On the Yankees beat

Kat,

Not a bad assessment. Id disagree a bit on the injury claim since many teams have been decimated this season also.

You have to excuse the crazies that come on here and want to vent their frustration over their teams poor play by blaming the reporting or blog admin. Kids are usually excuse makers and are always looking for someone to blame. Children should be seen and not heard so tune them all out.

Kat: you obviously have a sense of the Yankee issues. Injuries are injuries and prior losses can only be made up with a combination win streak and losses by opponents above us in the respective races for the playoffs.
Offense has seen better days but Matsui this year appears to be weaker in his at bats against lefties. Thou his average might be similar its when the hits occur and it appears minimal with RISP. Abreu, Cano and Melky major disappointments with RISP or professional AB's moving runners over. Cano and Melky are not professional hitters. Every AB for them is just an effort to get a hit not with a purpose. Sure you want a hit but this will not occur more than your average. So, secondary expectations must be tried.

I would not trade Cano. Melky could go if needed to solidify a first baseman or solid OF. Thou I can't see teams demanding him in trades.

Abreu has been a flop and he didn't win in Philly and he won't be the reason that we win in NY. He doesn't have the heart to hang tough when needed.

Bullpen should be better but I would start the transition now. Trading or releasing Meyers and Vizcaino bring up Britton and let Henn develop. These kids bounce up & down like rubber balls. They must know they are here to stay and don'y have to worry about every performance being perfect. We just have to look at Farnsworth who should be moved for a returning contributing piece such as a Ty Wiggington or backup catcher.

The bench is weak. Nieves good receiver but horrible arm and poor offense. If he could hit than he play more. Basak should get more playing time just as Melky was to be used in the OF. So should he be used in the infield. Relieve Cano against tough lefties and give Jeter a rest at short. The guy will fall apart.

Joe must play more aggressive baseball with his non-performing hitters with RISP and putting RISP.

Hitting coach Long is not getting to Abreu and Matsui about opening up against lefties. Cano and Melky have no plate discipline. They both hit better with Mattingly as the hitting coach. I don't see why Mattingly can't multi task.

Damon should be placed on DL and some AAA kid be brought up for a taste and audition whether its a catcher or infielder.

Nudge, no doubt many teams have injuries on a regular basis. While the number of injuries is significant (and the Yankees lead in that category), what matters more is who is injured and when they're injured (simultaneous injuries are more significant than piecemeal injuries). What other team has been forced to use nine rookie pitchers the first two months of the season? I've seen teams list a player as injured after missing one game or even if he's playing injured. The Yankees haven't done that at all. The Yankees have obviously been decimated as a result of an unprecedented number of injuries in a very short timespan, more so than any other team in the entire MLB. That's just a well-known fact that speaks for itself.

Kat nailed the major issues - there are a couple of other ones too:

The poor starts of Cano and Abreu - both were expected to do a lot more out of the gate and neither has and at times they have pressed to try and get going again.

Melky is not the super-sub he was last season. His defense is far better than advertised but it would appear that at the plate the scouting reports have gotten around the league on him and he is slow to adjust.

The first base disaster. At the start of the season people were complaining that the team had too many first basemen - of the three who the Yankees opened the season with, none are with the team due to either injury or ineffectiveness leaving an over-matched Phillips, under-productive Cairo or out-of-position Damon as the only alternatives.

Here is a clip from a column by Peter Abraham about why Yankee fans should not expect a big trade this summer:

By PETER ABRAHAM
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: June 26, 2007)

His Yankees have lost five of their last six games, but George Steinbrenner stayed quiet yesterday. His personal spokesman, Howard Rubenstein, said Steinbrenner had "nothing public" to offer.

That would suggest that plenty is being said behind the scenes.

General manager Brian Cashman has 36 days before the non-waiver trade deadline to improve the team. Like every other general manager in baseball, he is trying to see if any of the pieces the Chicago White Sox are selling off make sense to obtain. So far, none have.

The Yankees could make plenty of moves if Cashman were willing to trade a young pitcher such as Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy or Joba Chamberlain. But he is not.

The Yankees believe Hughes will be back in the rotation by the beginning of August once he recovers from a torn hamstring and sprained ankle. Chamberlain and Kennedy, draft picks last June, are already at Double-A Trenton and being groomed to compete for spots next spring.

As a result, do not expect a major trade to fill the hole at first base. Cashman is more likely to make some small changes rather than any big ones.

