On the Yankees beat

Well, there's a stigma about not winning a regular 3-game series, and so far the Yanks haven't been doing that as of late.

Marianno...

Capping the evening against a bench player with a jack in that stadium??

I really sincerely hope this is all a result of "inconsistent appearances".

If not we're really screwed.
The bullpen is mediocre on its good days if he's not atleast 90% of the "Mo we Kno" then we as KEyes says are indeed "dead in the water."

Early in the game a few counts held the game in the balance and Tyler came through ..

The kid saved the saved the season ...

Jeter was clutch. Damon caught the ball at the fence. Proctor and Mo were good.

Order restored.

good win,good long term result a potential 22 yr old good looking pitcher.

it is a long season all relax, they will rise from the ashes..

One thing i don't know if people have noticed with all the inconsistancies... so far this year we have trotted out a ton of rookies. Hughes will be a future ace, DeSalvo has proven that he is a "pitcher" with lots of variety in his arseonal, clippard was just brilliant last night with a nasty curve and solid control, Rasner is definately a solid back end of the rotation guy and Karstens has some good stuff and lastly Chase Wright has a future. Now... another thing only 2 of these guys are in the "top 10" for prospect rankings. I don't know about you but that looks like a bright future to me. Only thing we lack are good position players with the exception of Tabata who definately has speed, defence and hitting for average... but still lacks power.

Only watched part of the game last night...but from what I saw, young Mr. Clippard was quite impressive. Perhaps just the shot of energy the Yanks sorely needed eh?

Next three games are going to be fun to watch.

Last nights game was welcomed and needed. I sat and watched for the bad things to happen but no the kid hung on and appeared to have confidence in his ability to pitch. As usual that one guy who is overated with mediocre range and a fair arm, singles hitter came through for the Yankees. I don't believe we're over the hump just yet but if as I said the other day the Yankees can take 17 out of the next 20 then we'll be fine. Unfortunately, I forgot the schedule at hand and opponents but this team can do it. Just as our guys from the good days are doing it now, Posada and Jeter.

Didn't Cano look a little more focused last night maybe his Dutch uncle or Uncle Junior visited his locker.

Lets Go Yanks 1 down and 16 to go.

Not just Cano, Arod is heating up again... he's been hitting the ball to the warning track and beyond, Matsui is still hot, Abreau is slowly gaining some confidence, Damon still looks pretty bad, but with a hot Jeter and Posada thats a pretty lethal lineup once again.

Demise exaggerated
Quote:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spken205221818may20,0,6620374.column?page=2&coll=ny-yankees-print

Contrary to a report in another newspaper, Roger Clemens didn't fire Brian McNamee, his longtime personal trainer. McNamee didn't accompany Clemens to his workouts at the Yankees' minor-league complex because no players can bring their trainers on team grounds. The two men will continue to work together.

McNamee, like his charges Clemens and Andy Pettitte, was mentioned in a Los Angeles Times report last year concerning Jason Grimsley's conversation with a federal agent.

The government announced inaccuracies in that report, however, so McNamee, like Clemens and Pettitte, should still be considered innocent until proven guilty.

It's fair to suspect everyone nowadays, but it's not fair to condemn anyone without sufficient evidence.

Extra bases

Yankees prospect Humberto Sanchez's elbow was so damaged, according to a person familiar with the situation, that orthopedist James Andrews removed a tendon from Sanchez's knee to treat the elbow.

Normally, that tendon comes from the ankle.

Andrews told Sanchez, "You should've had this done a year ago," according to a friend of Sanchez.

Alfonso Soriano, the owner of an eight-year contract and no-trade clause with the Cubs, is ready to move on from his New York days. Soriano is selling the Fort Lee, N.J., home that he still had from his time with the Yankees.

Casual: to add a little balance to this young season, Yankees take 2 out of 3. You guys can afford the slip. It may bring those little doubts to the minds of the Red Sox fans.

Living in SW Florida since my exodus from the NY. I have found so many Red Sox fans here. Mostly baby boomers who have the hat with the big B glued to their heads. There's not a one who doesn't believe the Sox's will fold. I'm not so sure this year but know its a long season.

