKEES should be EMBARRASSED.

I thought Jeter had a horrid game(ever hear of charging a ball?). Game starts, Melky works the count perfectly. Make the pitcher throw some pitches. Jeter gets up, swings at the first pitch, double play. Erased what Melky did. Thanks for K'ing in the 9th too.

Who's fault was it to cover second on that steal? Jeter/Cano's/Phelps and the coaches. This was the worst play(or non play) I've seen in years. We use to do this in little league.

If Damon can't play --- put him on the DL. Nice job pinch hitting with the bases loaded. I'm glad he pinched hit for Phelps. Phelps is only hitting .300 and was 1-2 for an rbi.

Melky -- catch the damn ball. I know it's a tough catch but this isn't AAA. Where the big boys play, you're supposed to make tough plays.

This rant interupted by ...
ESPN is reporting that HUGHES is starting Thursday? (terrible spot to do this because now its panick time, more pressure on Hughes, he's a no win situation now, thanks Torre)

Back to the rant:
Hitters 1-2-3 go 3 for 12 - 1 rbi -- hitters 4-5 go 7-9, 4 rbi's.

Upton gets up to hit and creams an inside pitch, hits the foul pole. Next time he gets up with bases loaded, where does Posada call for a pitch? Same spot as he the dinger in. That's a good game plan because of a HR, he only cleared the bases with a double.

GIDP: D Jeter 1, R Cano 1, J Posada 1, B Abreu 1

This was an ugly game. How can I blame the relievers when the Yanks relievers are use the most in the majors? Why is Proctor tying a record with the most appearances this early? This bullpen will be done by mid-may.

All the Yankees share the blame in this terrible game.

Ok, I'm done. My day can now begin.

One more final thought --- thank God for Arod.

Is Joe Torre alive ?

George made the biggest mistake not canning this passion lacking bum for a manager. The manager who allowed his team to blow a 3-0 lead to the Red Sox and lose to the Tigers last year..

I swear on anything Torre looks like one of the walking dead zombies from Dawn of the Dead or Night of the living Dead.. Man looks like he died 10 years ago.. He doesnt even need any make up or a mask. All Torre has to do is stand up and walk slowing with his arms extended outwards... He sits there in the dug out half asleep. Few years back I saw Don Zimmer throw a nudging elbow to the side of Torre to wake him up in the dugout..

The situation can reasonably be considered desperate when we have only one functioning starter, ready to celebrate going up to two if it turns out that Wang really is functional immediately. That desperation is the justification for bringing up Hughes who has only recently moved beyond a 75-pitch limit, so may not be capable of sparing the bullpen much even if he pitches as well as we might hope.

As the replacements are made, with people coming off rehab and up from the minors not likely to be able at first to pitch deep into games, what options exist to keep from wrecking the arms of the relievers? I understand the desire to scream and rant about it, but what are the real options? I am seriously asking because I don't know. Are there things to be done other than forcing youngsters and those just back from injuries, at gunpoint so to speak, to pitch deep into games? We don't have time to revamp the whole training system for pitchers this season ...

1. Trade Melky and one of the Kevin's for a pitcher.

2. Bring Bernie Back

3. Abreu looks awful - trade him for a pitcher.

4. Bring Bernie Back

5. Igawa can't pitch - that was obvious from the start - was he signed just because Boston signed Dice-K?

6. This season can go down the tubes if we don't spend some money and eat some contracts.

7. ARod is the most exciting player I have seen since Mickey Mantle.

The fact that they have 4 starting pitchers out and there bullpen is being over worked which in turn is making them suck is not Joe Torre's fault.

Wang is back tonight. Moose is not far behind. Andy has been pitching really well.

We can not expect 20 year old Hughes to come up and be our savior. They will have to make a serious move at Clemens and hope that one of our young pitchers starts pitching well.

It is still april. There is no reason to stress. I figured of all people, Yankee fans would know this.