Is being a 'nice guy' the kiss of death to all hope for excellence at the game?

Or is it just all that people can think of to say about flops like Wil Nieves and Andy Phillips who are trying as hard as they can?

KATWOMAN-
You forgot,
(5)The Manager. The bullpen is overworked and in shambles because Torre both doesn't know how to use it, and plain panics. Torre useing Clemens in a game we are trailing 3-1, is sheer panic. Following Clemens, he brought in Farns. He should have just used Farns in the 1st place, good or bad. The entire team "fell apart" after seeing their manager in "desperation mode" in June. If we want to win the "wild card", we need a righthanded stick with power at 1st base, and a new manager\new energy\new attitude. Changing the "ingredients" doesn't work, unless the "chef" knows how to use them.

kat,
I think you answers to fix the Yankees are too simplistic. Getting rid of Farnsworth and finding a masher left hander bat. That is treating the sympton not the disease. To straighten out this team they need to trade Cano, demote Melky and get another top flight starter. The bigger cloud is will Cashman mortgage the teams future to save his own job. Melky and Cano have continued to leave runners on base. Cano is terrible in driving in runners on third with less than 2 outs. He has no plate discipline. I would hope that he would change his approach but nothing has gotten through to him. See the problem with the Yankees is that they don't scout well. That goes for scouting their own team. If they did, they would of evaluated Cano and Cabrera successfully. Get an outfielder who can play center exclusively. I would like to say a guy like Chris Duffy or Willie Taveras. The really hard part would be trying to trade Abreu for Dye. That would solve the right handed hitting problem. Now that part is done. Let's move to the pitching. Trade for Dontrelle Willis. That sounds simple but they need a lefthander in the rotation. This is for the short and long term of the team. Mussina, Clemens and the 5th starter have been taxing the bullpen. If they trade for the left handanded reliever like Scott Thorton on the White Sox would be ideal. So to sum up i would trade Cano for Mark Loretta, Send Melky to the minors. Trade for Dontrelle- it may cost Kennedy, Chamberlin, and trade for Scott Thorton a hard throwing lefty from Chisox. And they can live with all the other parts.

Pettitte
Wang
Willis
Mussina
Clemens

Doesn't sound too bad.

With the hitters they acquired the Yankees on base percentage would increase.

Phil -

The Yankees have imported three NL East pitchers in the last 4 years - Vazquez, Wright, Pavano - how have those guys fared? Willis is horrifically overrated in my opinion. His stuff is not that good, what he gets by on is a deceptive motion which gets less effective the more people see it - take a look at how his numbers have gone over the last couple of years and you'll see the trend.

And trading Cano for Mark Loretta makes me wonder if you're even sober right now

Everything that's wrong with the Yankees has been mentioned except for one thing...How about firing Joe Torre. The team has taken on his lackadaisical personality and is playing the way he's managing. Steinbrenner is taking too long to fire Torre. By the time he does, we'll be out of the wild card race too. I say now is the time to hire Joe Girardi before it's too late.

Good Morning All. I have to say that I am and always will be a Yankee's fan but it is getting harder and harder everyday to watch these guys. Can someone please tell me why we have a left handed specialist who cant get lefties out. Why do we have a free swinging center fielder leading off. Why do we a first baseman (and I use that term loosely) who can't hit? Someone please help me from going crazy. I feel like my world is coming down around me.

On another subject. I know you guy's are discussing several trades but does anybody have any factual information on any trades that are being discussed? Thanks.

Nieves is batting .111 with an OBP of .149 and SLG of .111. His throwing capabilities are highly questionable, and he made a crucial error in Sunday's game. I think finding a replacement for him is of utmost importance, more so than replacing Cairo at 1st.

Joe Torre is not going anywhere during the season. He will, barring a shocking turnaround, not be given a new contract at the end of the year though.

I like Joe Girardi but I think he is the wrong choice for this job. I would like to see the Yankees bring in someone who has not been around this club for the last ten years. A manager who has no ties to the current players, no feelings of loyalty to any of them. A manager who will come in here, look at the production and determine based on that who should stay and who should go - rather than a manager who would come in and say "well this player may not be doing well now, but how can I forget what he did when we were teammates in '98" or whatever. Also I would like a manager who has some sort of track record with a good young team.

The roster will undergo significant changes in the next two years based on the contracts that are coming due over that span. Not all those positions are going to be filled by outside free agents, some will come from within the organization, especially in the rotation and pen - the Yankees need a manager who will not yank young pitchers at the first sign of trouble as Torre often does - but will instead let them survive the highs and lows of the game and learn to work out of trouble.

