On the Yankees beat

At least the sun comes up tomorrow.

A loss is a loss, whether it's 1-0 or 21-0, you forget it and move on.

What the hell is wrong with the Tigers?

They left 12 runners on base!!!

Maybe you forget but your Elimination number just got bumped to 24. If Soxs go 15-16 (Not gonna Happen, but you can dream) Yanks must go 23-8 from here on out. Good Luck and enjoy watching Yankeeology while the Soxs play October Ball..

.........Yankeeography?

I think that's what you mean but then again, it's Keith we're talking about.

16 - 0

No Jim A., this is not just a loss ... I would have to respectfully disagree ... you can't just shake this one off.

Mussina and Henn layed eggs ...

Henn 9 runs and 5 walks in 2.2 innings. 4 K's though.

He throws hard ...

And he's from Texas so he must be a good guy.

This loss was a disaster ...

Why ...

We can't win on the road

Mussina = done

Henn = needs work or another line of work! Sheesh!

Verlander = another good pitcher shut us down. Bedard, Santana et cetera

Playoffs = even if we get there, a can kicking is likely and another first round exit is a certainty

Cashman's early season moves and non moves are why we are behind the eight ball now. I have listed them several times in earlier posts.

But let's stay positive

Andy Pettitte
Viz
Joba
Hughes
Duncan
Be A Mitt

The big questions are ...

A-Rod
Jorge
Mo

Very depressing loss.

Just my two cents ...

Also we might think about getting Bard and Ludwick in the off season.

Can anyone tell me if Horne and Kennedy will be called up in Sept. Who is coming to town? Anyone know?

Many thanks to Kat for hanging in there on what must have been a nightmare trip.

I recently thought of gender roles being blurred, men in earrings and women reporters for sports but I must say, NO ONE could have done better that Kat on what must have been a horrendous trip ... West Coast, tough losses, 11 pm start, extra innings, 16 - 0 disaster ...

Oh Lord what a mess ...

It's depressing ... but this is a part of being a true fan ... you live and die with the team. I can be happy the Cardinals and Mets are doing better ... or hanging in there ... but the Yankees are our passion ...

Hey Keith

We are two out of the WC. Clean your pants out and wait for the season to end before you start running your mouth.

The 2006 Cardinals won 83 games...The 2006 Cardinals won 83 games...The 2006 Cardinals won 83 games...The 2006 Cardinals won 83 games...

Why does Joe keep going to Henn? Not that we would of caught up but Henn is as bad if not worse then Moose!

I thought Jim Leyland usually shows class - I don't know why he went for the 2 point conversion when it was 14-0.

Yes, it was an ugly, ugly loss but it is only one loss against the defending AL champions. The team is in the middle of a little slump. After the Boston series, the schedule gets alot easier and Seattle's gets alot harder. The AL East may be lost but the wildcard is well within reach.

That being said it is obvious that Mussina may have just about had it. He's been slowing gradually over the past three years and his fastball tonight couldn't top 85MPH. He will most likely be gone next year. Sean Henn was fed to the wolves tonight because I'm pretty sure he will be shipped down tomorrow. Look for Britton to be called up in his place.

Wow...I just watched Mussina on the postgame show and he was as humble and contrite as I've ever seen him. He looks and acts totally cooked to me.
Just when I was feeling sorry for him and was about to retract all the nasty things I've said about him, the old Moose crept in and he started saying that the hits just fell where the defense wasn't and that Verlander was as nasty as he's ever been.

David Justice (who has improved a lot by the way) forgot he was working on a Yankees channel and he as much as suggested Moose is done and he needs to admit it and the Yanks should give a kid a chance because "what the heck, they can't do worse" he then went on to say that Igawa is not the answer at all. I loved the honesty.

Tough night...but the Angels are up 3-0 on Seattle so that's cool.

Ant: If you can't shake this off and move on, what do you do? pack up your gear and go home?

This team resembles last year's quite a bit, they can't beat the good teams and they wallop the bad teams, the difference I thought would be that the starters were improved but really the only improvement over last year is the addition of Pettitte.

I guess a 16-0 loss will give all Yankee fans a case of "anal retinitis" as our outlook is pretty sh*tty right now.

This team is horrible!!! I will always love the Yanks, but this team doesn't deserve to be in the playoffs - to lose by even more runs? am surprised we didn't let anyone get 10+ RBI's tonight.

Mussina pitched the defining game (and a career saving/ending game) tonight, and you know what? He sucked!!

Now can we dump Sean Henn? Here's a way to get Ian Kennedy on the 40 man roster-Take Henn off and add Kennedy as a starter. Then give Mussina mop up duties in the bullpen. Cashman-WAKE UP THE TEAM IS CRASHING!!!!

I just cannot sleep for some odd reason ... it is almost midnight here ...