I would rather a 3 game sweep by the redsox in april then a 5 game sweep in august.

Dice K hit ARod and Jeter BY ACCIDENT!!!!!! Get over it, it happens in the game sometimes. Nobody is telling him to hit ANYONE, most especially any Yankee players...that is like playing with fire...

Most of this mess has been caused by Torre and Cashman setting the bar TOO LOW on everything the Yankees do, from conditioning, to ST, to playing the game. Other teams have pitchers throwing complete games by now and the Yankee starters can't even give us 5 innings???

They keep the pitchers ( ML and Minors) on strict pitch counts, don't rush the prospects to the big leagues, be overly cautious when bringing people off the DL (better give then an extra two weeks).....

These guys are babied and sheltered and are not conditioned to do their jobs! Let's get the expectations bar back up to where it should be. Tell the SP that you're going 7 innings tonight no matter what the score is and what the pitch count is. You are going 7 innings, now go out there and Git-R-Done!

I'll bet they would start throwing more strike one's, the batters would be behind and start getting themselves out more frequently, the pitch counts would stay lower, and we'd get 7 innings from a starter! This setting the bar so low crap has got to end!!

ikeand The Mad Dog on A-Rod

Mike and The Mad Dog on A-Rod

Mike and The Mad Dog just both agreed that A-Rod will command no less than $30 million a year with a guaranteed contract for 5 to 7 years at the end of the year. And they said he will get it easily from a team that will be able to contend for the post-season.

Wow, quite amazing. This is the guy so many people threw under the bus, tried to boo out of New York and wanted traded this winter!

By the way, they also said that if any fan boos A-Rod at the stadium this year, ever, that they are crazy.

I'm sorry guys, but after all the garbage I've gone through on the boards this winter supporting A-Rod I just had to put this out there.

And anyone who questions whether or not A-Rod is just a fluke in April -- go read the article I posted in a thread called Long and Jackson Major Players on a New A-Rod. This is no fluke -- this guy is geared for the biggest year he ever had in his life.

Welcome to the new world where A-Rod is now being talked about by every sports person out there as one of the greatest players in all of baseball -- and this came from the guys at ESPN!! Now I would like to jump up and down and say -- Yeah and We Have Him -- but thanks to the wonderful New York fans who booed the man mercilessly last year, and even a few times this year, we might not have him very long!

Arod and Pettitte are this whole team so far in 2007

They are the only ones doing anything. and if Arod wasent hitting what would our record be

The Scrub Pitcher that beat the Yankees list.

8-10 with a-rod, I'd guess 4-14 without. Unreal.

8 runs should have been enough. I can't believe our pitching is soooooooooo bad that we have to score more than 8 runs to win a game. This is a disgrace. This is the Yankees, the greatest franchise in all of sports? Where is George? I want George in charge again.

We wouldn't be in this position with A-Rod at the end of the year if he didn't go through what he did with the fans last year. I don't believe for a second that A-Rod would have even thought about opting out if he wasn't put through he*ll in 2006.

Jason Giambi better keep text messaging Clemens and I'm praying for Hughes to show up big. It's not impossible -- Wang showed up big tonight. Hughes just might!

Okay, so Rick's answer is to force the kids and the convalescents, at gunpoint if necessary, to pitch deep into games.

Are there any other ways to 'relieve' the relief situation?

Rick,

I agree with you to a certain point.

But do you really agree rushing 20 year old prospects up to the majors is the right way to go?? We have seen this before with young pitchers who have not had the time to develop physically and mentally.

And rushing people off the DL in April makes no sense to me either. If it was the 2nd half of the season I would get them back playing ASAP. But why risk another injury this early in the season, even if our starting rotation is in shambles.

I have no problem keeping pitchers in there to get rocked for the sake of the bullpen. But you also can not have them pitching 110+ pitches. Which will happen if they are giving up hits and walks, way before the 7th inning.