Julio -

I agree with your statement about Myers. I believe it is getting to the point where Cashman needs to just release him as the Yankees did with Stanton a few years back. In addition I would let Ron Villone go as well. He's not providing anything that Sean Henn can't.

Lucy -
If the season hinges on Wil Nieves (or any back up catcher) then the team is in much bigger trouble than it appears.

I'm not minimizing your observation - obviously Nieves is sub-par as far as a major league catcher goes, but catcher is not a terribly deep position around the league anymore so lots of teams are forced to get by with substandard players behind the dish. I think finding an everyday first baseman is more important than a once-a-week catcher.

Roy, I agree. If you think the team is damaged by seeing the manager panic in June, what damage was done when Joe T melted in the heat of April vs the Red Sox? That was some scary stuff.

Chip, R you the real Chip? I think i am sober i am going to check to see if my nose is red like Ted Kennedy. I hear you about the nl pitchers. Cano for Loretta doesnt work. Who would you want in return?

You don't trade a 24 yr old 2B for a 36 yr old one.
Cano isn't going anywhere.Create 1 hole to fill another doesn't make a bit of sense.

Phil, I am indeed the real Chip.

No, Cano for Loretta does not work, for one thing Loretta is 35 and I'm not trading a 24-year old for him. I personally would not deal Cano for anyone right now. He's young, has a career BA over .300. He's having an off year right now but there is nothing to say that is a trend.

I personally believe that the Yankees look at Cano as an internal option should Alex leave after this season - moving him to third and then signing a free agent second baseman (Orlando Hudson?)

I think the trades that the Yankees will make will be much much smaller - Roger Clemens was the big ticket item this year - they may go out and get a Ryan Shealy or Shea Hillenbrand, a Josh Bard - maybe they try and swing a deal with Oakland to take Jason Kendall's contract off the A's hands if they send the Yankees another player for a marginal prospect - things of that nature, but nothing too dramatic. Cashman does not mind spending the money on the players but he rightly does not want to part with the high level young players he has just spent the last three years getting, not when they are so close to making an impact on the major league level.

Here's a deal I think makes some sense.

As I said, the Yankees take on Kendall and the remainder of his contract, along with Bobby Crosby. In return the A's get Matt DeSalvo, Brian Bruney, Jeff Marquez.

It is the same premise to the deal the Yankees struck with Philly last year for Abreu.

The Yankees could move Crosby to 1st base. I know he has injury issues, but he is still a good hitter when healthy and I think a move to 1st would keep him healthy. Kendall slips into the back-up catcher role. The A's can play Marco Scutaro (their Miguel Cairo) at SS

CHIP

If you are in fact the real Chip.A's are not going to trade Kendall mid season and last time I looked Crosby was batting .238 w/ an OBP of .289.Yanks aren't going to part w/ Marquez so easily.C'mon dig a little deeper.

Does anybody have any factual information on trade that are currently in discussion?

MIKE

NO !

Chip,

Though I am not high on Cano, I agree that NYY are unlikely to part with him as long as he is their best option in the event that AR leaves.

Which leaves virtually nothing of value to trade, so you are probably right not to expect high-impact trades.

That does not completely eliminate the possibility of some move that might be made with 'just money', though.

Julio,
I hear you about Torre. I wanted him gone after last year;s disaster. He sets the tone for the team.

By 'just money' I don't mean that some negligible body might not be included, but that the real value exchanged would be dollars.

Ruseless!

Thanks for nothing. You don't have to be a Dick! I was just asking a simple question. Instead of sitting here discussing trades that you would like to see why don't you do a little investigating and find out which ones are really a possibility! Go F*** yourself!

ruse -

If I'm not mistaken the A's plan to move give Mike Piazza the lion's share of the catching duties when he comes off the DL, in an effort to keep Jack Cust's bat in the lineup at DH - that would push Kendall to the back-up role. $10 mil is a bit much for Oakland to shell out to a back-up catcher no? It's a bit much for the Yankees to shell out, but it is an easier pill for them to swallow than the A's.