Ruse and Michael,

You were not happy that Proctor pitched two last night and won't be available in the first BoSox game. But unless my memory fails me, Proctor doesn't have a good record against Boston. Maybe Joe was just using him where he was stronger...

Scott Proctor Needs to be a starter plain and simple that could have been the best move cash made. he has good stuff that is starter material. I listened awhile back to an announcer who said the kid stuff is nasty starter nasty meaning that he is going to give up a run or Two which is minimal for a starter but drastic in releif

Bx Bomber: You maybe correct with your assumption of Proctor's proper spot on the team. He needs some wiggle room and the bullpen does not allow it to happen.

Now we start moving in the right direction again.

on a positive note, and one i'm going to get killed on, but oh well.

yanks have opportunity to build off win last night and continue that against boston. win 2 of 3 against bos, then laa, and tor., it makes for a hell of a series (remind you, clemens will be pitching) against bos at fenway in 2 weeks.

wishful thinking though. yanks havent shown the focus or swagger since coco crisp sent that triple down the line on mo 5 weeks ago.

cant say enough about jeter and posada - the captain and co-captain

Larry Exactly,

I see him with that stuff being an effective starter there is no wiggle room in the pen so giving up a run or two is deadly in that situation but can you imagine that stuff 97 -99 mph for 7 innings he would have the best stuff on the staff and his curve probally is deadlier as the innings mount. See this is the stuff an alert manager/GM looks at

i like proctor in bullpen for 1 of 2 reasons. he gives the bullpen some stability, along with brunny, and has the arms to eat innings (so far). another reason why i like him in 'pen is because when yanks trade farnsworth, proctor has the ability to be a bridge to mo.

I'm usually not negative but I don't like the idea of Clemens pitching against Boston in two weeks. I just have a feeling he will get bombed, as he tends to get over excited against them and leaves the ball up when he does. It's just a gut feeling I have.

Last night was nice, it looks like the offense is waking up a bit. I'll reserve excitement though as this team has a big hole to dig out of, but I do believe that things will be okay.

Just a note to those who say they are going to root against this team until Torre is fired: Turn in your NYY hats, jersey's and everything else you have related to this team, you are not true Yankee fans.
It must make your legs tired from jumping on and off the bus so take a break and pick another team to root for/not root for, we don't need you.

Another thing

T. CLippard Maxed out at 91 mph his movement was deadly this was what they hoped for with Igwa , What is the latest rumor on Giambi to the SOX??????????????

Jim, I wonder if it would help, if Clemens is even close to ready, to bring him up to get his first major league start out of the way against Toronto? Maybe settle down a little before Boston... because you're right, he's at his worst when he gets over-amped.

Farnsworth and Prospect for Todd Helton keeps coming up a lot lately.. anyone else keep hearing this rumor?

Diane,
I think that is the best way to go with Clemens. I'd like to see him get a home start out of the way so he can get all of that adrenaline out of the way.

Couple of notes: Karstens broke his leg and tried to continue. Rasner broke his finger and tried to continue- That's what I like to see, gutty efforts like that. Those are the guys who are the future of this team and I think the future will be bright.

SI- Tom Verducci- Short-sighted plan

QUOTE

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...lbag/index.html

Seeing the Braves at the top of the standing this year reminds me how potent a combination John Schuerholz and Bobby Cox have been over the years. Are they the best GM-manager combination in baseball? And what other twosome is even close?
-- Andrew, Vancouver, Wash.

You'd have to say they are the best because they've done well with mixing in young players and trades year after year. After that? I like Minnesota's Terry Ryan and Ron Gardenhire, Milwaukee's Doug Melvin and Ned Yost, Boston's Theo Epstein and Terry Francona, Detroit's Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland, and Omar Minaya and Willie Randolph with the Mets. I'll leave the Yankees' tandem of Brian Cashman and Joe Torre out despite the titles only because Cashman has been a true GM (running the daily operations with almost full authority over the Tampa faction) for just about two years (not long enough), and his track record there is either incomplete or checkered.

So Verducci leave out Torre and Cashman as best GM-Manager combination in baseball, yet I love how Verducci picks Francona and Theo over Torre and Cashman..