Conditioning may be the only point i fully agree on with you. Conditioning is where is all begins and Roger Clemens is the best example of this. He knows his body better than any other pitcher, these pitchers need to be trained to know what they need to do to be ready for a season.

I have to say....I find it a bit interesting that alot of you folks feel that signing Clemens is a foregone conclusion. Why?

Most of you are calling for Torre's head...and if this debacle continues you will likely get your wish...be careful what you wish for. If Torre is replaced that wont help in securing the services of the Rocket. Hell, if this keeps up, Pettite may demand a trade to a "contending" team.

The Yanks are in a horrible postion...their pitching is in absolute shambles, and Torre IS burning the gas in the tanks of what decent pitchers he has at an alarming rate. You cant tell me that wont have some significant cause and effect in August and September. It's only April...but that doesnt mean that what happens now wont leave it's stamp in the most critical time of the season.

From my perspective firing Torre right now would cause the Yanks to fall apart, and the team would lose any chance to sign Clemens.

I think, and this doesn't happen often, I agree with Rick. Unless I'm mis-reading him ...

His point is the Yanks are raised and conditioned in the farm system to pitch to low counts and never strengthening their arms. He's not saying 'force them' to pitch more .. but the Yanks did hold back on Hughes last year, they admitted that. The also admitted they wanted to slowly bring along Hughes. The question is why? Why is there a need to baby him? Would the A's baby him? Perhaps the Yanks should look into what the A's do because they do it right.

Diane I'll answer your question with a question(s). Why did Torre yank Pettitte after 100 pitches? Why pull Igawa(his previous start) with 80+ pithches and a 9-2 lead? These guys are making a lot of money to be on such a short leash.

Now, some would say, well, this is the long haul and we need them to pitch during the summer. I agree with that .. but, what if they don't pitch well. You burn the pen in spring and expect all the starters to pitch 8 innings is unrealistic.

Last note -- stop crying about Bernie. It's NOT going to happen, he's done and rightfully so. Bernie is not the reason for the Yanks slide.

This offense is not the reason for the slide.

About that strength and conditioning program. Yanks fired the old guys and struck a deal with 24 Hour to hire their trainers. In return the Yanks open a bunch of 24 Hour fitness centers in the NY area with the Yankee name and receive royalties. So the Team sells out the health of the players for some cash on the side. I smell Cashman again!!

Jason, that's 25 runs in the last four games, and we gave up 31, but who's counting.

When does the next boat leave for Japan? There are no boats leaving for Japan, you say? Then Siberia will do.

More important than finding good pitchers next year, our priority should be finding somebody who knows how to select good pitchers. It seems every year since 2001 Yankee management has been making catastrophic choices in that regard. Whoever has been making decisions concerning the evaluation and selection of pitchers is doing a terribly horrific job. Whoever has been making evaluations and decisions concerning hitters is doing a fantastic job. Time to turn the pitcher-selection reigns over to someone who actually knows what the hell they're doing for a change!!!!!

Lucy -- AMEN!!! Whoever is the Scout leader on the Yanks is terrible at picking arms.

How can I forget Posada???? After my rant, that left me breathing heavy after all that typing .. how did I forget about Posada?

Can he please catch a one hopper to him and tag a runner? Please?

Remember when the team was known for good fundamentals, like defense and knowing where to throw the ball and running the bases. Where did all that go?

don't look for Carl Pavano anytime soon.

"I got after it more today and there is still more to work through, for sure," Pavano said of his strained right arm. "It is what it is and it will work itself out. I put something on it and I still feel it."

It was Pavano's second throw session off flat ground since going on the DL.

"I don't know how it is; it's only been two days," Pavano said. "I will take it as it comes."

Asked if he will remain with the club, Pavano said, "Yeah, I have had enough of Tampa."

Mussina (hamstring) will throw a 50-pitch bullpen today and then will pitch in a minor league rehab game Friday. If that goes well Torre said Mussina would start next week in Texas.