I cannot believe this loss ... I went to feed the ducks at sunset at it was 7 - 0 ... when I got back it was 16 - 0!

Jim A.,

I don't mean to be arguementative as you know I respect you so much ... as a baseball fan and as a father ... maybe you're are right ... but I am thinking maybe a better analysis is that this road trip cannot be shrugged off, not just this one game.

Mary Anne,

I think there is the issue of Kennedy and Horne having thrown too many innings already this year.

Pitchers don't throw that many pitches or innings. They are devolving for some reason, while other sports have incredible records being broken ... swimming, track and field (Renaldo Neiamiah) ... pitchers just can't throw so much anymore.

I wish someone would tell me why?

I hope the Yankees do well this weekend ...

Boston is almost 30 games over .500.

The Yanks will be there in October. They're just taking a different route this time around.

The Bombers won 103 games in 2002,and who remembers?

Everybody knows the Yanks won the A.L. East in 2004..Do you remember that, or the, uh, Yankee hiccup in the ALCS????

We all know the Yanks choked, but do you remember the wild card Sox went on and beat the 105 win Cardinals?

So, I wouldn't panic...Yanks will take 2 of 3 from the Sawx and then -- in the words of the Great One -- Jackie Gleason -- away we go!!!

An Incredible, Curable Negative Attitude
In the worst slump of his stellar career, Yankees pitcher, Mike Mussina gave up six runs and nine hits in just three innings. “These are probably the worst nine innings I’ve pitched in my entire career,” the 247-game winner said. “Right now I let go of it and I don’t think like anything good is going to happen. And it’s tough to pitch that way“

So, this is the latest, most negative remark I’ve heard, and I wanted to address it in a way so as to educate you, you and you about the way we think and how that leads us to spiral. I too am sometimes a victim of this ‘negative thinking’, and I am wise enough to catch it. Other times, I myself ’spiral’, allowing myself to sink into a deeper misery that all begins with a thought.

As many of us already know, in life there are negatives and positives. If you maintain ‘positive thoughts’, you beget positive actions. On the other hand, when you maintain or feed into ‘negative thoughts’ you will usually back up your mindset with affirmative action. So then, where is Mike Mussina’s life coach? Where is the counselor for this sports star who is being paid millions of dollars to perform on the pitcher’s mound? They have physicians, nutritionists, agents, managers, pitching coaches, etc. But no true motivational counsel to help avoid slumps like these? Hmmm, what an opportunity!

But, while this New York Yankee is going through his own perceived Hell, at least you and I can learn from his shortcomings.

Family, you will hear me say this once in a while in my BLOG: THOUGHTS ARE THINGS. It’s that simple. What images you keep in your mind will fuel, drive and, if you should so wish, sugarcoat whatever it is you’re going through. And it’s the practice of this state of mind which will make it a routine action in your life; a routine which will make good things come to fruition at all times. And, I will admit, I am not perfect. So, if I somehow slip up from the routine PMA/PositiveMental Attitude, most times, I can correct the state I’m in by picking up any number of books or CDs. I can even simply go online and search for PMA, and there will be a host of selections; websites that are geared towards positively; websites that can help me change or adjust my “state” of mind.

So, are YOU in a negative state? What are the dominant thoughts in your mind? What types of things do you focus on? Sure, your on the farm each day, and somewhere in the back of your mind you know you’re one paycheck away from homelessness, or repossession or plain old misery. But, why is it hard for you to see it another way? Like, THE JOB I HAVE IS THE BOOT CAMP I MUST COMPLETE IN ORDER FOR ME TO REACH MY ULTIMATE PURPOSE IN LIFE! Or, try telling yourself: THIS IS JUST A TEST; THIS IS A CHALLENGE I MUST OVERCOME TO PROVE MYSELF WORTHY OF THE GREATER PRIZE IN LIFE. Of course, the greater prize in this pitcher’s life is to be a winner. But, to many of us, he is already a winner! He’s a major league player who controls the game, who is being paid millions of dollars and receives notoriety and attention that millions of us cannot imagine. So, as your self-proclaimed life coach, Mike Mussina, I’m about to coach you to VICTORY!

1. Catch a REAL FUNNY MOVIE. And I mean, REAL funny! Doing this will break the chains that are mentally holding you down. With all the money you have, you need to spend some of it on a THRILL. Maybe an amusement park, or some wild horseback riding. Maybe water skiing? Mike, you have options that many of us day-works don’t have! You have money! And money buys you time! You don’t have to rush to work, to perform amongst so many others on a farm; so many others who are working to achieve someone else’s goals and dreams! So use some of that money to catch a thrill ride. I don’t know what’s thrilling to you, Mike. I don’t know what “floats your boat.” But you’re in a slump that you need to raise up out of, before it’s too late!