Redsox spends money as well.. Matsuzaka, JD Drew and Julio Lugo. Theo made made a mistake signing Matt Clement.. Drafting Craig Hansen who was bust..

Having pronounced the 2007 team "dead in the water" due to a lack of much needed leadership, I would like to layout a scenario in which they could make a run at getting back into the race. Do I think they will actually do it...well no, but it is possible. Here's what I would do:

Conduct a team meeting and layout the following points to the team -

1) Let them know that NO team has ever finished a season playing .700 and the Red Sox won't be the first! They will come back to earth.

2) Stop worrying about what they (Sox) are doing and start focusing on what we need to do.

3) Tell the team their immediate short term goal is to get themselves to .500 (currently 4 games under), and after they do THAT, things will take care of themselves for the rest of the season.

This plan would do a couple of things. It would relieve some of the panic pressure hanging over the team, and it would lay out a simple and very realistic short term plan (reaching .500) for getting back on track for 2007.

Jim A

We both had the same "feelings" about Igawa, and I have the same one as you on Clemens return. The WORST thing that we could do is have him pitch against the Sox right upon his return! BIG MISTAKE.

Proctor is not a good bridge because he can't do the 2 innings on a regular basis with out giving up a run which in a start is nothing but is an issue in relief. He should be alt least tried in a few starts to see how effective he is

The season is far from over and in this spell of lousy baseball which was coupled with many injuries to our pitching and Joe's trust of some under performing players. The Yankees have found a few young pitchers with promise and some poise. Hughes, De Salvo, Clipperd and Hughes good hard nose kids who look like they have the guts to get it done. Carl Pavano where ever you are, please take note!

Boy, did I enjoy watching that kid pitch. I don't care if the Mets just saw him for the first time. Reyes and company got at least 3 at bats at him.

Larry,
I wish the Yanks had two Hughes'!

Rick is right.

Focus on what this team can do should be the mantra....

Clearly that is what the sox ARE doing and it seems to be making quite a difference for them.

As far as the Sox folding Larry....doubtful. Theo learned his lesson well last year....the Sox have an awful lot of depth pitching-wise...as was illustrated over the weekend when 3 rookies pitched against the Braves and came out with 2 of 3.

Casual

Do you truly think the Sox are going to play .700 ball for the entire season?

When one considers that the Sox have guys like Snyder, Gabbard, Hansack, Pauley who all have MLB experience (some very limited) starting games, and the young Phenom Lester due back within a couple of weeks....the Sox truly do have solid pitching depth to go with what has been so far, a remarkable starting rotation and pretty close to a "lights out" bullpen.

I mean, let's face it...it's not intended to be a slight on the Yanks...but this is WHY the Sox are playing at a .700 clip....pitching, pitching, pitching...and then more pitching.

That was why Rick at the very beginning on here I said that the Yankees Need to stop looking at the SOx's moves and trades and try to Dupe them. Biggest mistake , Detroit won the AL. Cash tried to follow by trading for Youth but was swindled By the Tigers and D-Backs hopefully Sanchez and Russ can rebound but the reality is they was had.

In all reality the Yankees need to reshape the team if they happen to ,make the playoff's be it we need to install the parts now and give a year so that when the New staduim opens we will field a molded team and not a rebound team with decaying players

Jim: It was a test. I'm glad to see that you are reading through. I meant Rasner. He has the ability to be a 5 in the rotation.

Rick,

I doubt they do...but they dont have to.

I dont believe any team in the east can catch them if they play .565-.575 ball....and I DO believe they can achieve that and even better.

Jim the Yankees do have another hughes type his Name is proctor he needs to start some games. Imgine the Mental edge of having CLippard pitch followed by a hughe, htat is why i say bring up alot of these players and let that energy play itself the youth need to be up here flocking together even if Abreau heats up hear offers for him.

Casual: Gm's can larn all the lessons needed to be prepared but the rub of game can pop up at anytime. I don't think that they will fold but bend, yes. The season is not over and the Yankees will climb the ladder and the sox's will descend down. It will be interesting and the games as heated as prior years.

this series is key if the sox "" is swept" then it can be a mental factor but if they are a strong team they wil lstill say of 7,5 out so what

Well Larry,

I would agree the Sox are not likely to win the division by 11-12 games...but what's good for the goose is also good for the gander.