Diane - I agree that the only way the Yankees will make any major deals is if they are salary dumps by other teams - in looking around the game though there are not that many teams in position to dump salary at this stage - the Rangers sure and White Sox can both afford to keep any high priced players they have, the Reds don't have much to offer other than Junior or Dunn, neither fitting a Yankee need, Bowden has shown with Soriano that he isn't going to trade a player just because he can't sign him - he would rather take the draft picks if he can't get what he wants. So the pickings are rather slim even on that front, which is why Kendall came to my mind.

Get over the idea Cano might inherit the 3B job if Arod opts out.He's just now learning to play 2B well .The Yanks are going to turn around and give him the 3B job? I doubt it.
For the time being all the Yanks need to do is find a RH power hitting DH or 1B.

Ruse -

You have obviously not been watching Yankee broadcasts very often - we are not the only ones talking about it. It has been mentioned several times on the air. The last I remember being when the Diamondbacks were in town and they were discussing that the Yankees might pursue Orlando Hudson this winter.

MIKE

I'm not going to get into a shouting match w/ you .I was stating a fact.We're only speculating! They're absolutely no trade talks that I've heard of.Saying NO! was just an attempt to cut to the chase.

A couple of notes on two of Kat's tips:

We need a DH? Gee, Cashman had no room for Bernie on this team.

We need a backup C and a RH bat with some pop? Gee, Cashman just released Phelps. Rumor had it he couldn't throw out runners or something as a catcher so was never given a chance there. Good thing we got Nieves and his shotgun arm! Nobody would dare run on him. They kept Nieves because he was supposed to be a good defensive backup. Well, doesn't the term defensive include throwing out basestealers???

$46 million for Igawa? I called that one too.

And, just about everyone on here knew what Farnsworth and Myers would give us. Everyone, that is, except Cashman. Very bad job of putting this team together.

CHIP

Who was talking about pursuing Hudson ? Kay and Singleton ? Brian Cashman ?

The A's are not going to weaken themselves defensively by putting Piazza behind the plate on an everyday basis.He will share DH w/ Cust and catch every now and then.

Ruse -

Kay and Co. based on what they said were discussions with people in the organization - you're right, it might amount to nothing but on the other hand it makes a great deal of sense. Cano has a cannon arm - the free agent options if Alex leaves are not attractive at third, nor are they deep (Crede, Lowell) whereas there are several options at 2nd including Marcus Giles, Orlando Hudson, Luis Castillo, Brandon Phillips. So it is not something to be discounted entirely.

As for the A's - I'm inclined to defer to you based on your location in Cali, but all the national reports I have read, heard and come across say Piazza is going to catch 85% of the games - remember, Moneyball philosophy does not put an emphasis on defense - if that's the case then Kurt Suzuki could easily be the guy they use to split time with Piazza.

I don't want to pretend that I know anything about the Kendall/Cust/Piazza issue, but I did read in one of the on-line sports venues something about plans to have Piazza behind the plate quite a bit... can't remember anything more about it...

The Yanks have no idea "if" Cano can play 3rd, or "if" A-OPT will be back in "08". To paralyze ourselves in "07" over "ifs" makes no sence. If we can make a trade involving Cano, that improves the team both short and long term, we gotta do it whether A-OPT returns or not. To deal one of the farm system "stars", would require a top tier major league player, (Buehrle\Tex), and being able to sign that player long term before the deal is final.

Rick - Good to see you back (even if it is only to gloat)

I stand by Cashman on Bernie - Like I said then, if you could have told me at that time that it was a certainty the Yankees would sustain season ending injuries to key players and Bernie would be something other than a sentimental figure on the bench - that would have been fine, but no one can predict that so keeping him around made no sense (and no, signing him now makes no sense either - by the time he got in game shape we would be in August)

Phelps's problem is one suffered by a lot of players - they cannot sit on the bench for 4 days and come up hitting on the 5th. Andy Phillips has the same problem, so did Bubba Crosby and many other guys who play everyday in spring training, hit well enough to earn roster spots on the bench and then disappear by midseason.

Igawa is a disaster right now, but I would still take him over Ted Lilly.

The A's are going to trade their starting catcher mid season .Kendall is presently catching a Cy Young candidate in Haren and for the most part an excellent pitching staff.The success of the staff is due to Kendalls game calling abilities.
So now they turn over the pitching staff to a 38 year old weak throwing catcher who hasn't caught on a regular basis in a long time.That makes perfect sense.Why didn't I think of that ?

The problems with the Yankees in no particuar order are as follows: 1B, CF, DH, manager, GM, and middle relief.

How Cashman went into this season so left-handed heavy with thie lineup is beyond me.