24 hour fitness wasn't a Cashman move Hitch. It was a Steve Swindal move - the only part of it that was Cashman related was picking which of their guys was going to be hired for the team - he took the one with the most experience.

Lucy,

You are on the money about the pitching evaluation, but I'll disagree with the bats evaluation. Damon has not blown me away and Abreu is slowly becoming what the Philly fans claimed he was when they bid him goodbye. Giambi is a hit or miss(though doing well finally now). Jeter and Posada can hit but they are from the old crew. Cano is legit but Melky was held onto when he could have brought in a pitcher that could actually be helping now. I dont think there is a good record of evaluating talent in this organization over the last 6 years(maybe more). You need to be better than an occassional success. Should be 50-75 percent success. Yanks can afford the mistakes because they have the money but it doesn't mean it should be acceptable.

Chip,

OK so Swindal is gone and now Cashman needs to go too so that the slate can be officiallty cleaned.

Mike and Mad Dog are talking about pitching inside against Boston - Mike has said he is going to plead his case again with Torre on Thursday about pitching inside on the Sox hitters. He said it has gotten to the point where he read articles out of Boston (which I'm looking for) where the Boston PLAYERS have said the Yankees are too well mannered. That they know they can hit the Yankees with impunity because they Yankees never retaliate.

When the players are mocking you and know that they can do whatever they want, something has to change.

For what it's worth....I've never seen anything in the NE papers to substantiate that claim, Chip.

Abreu was absolutely lost at the plate last night and Fossum has a similar ERA as Igawa. So, I'm hoping its just some slump and not long term.

As far as Posada, Matsui's throw was strong and on target. Yes, it took a high hop which Posada elected to block as opposed to catching and taging. I thought he could have done a better job of it. The runner was clearly out if Posada handles the throw.

Arod was running like a track star taking extra bases showing lots of hustle. Jeter on the other handle is just not with it from what I saw. Cannot put my hand on it. Maybe the pitching situation after 2 prior years is wearing some of these guys down. The constant demand to produce offensively above and beyond normal expectations.

Every pitcher on the roster should be embarrassed for their performances of late except Andy P.

As far as rushing Hughes, 75 pitches max for a 20 year old seems a little underwhelming in my book. If you can pitch at AAA. You can throw at the major league level.

Igawa should be removed from the starting rotation. he cannot win unless 8 runs are scored for him. Unless this changes we will continue to see brutally overworked bullpen guys. No decision is worst than a bad decision.

Hitch:

All Abreu does is get on base - a ton. He gives Alex chances to see more and more pitches before he gets up to bat and he has played a far better right field than I thought he would. He's not a home run hitter - if that's what you want him to be, you will be disappointed, but he's going to be on base, he's going to hit doubles, steal bases.

If the trade was just Melky for Gonzalez the Yankees would have done it, Pittsburgh wanted Proctor too. What good is taking one pitcher you know can pitch out of the pen to replace him with another guy who you know nothing about?

Cashman's wrong calls were Farnsworth, Pavano, Vazquez, Womack, Weaver.

But none of those moves looked bad until you look at them in hindsight, which is always 20-20.

I don't think he needs or deserves to be fired - the Yankees did wind up with the best record in baseball last year despite starting out just as badly as they have started this season with injuries that were a lot more severe than the ones they are facing now.

Tony says:

Diane I'll answer your question with a question(s). Why did Torre yank Pettitte after 100 pitches? Why pull Igawa(his previous start) with 80+ pithches and a 9-2 lead? These guys are making a lot of money to be on such a short leash.

Tony, I'm really interested in trying to figure out what the rational options are. I have to guess what you are implying with these questions; maybe it is that he could have saved the bullpen 25 pitches if he kept Andy in for 10 more and Kei in for 15 more. Or something along those lines.

In other words, save a few here and there with the guys who are healthy, stretching their limits at least somewhat. So that's one tactic in what would have to be a multi-strand strategy to make a useful difference to the bullpen.