If the Sox dont have what it takes to play at a .700 clip, well then...neither does any other team in the east...which is what it would take (or very close to it) to catch and surpass the Sox if they stay at a .550 clip.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the Yanks don't have to win the East to make the post season. They can be the wild card and still be in the second season known as October.

AND, I might add, that the Wild Cards have done pretty darn well the last few years! They seem to always knock us out in the 1st round. Once we get to October, ANYTHING can happen!

As I mentioned before....inspite of the amount of talent/depth, the baseball "savvy" of the management team, and the ups and downs of veteran players....luck is always a factor in any and every championship run. Always.

So far lady luck has shined a bright light on the Sox, while shutting off the supply entirely to the Yanks. Bad luck is also a factor. The Yanks have been pummeled....that they CAN and likely will overcome, and just as likely it will make quite a difference.

That said....with the Sox off to such a great start, and with the talent/depth they have..and the good luck they have the luxury off, and the fact that they really should be able to maintain close to a .600 clip....I dont think the Sox need to worry about the rear view mirro...just keep doing what they are doing.

The Yanks have an opportunity to get better quick...they have a ton of talentthat has either been injured or has not performed...that wont last. The Yanks should set their goals on winning the east, but be realistic enough to realize that a WC berth is just as good. Even that is gonna be a pretty tough nut to crack at this point.

Bomber,
I don't necessarily agree w/ putting Proctor in the rotation, he's too valuable to the bullpen right now. He has the guts for it and it's not something I'd want to see a kid do right now. The last thing I'd want to see is a young guy come in the game in a threatening situation and fail, which would ruin his morale. I have personally thought Proctor is a bit overrated so I'm okay w/ him staying in the 'pen.

rick-

didn't you pronounce yanks "dead in the water"? you moved on to some scenerios...and now discussing wild card? which is it?

Good point Jim,

But.....that kid last night was in perhaps the biggest pressure cooker of his life.

A Rookie making his ML debut aggainst possibly the best team in the NL, with a formidable lineup, pitching for his team who is foundering a bit.....and the kid was incredible.

THAT..is how "stars" are born....Clippard was most impressive...my best wishes that his star continues to climb.

Did scientists clone a sheep few years back?

Name one player or pitcher from Yankees would you like to clone?

I think it's possible to have two Hughes.

CHRIS

I've been hearing rumors that Todd Helton might be on the trading block but I've heard nothing about an alleged deal w/NY

I've also heard the same rumors about Teixeria being moved.

It's quite clear Cashman screwed up when assembling the Yankee roster specifically the bench,now they're in the hunt for a good RH bat .

Interesting the Yanks want to unload Giambi via some obscure loophole in his contract.He's owed the remainder of this yr about 12 mil + 22 mil in 08 + a 5 mil buyout in 09.
If Giambi can't run w/ his current foot problems the Yanks once again have shot themselves in the foot.
It's being circulated that Cashman new Ohlendorf had chronic back problems when he traded for him.
Cashman is looking more and more like an incompetent fool.

Clone three more 'pinstripe diaper' players from the DNA of Jeter, Mo and Jorge.

That way we get makeup along with ability.

Ruse,

Not news. Cashman said weeks ago that the organization knew about the potential injury issues with Sanchez as well as Ohlendorf, and decided that the risk was acceptable in view of the potential longterm upside. That was before 80% of the starting rotation went down, when the long term was still more important than the short. If it was acceptable then, it was not incompetent. No one could have predicted such an unprecedented catastrophe of injuries among starters.

DIANE

Good point about Proctor.I believe his lifetime ERA vs. Sawx is over 7.00.

Now is not the time to think about Proctor becoming a starter.Focus people.

DIANE

I don't disagree about the long term upside,but
we were all led to believe Sanchez would be competing for a starting role this year.100 mph fastball looked pretty enticing over the winter.
I don't associate Ohlendorf w/ the current problems ,he's probably a year away .
BTW who said it was acceptable ?