How Cashman thought Pavano would be one of the five in the starting rotation is a joke.

How Cashman thought this bench could get by is hysterical.

How Cashman signed Igawa to make up for his mistake in lowballing Dice-K, LOL!

We need a Fire Cashman chant going next home game. Once Cashman and Torre are gone and we hand the reigns over to Girardi and Stick Michael and myself, we'll be back on top!

I really don't see much help as far as trades go. Cashman doesn't want to part with the young pitching that he's accumulated this past off-season and I agree with that. Trading young pitching for a "quick fix" is just going to keep this vicious cycle going and that's what he's trying to stop. If it continues, then we can forget about winning anything for a long time. I'd rather ride this season out and keep developing these guys. It may not translate into a post season berth this October, but so what? We've ALL been spoiled over the past 11 seasons with our post season success.
What I would hope that Cashman will do for NEXT season is to keep the young pitching (Hughes, Chamberlain, Kennedy, Sanchez) and go out and get position players through free agency. If any trades can be made without getting rid of the young guys, he'll find them.
As for this season, the players that we have just have to perform better. Our pen, although tired, just needs to be more aggressive and THROW FIRST PITCH STRIKES!! These guys are always pitching from behind in the count and it costs them, big time. Maybe Torre needs to fine them if they don't do the job, I dunno.

Ruse -

I'm not terribly invested in the possibility of Jason Kendall becoming a Yankee so if you want to scream your head off about it that's fine with me. My points were as follows:

1. All reports indicate Mike Piazza, when he comes back, will be the catcher so the A's can keep Jack Cust as the everyday DH (likely against a tough lefty, Cust would sit, Piazza would DH, Kendall would catch)

2. A team can only play one catcher at a time

3. The much publicized philosophy of the Oakland A's and their leadership does not stress stolen bases or defense. Currently Kendall is the worst hitting starting catcher in the game - it stands to reason that the A's reasoning would be that whatever they lose defensively with Piazza will be made up by his contribution offensively.

4. The A's are a cheap franchise - paying Kendall as much as they are, even to split time with Piazza, could be seen as an expense better spent elsewhere.

John G.

You can't fine a pitcher for not getting a pitch over the plate - without going into the numerous reasons that wouldn't work, just chalk it up to the fact that the Union would never allow them to do it.

Instead of the 'fire Cashman' chant, which can have no immediate effect, may I again suggest that NYY fans in the Stadium RAIN boos on Cano and Cabrera every time they flail away at the plate, and HAIL boos on relievers every time they fail to throw a first pitch strike or walk a batter.

STORMS of boos should envelop players who do things they obviously CAN control. Cano and Cabrera CAN be more patient at the plate, and relievers CAN throw strikes (granted someone may hit them, but anything would be better than constantly getting behind and walking people).

There are not many ways fans can influence the team. One is by letting their disapproval be known. Another is by staying away. I believe the former is a better option than the latter at this time.

Sorry, this time I failed to mention that I believe fans should resoundingly cheer the same guys whenever they do the right thing! Even if it's something simple! Boos only work if the fans also cheer the right things...

CHIP

Trust me I'm far from screaming my head off about any of the above postings.
Don't you think Billy Beane would rather have draft choices then trading their STARTING catcher mid season for ?

The A's don't stress defense ? Another bewildering statement!

Ruse,

You are probably right - though I don't know what sort of draft compensation a player with Kendall's lack of performance would garner them.

The A's have never stressed defense - hence the Jason and Jeremy Giambi's, Johnny Damon and his noodle arm.

Defense has always been secondary to on base ability. One reason that the A's never advance far into the playoffs.

Chip,

It was a desperation suggestion on my part because I don't have the answers. Diane has a good idea which is to boo the crap out of these guys. There's nothing else that we can do.
I do know that Cashman cannot panic and start getting rid of the young guys.

Who is going to take Cashman's place if he's fired? If any of you say Gene Michael, well guess what? He's not going to trade the young guys either.

I know that most of you hate Lupica, but he has a good column today in the News.

Chip,

It was a desperation suggestion on my part because I don't have the answers. Diane has a good idea which is to boo the crap out of these guys. There's nothing else that we can do.
I do know that Cashman cannot panic and start getting rid of the young guys.

Who is going to take Cashman's place if he's fired? If any of you say Gene Michael, well guess what? He's not going to trade the young guys either.

I know that most of you hate Lupica, but he has a good column today in the News.