What else could be added?

Also, tell me if I got you wrong, I actually am trying to understand what the possibilities would be.

This webblog has gone downhill in the past 2 months, I used to come here to check up on relevant yankee information, now the entries are yesterdays news, whereas last time it was actually the inside news of the clubhouse. I am rather disappointed.

Chip,

My idea of a number 3 hitter is not one that works out walks in RBI situation. Name one other passive number 3 hitter in baseball. The 3 and 4 hitters in your lineup are the ones that are eager to swing the bat and drive in runs. That was the knock on him in Philly, not that he wasn't a leader or a mentor, but that he was passive.

His defense stinks as advertised. Whenever he has to go back to the track he gets happy feet and starts looking for the wall. But I give him a plus for a great arm. He also got knocked for lack of hustle which I saw the other night when he eased around first and then had to bust it to second when the ball in the gap was cut off and throw to second.

I know many people from Philly who talked in volumes about him and almost everything the said is coming true.

Larry,

Hughes has been throwing about 90 pitches in AAA. I agree with Joe Girardi who said last night that he doesn't imagine Hughes will be allowed to throw more than 100 pitches in any start this year.

I don't think calling him up is a panic move - I don't think it is the move the Yankees wanted to make this soon, but the guys they wanted to serve as starters before getting to him are either hurt or ineffective.

Again, I'm not putting on the rose colored glasses, drinking the kool-aid or being an apologist when I say that the Yankees ahve started out badly the last couple of years, gotten fans to the edge of panic and still won the division year after year after year....

Why is it that the only person capable of rational thought on this blog is Chip? You are all a bunch of second-guessing, scapegoating fair weather fans. Now that you all can't blame A-Rod for every Yankee loss, you all blame Torre, or Cashman, or whoever the under-performing Yankee of the week happens to be.

You all expect perfection from every member of this organization, which is simply not realistic. Did the Red Sox REALLY look that good last weekend? At any point did you look a that team and think that they were the better team? Each one of those games could have easily swung our way. With a little bit of luck, WE would have swept THEM, instead of vice-versa.

Everything will be fine - Wang and Mussina will come back, Matsui will come back, our young pitchers will get better, and we WILL win the division.

Dave S: Absolutely. All three of those games against the Sox could have gone either way. I think the Yanks are just going through a tough stretch with injuries and whatnot. They'll come around and put together a couple of big streaks this summer and at the end of the season they should be celebrating another division title. The fans need to stop over-reacting. You don't have to fire/trade/demote somebody anytime something doesn't go our way!

How is anybody on this blog blaming the offense for anything? Look at the lineup! Almost everyone is hitting above .300 except Damon and Doug M. They are scoring tons of runs. Blame Jeter for striking out in the 9th? How about blaming Igawa and Bruney for stinking it up?
Forget the offense and who did what at what time, the team is scoring 6 runs a game which should be plenty but the PITCHING SUCKS. Wang will be back, Moose will be back and Pavano won't. That's fine. I still disagree w/ bringing Hughes up unless this is just a spot start and he goes back down but I don't think this is the time for him. If he pitches well, they will wear him out by the end of the year. If he pitches poorly, everyone will be down on him and he'll end up getting traded for a backup catcher in July or something.