Ruse, as I remember it, Cashman said at the time that the risk was acceptable in view of the longterm upside. No cries of outrage were heard here, or anywhere that I became aware of, at the time. The idea that it was acceptable seemed to be generally 'acceptable' then ... ;)

The Yankees can make a statement this week. Wins aside, Mo has to start being used the right way. His rhythm is being affected and for the 1st time in his career he has rust on him.

?

If you expect explanations from me, then please identify yourself and quit hiding behind ?.

To me it's unprecedented a GM would trade for damaged goods .Anyway.
Cashman's FA signings circa 2007
Igawa
Cairo
Mankanthitz
Clemens
Josh Phelps(rule 5)
nothing to write home about.No spark.
Yankees tend to sit on their minor leaguers way to long.Ian Kennedy is pitching lights out for Tampa A ,when he should be at Trenton AA w/ an ETA mid 2008 in NY.

Cashman has done a good job bringing in young talent. What are the Yankees supposed to get for 44yr old Randy Bad Back Johnson and aging Sheffield? Santana -like young kids? Jimmy Carter is the real MORON !

no explanation needed rick, i guess "dead in the water" says enough. but wait, you are a "yankee fan". hmmmmm

In all reality, the real goal was to UNLOAD dead wood, anti-chemistry, high $$$ contracts (Sheffield, RJ, Wright). ANYTHING we got back was just icing on the cake.

Rick,

Every GM, and every Team has its share of blunders that once signed must be dealt with and then unloaded for the best the market will bear....The Sox surely have had their fare share...but over the past 4-5 years the Yanks seem to keep repeating the same mistake. I believe that may change...

RICK

I agree about the anti-chemistry thing ,contracts etc.
Every baseball "insider" is talking about the lack of RH presence in the current lineup.Please no BW talk.Are the Yanks so blindly arrogant to think they could get thru a season w/out a bench and a good righty bat to compliment AROD JETER.????

Casual,
The thing about starting a game is the pitcher gets time to settle down, because they are mostly nervous when they start the game. If Clippard or another young player were to come in the game during the 7th inning at Fenway, with the Sox threatening (runners on base) and he failed, which wouldn't be a surprise, it would do more damage to his psyche in my opinion than starting a game and having a rough first inning or two and then settling down.
In the 'pen, if they struggle w/ the first batter or two, they're getting yanked and won't be trusted to handle that spot again.
Honestly, It's not the young guys coming out of the 'pen that I dislike about Proctor being a starter, it's just that I don't think all that much of Proctor. I think he's good, not great.

Ruse,
They aren't blindly arrogant, they just didn't like what was out there. They tried for Hillenbrand but he wanted too many years (btw, he is off to a horrible start w/ LAA) and there were simply no other players available who fit their requirements (short term deal for vet or young player w/ high ceiling).

Also, all those who wanted A-Rod traded for Crede should take note that not only is Crede off to a bad start, he is now saying he is having the worst back problems of his life right now.

The Yanks if they are going to make any moves should target all around ball players instead of sluggers. We don't need another bat in this lineup as much as we need defense on this team. We have one of the worst outfield in the league and probably one of the worst infield. With the exception of Doug M. and Jeter nobody else plays defense on this team. Pitching and defense wins world series and if you remember correctly the Yanks in the glory years were not filled with 40+ homer guys on the team. Hopefully Giambi can go and that will be a start in the right direction. On the bright side the pitching looks like it is slowly coming together. The youngsters are doing more than our superstars.Just think of it like this... Karstens tried to pitch with a broken leg and Rasner tried to keep going with a broken thumb and our big money guys like Giambi and Pavano sit on the bench and nurse there injuries.

ruse

I'll skip the BW talk, but I fear AR is starting to revert back to the AR I was always talking about (last night's HR was one of those solo add on's after the outcome is pretty much determined). And, when AR is not "hot", that leaves the only RH bat as Jeter. Plus, Jorge, who is a switcher and is on fire. I think he should be batting 4th right now with AR dropping to 5th.