Diane -

I believe fans who pay to go to the games can boo whomever they want or cheer whomever they want - I also believe that booing your home players doesn't necessarily mean they will go into the dugout and say, "gosh, the fans are booing me, I better do better now."

Excellent article today by JIM B. regarding the Yankee farm system pitching "stars". I would include 1 of them in a package for Buehrle, provided we were given a "window" to sign Buehrle long term. Buehrle's age, and locking him up long term, make this a deal worth doing.

John G.

If they were to replace Cashman (which I'm not sure will happen) I wouldn't mind Allaird Baird the former KC GM now an advance scout for Boston - he is a good gm and talent evaluator who was stuck in a terrible situation with the royals

Chip,

No, they would more likely go back to the dugout and say something unprintable. But I believe performers of all kinds are greatly affected by audience response, whether they admit it or not, and the Yankees are performers -- and working for a highly 'performance-art' oriented organization.

I especially think young guys who crave positive attention, like Cano, are very aware of how they are received, and that SELECTIVE booing and cheering will get their attention.

I'm not claiming this is some kind of cure-all, just suggesting that there is a route for frustrated fans to try to influence players who are not coming through IN AREAS THAT ARE UNDER THEIR CONTROL, like undisciplined flailing and the avoidance by pitchers of the strike zone.

Obviously not useful in cases of injury, periodic slumps such as all players are subject to, or guys who are playing at their ceiling already but have a lamentably low ceiling.

I know some among us believe it is just wrong to boo home players in any circumstances, but I think giving and withholding approval is a legitimate fan function.

Diane -

Like I said, I have no problem with fans booing whomever they want. I don't remember who said it but some pro athlete after being booed said, "How would you like it if I came to your place of work and booed you?" Well if you had to pay as much to see me work as I have to pay to see you - go right ahead and boo if you want.

That said, I believe we, as fans, tend to overestimate our importance on the outcomes of games and the lives of players. Short of the obnoxious jerks who will walk up to players in restaurants, stores, or wherever else they may be when they aren't in uniform I don't think anything fans do for players is all that memorable, at least not the negative stuff. Cheering so loud the stadium shakes, that players remember and take to heart.

Chip,

I don't believe I or any fan imagines we affect the outcomes of games or the lives of players in the ordinary run of events.

When the situation gets desperate, people will resort to tactics that only have effect at the margins. Well, the situation seems pretty desperate right now, and many fans seem to feel that they want to affect outcomes even if only very marginally.

Of course, we would all love it if something happened that earned 'cheering so loud the stadium shakes'.

Chip,

I agree wit h Phil Cano is a bum face it , he will not be no damm replacement for Arod, No I will not trade him for Loretta but if texas or CHicago says they want him for Tex or Buerlhe then good bye . Rod Carew should slap fire out of the people who compared Cano to Him.

The only replacement for Arod is Scott Rolen. no way they open up the new stadium with bums in the INF.

SPeaking of New Staduim , here is the latest.

it is confirmed the old one will be demolished. AFTER the city salvage and auction off what they can

Bomber,

I thought there was a plan for the playing field and some parts of the bleachers to be used for local baseball?

Chip, I appreciate your comment stressing the typical importance of a backup catcher, but Posada is an older catcher just about past his prime, and he if gets injured or run-down, we're in deep trouble. If we had a good backup for him, he could become our DH a couple of times a week, which would provide him with much needed rest and less potential for injury.

What concerns me about Nieves is that when he is catching, we become handicapped by having one less batter in the lineup, in addition to his being a terrible defense man. He adds no value to the team; instead, he's mainly a deficit, except for the fact that Mussina deems Nieves the reason for his own limited success (and that's not saying much). Under these circumstances, I think we need a decent backup catcher more desperately than most other teams do. We are not in a typical situation.

Diane -

I thought so as well but o nthe spreadsheet of plans it stated events like auctions etc. then demolition of the site in like 2010. cannot get into further details. the new field after demo wil lbe called Heritage Field

Hello All,
After recent events (including several crappy series by our beloved Yanks), I believe it is pointless to talk about this anymore. The 2006 season is officially over for the Yanks, so what should we do to get back to glory next year?

Bomber,

Thanks for sharing what you can, I know that must be limited and appreciate that you must be discreet.

No Problem,

Iactually thought about you all when it was announced that the stadium was being demolished

that was me sweety

Pitching is the number one problem. We don't get any quality starts. Bullpen is over taxed.