All this Torre knocking is cracking me up too. The last time I looked, Torre wasn't listed as a starting pitcher so this is not his fault. Maybe his blunder on Friday caused that loss but if the pitchers (starters and relievers) were doing their jobs, he would be considered a genius (again).
Put the blame where it belongs please, on the crappy pitching. The fact is there is not much available out there. "Trade Abreu for pitching"- Have you seen Abreu's contract? Have you noticed the thin pitching market and how everyone is holding on to their pitching?
We can blame Torre, Cashman, Steinbrenner, Swindal, Fred Stanley, Mike Gallego, Ruppert Jones, Mel Hall and anyone else we want but the fact is the pitching stinks and there are no good ones available.
Trade Pavano and Farnsworth? for what? Just to get them off the roster? Okay, great so now Proctor can pick up their roles too, what the heck. Bring up kids from AAA to take their spots? Sure, but THEY SUCK TOO.
The Yankees are in a period of transition regarding their pitching and the only way it's gets better is:
Wang, Moose AND Pavano get healthy (We know Wang and Moose will), Clemens comes back (even though I hate to see the Yanks have to kiss his *ss to do so) and Rasner fills Igawa's spot in the rotation until Hughes can do so later in the year. Rotation until June:
1. Wang
2. Pettitte
3. Moose
4. Pavano
5. Rasner/Karsten/Igawa

June 15th:
1. Wang
2. Pettitte
3. Clemens
4. Mussina
5. Hughes

The Yanks have to win the Pettitte, Wang and Moose games without a doubt starting next week. They also have to ask those guys to go deep into games to save the bullpen for the other two games when they will probably have to pitch half the game or more.

Gotta run for a bit...I'll check in later before the kids get home from school and start messing up this blog.

Hitch - he's not passive, he is selective though which is a good thing, I would prefer a guy in that spot who is willing to take pitches and work a walk rather than chase pitches in hopes of hitting a bomb.

He isn't a number three hitter in the David Ortiz mold but he is along the same lines of Joe Mauer who also doesn't bring lots of power to that spot in the lineup.

Pete,

Jack is looking for you!

Chip,

You take bad pitches to get good pitches to hit. Unless your a leadoff or number 8-9 hitter. Now I am not saying that he should be shipped out or benched or anything like that. Unless you have something better or a better offer then you stay with what you have.

My point is lets not make this guy out to be a feared offensive player. He was a good pickup when the team had no outfield and the decision had been made to cut bait with Sheff. But I am not particularly satisfied with this outfield. The fielding is bad and the hitting is spotty at best. It needs work. A-rod cant cover the deficiency for the whole season.

Jim,

A great post as usual my friend.

The blame starts and ends on the mound.

18 games 9 of which the pitcher has not gone 5 or more innings. The Mets' John Maine has three starts of 7 innings or more, not 1 Yankee pitcher has gone 7 innings.

I expect Wang on a pitch count tonight - but hopefully as the season progresses Joe will allow him and Andy to be the horses we all know they are.

http://scoutyankees.forumup.us/

Hey Diane, Please visit our Scout Yankees Forum. Thanks

Chris,

I just got back from the club house talking to the Yankee coaching staff. Big inside tip coming...Clemens will be activated for Saturdays game, Oneils coming out of retirement, Girardi and Mattingly have agreed to one year deals and Billy Martin WILL replace Torre for Fridays game against the Sox.

Hope that satisfies your need.

How the heck can someone complain about having Matsui, Damon, and Abreu in their outfield? Maybe Damon does throw like a girl, but the guy is a WINNER and a gritty player. He's the Tino Martinez of this team - we got beat by Tino and the Mariners in 95, so we went out and picked him for the next year. That worked out well.

I'll admit that I would like to see us have at least one "fire" player on this team; i.e., a Paul O'Neil type guy. Maybe we can get a middle reliever who wears rec-specs and screams? Those guys seem to pump everyone up.

Don't get me wrong Hitch - I'm not saying Abreu is the end all and be all of outfielders - I do think that depending on the seasons had by Sardinha and Tabata and the status of free agents, the Yankees may elect to do with Abreu what they did with Sheff this last winter and ship him off to a team that needs an outfielder but can't afford Hunter or Jones.

But right now, he is the perfect fit to hit in front of Alex. With Rodriguez as hot as he is, having someone who can get on base ahead of him and turn solo homeruns into 2 runs shots like he did in the 9th last night is big.

Boy what a change huh? The Mets pitching staff, soooo shaky at the start of the season. Big question marks. The Yanks...they got the best 1-2-3 in the big leagues. Now Big Question mark John Maine is the envy of the Bronx!