But, let's not forget that we have RH Phelps, who has produced fairly well especially considering how he's been used! I still think he should be getting way more time. If he were in there 75% of the time, along with AR, Jeter, and Jorge, we wouldn't be so lite from the RH side. I consider this to be another one of JT's errors...he needs to start using Phelps more! He could be used at DH and C in addition to playing 1B 2-3 times a week.

JIM A.

Like you say Proctor is a good pitcher not a great one.It's interesting when he's given proper rest his ERA goes down considerably 5.79 when he pitches back to back days to 2.78 when he's given 1 day off between relief aps.

I disagree about Hillenbrand Yanks wanted to give him 1 yr he wanted 2.Big deal.
Mark Loretta plays every infield position well is a lifetime .299 hitter .Yanks couldn't work a deal out for his services? All the other possibilities ?

AJ

I agree the Yanks need a solid contact hitter.

RICK

I like Phelps as a DH.His swing is long and he strikes out a lot but still he could hit 20-25 dingers if given a shot.

Let's face it AROD is a streaky hitter ,I think the recent HRs could be a sign of him going on another tear.Fingers crossed.

So the Yanks actually wona game for a change? Big deal. They were due for a win. Now they can lose the next 3 games.

Papi and Manny will combine for 10 homers this series, and don't be surprised if Wake pitches a no-hitter.

very good point Casual . and I mean that. Truth be told yankees squandered 10.5 games leads before during the season we rebounded and this was in mid season. the first issue for the Yankees is to play 500 and better ball. We win one f**kin game and we talkin catch up paaaaaa leaaassse!!!! hello we started 11 different pitchers some rookei

RSF,

If you read the interactions we have on this board with cross-over posters who support other teams you will find we are happy to exchange ideas with those like Casual and Columbus who have something to say and know how to communicate with others.

Posts like yours above get ignored and once the name is recognized get scrolled on by without reading.

Depends on you.

Caption from the NY Post:

The Yankees' Darrell Rasner underwent surgery on his fractured right index finger last night and is expected to be out three months. Rasner was placed on the 60-day DL, making room for Clippard on the 25-man roster . . . GM Brian Cashman said the Yankees will announce something "early this week" regarding Carl Pavano. The righty has been examined by four doctors and is likely to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. That would end the "American Idle's" Yankees career after 19 starts for a $40 million contract.

I hope they are announcing that we will never see him in pinstripes again. They should collect all of his uniforms and burn them and never issue his number again in case any bad luck still lingers.

The Yankees didn't get swept, not a something to be too excited about but their bats started to click and come alive in the late innings of game 2 and it continued into game 3.

We all spoke of wanting to see these young guns in ML games and we've gotten our wish under circumstances we would've never imagined. But they have all done pretty darn good. Clippard looks younger that Huges but his stuff was incredible. I hope he's not going to be used as bait for a trade. As far as pitching goes the Yankees have a bright future, and that is no longer speculation.

I've been hearing “the Yankees have lost their swagger” a lot. I think that impression and the fact that Mo has blown a few saves and given up 3 HR this early on are one and the same. Once Mo is out there regularly and the rotation is steady we’ll see that “swagger” again. We’ve got our big 3 for this series we should see a different “swagger” already.

Jim A:

Proctor is not great assuming the role he has but as a starter who then has more innings with that heat. his curve and fast ball would probally be best on the team. Why he did'nt at least emergency start when we was low on pitchers amazes me

Bronx Bomber/Jim A.: Last time Proctor started he was running on fumes by the 4th. I don't think he knows how to pace himself anymore for starting. And if he can't keep his fastball in the 92-95 range they'll just sit and wait for it. He can throw a change and curve for strikes but not consistenly over 6 innings. He might be more hittable as the game goes on.

We do indeed have a brighter future than most MLB teams pitching wise. Hughes,Wang,Clippard,DeSalvo,and either Rasner or Karstens would not be a bad starting rotation.Of course some of the pitchers won't pan out but maybe we can use the help in the pen. At work this weekend I ran into a bunch of big time Tiger fans and they were telling me how much they loved Sanchez and even with him getting Tommy John they still believe the Yanks got the better end of the deal. They said he had one of the best arms in there system and Yankee fans next year if all goes well with the surgrey should give Cashman props because he will contribute. Hopefully they are right.
On another note why aren't the Yanks bringing up Shelley Duncan? Seems like he has a good bat and he is righthanded.