Chip: not to nit-pick, but Pavano went 7 against the Twins, and Pettitte threw 7 in the "Scutaro" game against the A's. Your point is a good one though, the starters need to last longer.

Dave S.

I agree, it would be nice to have a fire and brimstone type of guy to get the team fired up. They seem to be pretty loose - which is good - but they need that fire - maybe that comes courtesy of Clemens, who knows.

I think sometimes Posada will get in a guy's face.

Pete = sorry, should have looked before I posted.

Good job by you, bad job by me.

Still though, we can smile about how A-Rod has more home runs than some teams - but when John Maine has more 7 inning games than the Yankee rotation, that's a problem.

Nudge,

I think you're lost - the Met blog is down the road. I think they are talking about how David Wright is showing about as much power as David Eckstein this year.

But Chip, what happens we Alex isn't hitting 14 HR's a month. Then you need someone else to pick up the slack. My fear is that down the road, as the pitching gets better, then the hitting tails off because A-Rod slows down and no one else can respond in kind. So now we lose games 4-3 instead.

This euphoria about the offense is whistling past the grave yard. I could understand it if they were pulling games out in the ninth, but they still seem to come up short and the pattern usually is thats what they will continue to do even if the pitching gets better.

I think in recent years the Yankees have become more obsessed with beating the Red Sox than winning the World Series. As an example, we brought Contreras over from Cuba with a hell of a fight, and as soon as the Red Sox blasted him, he was gone. He went on to win the World Series for the White Sox. Another example, in 2003 we became exhausted after our fight with the Red Sox in the ALCS and allowed the Marlins (a ghost of a team before and after that year) to beat us, making us look like the amateurs they were supposed to be. I have a feeling if we were playing a different team from the Red Sox last weekend, Torre and company would have made different decisions and we would have won one or two games.

I'd say if we want to win the World Series immediately, we need pitchers who are ready. Why bring pitchers over from Japan, Cuba, Double A, etc., who need an adjustment period not only on the field but socially as well. When you import, you should accept the fact that these players may have to be cultivated and it may take time. If we are planning on building a team with potential, then don't trade those pitchers whose cultivation period exceeds our timetable.

I feel we have to choose a goal and stick with it; but more importantly, we cannot continue viewing the Red Sox as the litmus test by which we judge success. The obsession must stop and we must bring back the 90's Yankees Mantra: The Red Sox are just another team and a game against them is just another game.

Hitch

I agree that Alex's torrid pace will slow down, but I just don't think that a team with Damon, Jeter, Abreu, A-Rod, Giambi, Matsui, Posada and Cano is going to have too much trouble scoring runs. The lineup is too good and pitching around baseball is too bad for this team to struggle offensively.

Chip,

Sounds like some Mets envy there. That might have been a clever retort if I was interested in anything else that happens in NY baseball, but I'm not. So try again and to prevent another wasted retort, Boston is not my home either.

Lucy,

Good points. I though that Igawa was going to be groomed in AAA when they signed him. Then Cashman began his pontificating about what a great pitcher he was and would fit right into the rotation. The bottom line is they have no pitching depth in the organization so you have to blame the organization. Who's responsible for building the minors?

Lucy,

I don't think the Yankees signed Contreras because they didn't want Boston to have him, they signed him because everyone thought he was going to be a great pitcher - and for a year in Chicago he was - it just didn't work out in NY.

In 2003 it isn't that the Yankees burnt themselves out because they wanted to in the ALCS - they just had to in order to even make it to the World Series.

I agree that beating the Sox isn't the ultimate goal - I've said time and again that Boston can win 100 games, I don't care so long as the Yankees win the last game of the World Series.

That said, I think the course that the Yankees are on is this: Building a team through free agency doesn't work anymore. Due to the economics of the game teams are locking up their good young players before they have a chance to hit free agency and so the few star caliber players that do become free agents are extremely expensive - even the flawed players who make it to free agency are expensive.

So what the Yankees are doing instead is investing that money in international free agents and the draft. Last year, this year and even next year, this method puts the Yankees in a state of flux. As a veteran team with a lot of contracts expiring (A-Rod, Abreu, Posada, Rivera, Andy, Mussina, Pavano, Giambi, Matsui - are all free agents either after this season or next) the fact that from 2000 - 2005 the team did not focus on developing young players, the young guys that are in the system are only now gaining experience at the higher minor league levels, so it is going to put a lot of pressure on Cashman and co. to field a team that will deliver the wins that Yankee fans, and the owner, expect while at the same time cultivating youth that will hopefully provide the cornerstone of the next dynasty.

There are teams that consistently boast excellent pitching. Maybe we should spend millions luring these gurus aways from these other teams. Money doesn't win the World Series, talent does, so maybe we should focus on finding talent that knows how to spot talent. It's out there, that's for sure, but I don't believe we presently have the wherewithal to make it happen. Changes need to be made inside the Yankees organization to address the pitching disasters that seem to have befallen us since 2001.

Nieves's fault

I heard Rod Dibble and Kevin Kennedy talk on Fox Radio yesterday. They both agreed that the 4 homeruns were just as much Nieves's fault as Chase Wright's. They both said that the catcher should be embarrased for allowing his pitcher to throw 4 homers in a row. NIEVES needs to go! He still has not had a hit and his game calling is atrocious!

I think everyone who has watched him play knows that guy stinks to high heaven. What were they thinking choosing him over Pratt. At least Pratt played in the bigs for a while. This guy Nieves is the pits of backup catching. Guess Posado will be catching 145 games this year with that clown as the backup. To think he may have been picked because they didn't want to lose him on waivers are you kidding me. Who wanted him.

I think we needed at least a back-up catcher that called a good game, but we really don't even have that. I'm not impressed with Nieves at all. Sal Fasano couldn't hit a lick, but he called a good game and the pitchers were very comfortable with him. I remember seeing him sitting with the pitchers in-between innings and talking about the next group of hitters they were facing. The pitchers need to have confidence with their catcher. I don't think they have it with Nieves.

Nudge,

So you don't care about NY baseball, but here you are blogging on a Yankee message board?

I don't know what team or sport for that matter you follow, but it seems to me I would rather chat with fans of a team (or topic) I like then try to annoy the fans of a team I care nothing about.

That's just me though, I've never understood the whole "Yankee Hater" mentality, or for any other team for that matter. I really don't care how another team does, as long as they lose to the team I'm rooting for and the team I'm rooting for wins championships.

I would think that just taking satisfaction from a team I don't like losing to a team I care nothing about is like watching a woman you would like to sleep with not go home with a guy you hate, but instead go home with a guy you hate a little less - you're still left in the corner holding your johnson.

Chip, you misunderstood my point about Contreras. When I said the Red Sox "blasted" him, I meant on the field. I agree the Yankees signed him because they thought he would be great, but when he couldn't produce against Boston, he was shipped out before he was allowed to make the adjustments he needed. I feel when we bring players over from other countries, they should be given time to acclimate themselves socially and professionally. We can't expect this to happen overnight.

nicely done Chip

Lucy - thanks for the clarification - in fairness though, everyone blasted Contreras - he was awful.

Pete - thanks

Larry M -- I agree 100 percent with your post.

Chip -- I think it IS a panic move. What did Damon play in the 3rd game with the Yanks vs. Boston? Why did they bring up Chase with only 2 AA games experience? Hughes wasn't an option then but suddenly he is an option? Yanks, Torre included are panicking. Mo in the 8th inning vs. Boston is obvious.

Torre downplays the series(vs. Boston) all week but then manages it like it's the WS.

Apparently, school is out. Have fun. See you people tomorrow AM.

Chip, I believe the Yankees always exhaust themselves mentally and ph