Did you folks notice how much Torre was standing at the dugout railing this weekend? That's sort of unusual for him.

Yes that was unusual. But Willie was really into these games, maybe that's his style, (I don't know) but he paced and high fived almost every step of the way. Maybe that energized Joe? They've all got to be a little nervous that things are they way they are this year.

AJ

Shelly Duncan' name has come up a lot lately.I don't know anymore than you do .He's RH and has been hitting the crap out of the ball.Usually a 28 yr old is beyond "prospect" status.I'm just guessing he either is an atrocious fielder or he can't hit the curveball.They have Josh Phelps who also can't hit the curve.

JIM A.

You would think all the green tea Torre drinks he'd be dancing in the dugout isle.It is a better presentation to see him standing.

of cource he was out of fumes look who his manager is. I say next spring if his arm is not jello play him as a starter.

On the rotation you do need all those named in the rotation if you get at least three proven yong starter then a move simular to pettite would blend well. Pettite should lead the youth, and the left over you can make trades to get position youth

BOMBER

Possible 2008 rotation

Wang
Hughes
Pettitte
Mussina
Clippard

w Kennedy /Sanchez.

2009 maybe
Wang
Hughes
Clippard
Kennedy
Sanchez

w/ Chamberlain
?????

Diane:
Scarves older than The Yankee Clippard ? I too have articles of clothing that pre-date his birth. Tyler Kepner of The Times calls Clip a dead ringer for Bart Simpson! That's cold.

BTW, he wears his hat badly. Leaves the brim flat, like it just came out of the box (maybe it did). Same with Phil Franchise. We have coaches for batting, pitching, bullpen, "performance enhancement". Don't we have a Hat Coach?

Bob Ryan writes in today's Globe that Torre was a great manager when he had Zim sitting next to him, but not now. Might be right.

Rick:
Slight correction: Four or five MLB teams have finished above .700, including the Yanks in '98. But I certainly agree with your point that the Sox will come back to earth. They'd better.

Bomber-
Your post should read "look who the starters are" instead of "look who the manager is". Torre wouldn't have to go to the bullpen so often if his starters weren't hurt, crappy or both. Proctor's curve and slider are ordinary at best. I wouldn't want a starter who has basically good velocity and that is all. Hitters will figure that out very quickly.

AJ- Shelley Duncan may as well leave his glove on the bench and take a beer on the field with him, at least he can drink the beer because the glove is useless to him. He's a terrible fielder.

Ruse- Let's hope the rotations work out that way w/ Karstens, Rasner and Ohlendorf being available as well.

BB: I meant when he did a spot start (not out of the pen). He did a spot start early in the season if not last year then the one before that. He didn't have that many innings yet and they started him on a 4-day starters program for a regular start. He didn't make it out of the 4th. I think they made up their minds he wasn't good in that role.

If he's going to start I think a guy like him that's been used so much out of the bull pen needs to go into ST with a starter’s regiment and work out then get regular starts a progress from there. If he spot starts now it won't work.

Personally I like him out of the pen. He's not perfect but if Torre could manage his innings a little better he'd be close to perfect. I like his make up, he wants to be in every game. That's probably why he gets the call so much. That and Farnsy has his limits. I'd like to see Bruney a little more in some of the spots we usually see proctor. That way Proctor has his rest and Bruney gets a little more action.

Jim A

YES, I did notice how he was at the railing, he was AWAKE, not drinking his tea, and he actually came out of the dugout AGAIN to argue a call. That makes at least 3 times in the past 10 days that I've seen him come out and argue a call. Maybe he's getting a "clue" on how to manage? Or maybe he knows people are watching him during his nap time and are not too pleased!

Zander..

98 bombers started out the gate slow then had an incredible stretch then almost lost round One of the playoff;s like Seattle did.

Ruse ..

Wang will lose the Ace title by default. Mussina will be edged out of the Rotation and pettite may or may not be here. a Trade for a Younger starter (houstons ace) or some blockbuster will happen. add that to at least 3 young starters and we will be ok.

Kartsens , Rasner = trade bait