2. Once you’ve broken that miserable state you’re in, next you wanna visit some less fortunate individuals. Maybe a hospital visit is what you need to experience. When’s the last time you had one? Naturally, in a hospital you will find the sick and and broken people of our community, many of whom have given up hope. A lot of times, when you see people who are less fortunate, you will quickly see that: “gee, maybe I don’t have it that bad, after all!” Or you may realize that you have “lost touch” with certain realities, and acknowledging this may force you to “get a grip.” Also, you may be urged or encourage to share a few kind words with these broken spirits. And you might even find some folk who’s spirits are NOT broken, regardless of their physical state! Now, how would that change you? Do you think you might be encouraged by a little boy who’s been diagnosed with AIDS but who can still smile and who can still spread joy to the people in her midst? Do you remember Nkosi Johnson, Mike? When Nkosi died in 2001, he was 12 and weighed 20 pounds. “I think heaven will be a nice place,” he told Wooten on one of their last visits. “I think I will be a handsome guy in heaven, and also I will see my mother. I think we will dance together.” Can you imagine the state of mind that this young boy adopted and maintained? And, honestly, even if you’ve never heard this boy’s story, do you think you’ve had it worse than he has? And while this unsung hero died June 1st, 2001, the comments you made recently make it seem that you died after your last ball game. What is THAT about? Just how grave is YOUR situation as compared to this young champion?

3.Here’s the third thing you need to do, Mike. Once you’ve identified the problem (your state of mind) you need to move to action. You need to get involved with actions that are relevant to helping others. It’s amazing what a great feeling you get from helping others, Mike. As celebrities we get so caught up in our own hustle that we forget we are role models and teachers merely by what we say, and by our actions. So, when you say: “These are probably the worst nine innings I’ve pitched in my entire career,” or “Right now I let go of it and I don’t think like anything good is going to happen. And it’s tough to pitch that way” and you have won over 247-games in your career? Dude, you REALLY need a head-check. All those kids who look up to you are watching a falling champ. All those baseballs and baseball gloves that you signed at this and that trade shows across the country are propped in the bedrooms of many youngsters who look at you as a role model. So, are you gonna let them down? Are you gonna lead them to the slaughter house, first with what you say to the press, and then with the negative actions to support what you say? Come on Mile! GET A GRIP! Change your way of thinking. Remember when you played baseball for fun an when you amazed yourself by throwing curves and sliders that opened the eyes of spectators, agents and team managers! I had a few rough innings, sure. But I’m on the rebound! Just as many in life have bad days, or bad weeks, I am also human and fallible. But, dammit, I am a winner. And winners (no matter what walk of life) have to withstand challenges. Because that’s what winners do! They overcome challenges! And how winners address adversity is what separates them from the rest! Losers surrender and say things like “this is the worst… I don’t think anything good is going to happen… woo-woo-woo, and boo-hoo-hoo“

PULEEZE! GET A GRIP, that’s my word, and I’m sticking to it.

Relentless Aaron

Time to take the training wheels off Chamberlain let him start 4-5 games in Sept.
It can't get any worse than it has for Mussina.
His career is unofficially over.
We've been composing his obituary all season.
Hitters can hit BP fastballs and lazy curveballs.
Time is now for Joba and Ian.

If the Yankees were to lose yesterday, in a way this was the way to do it...

A humiliating loss that could be a wakeup call and one where they didn't use Joba, Mariano or Vizcaino.

I think they'll come up strong today. They are too much of a professional unit to be this flat

Sea has begun their quest to become the team they were the last few years. It is time for us to go. The good thing about a 16-0 clubbing is its only one game in the standings. We play well the next two weeks, that game will be remebered as the game that fired us up again

Ruse,

Joba needs to stay in the bullpen for the remainder of the season. Our bullpen is pretty grim without him. We also need someone who can be lights out of Mariano can not pitch a night.

Ian Kennedy would be my 1st answer but he has pitched almost 150 innings this year and my fear would be to over use his arm this last month.
If he is used in regulation just to try and get 6 innings a start and not give up more than 5 runs i would be happy.

Please do not try Igawa again this season. We already know what will happen.

Yes as Aaron said we must think in a positive way.

I would add that we should focus on faith and not fear.

Mussina is down ... I feel bad for him ... at least he doesn't torture and mutilate dogs though ...

Remember that near no hitter at Fenway a few years ago ...

What's happened to Mussina?

I think Joba should stay in the bullpen. At least for this year and maybe beyond that.

I think we will play well vs. the Sox.

We're exactly where we are supposed to be ...

Why?

We don't win on the road.

Too many lefties in our lineup and thus no balance. We need someone like Ludwick. Cheap and young and hungry who really can hit.

Poor relief

Don't beat good pitching. (Did hit Lackey, Colon and Red Sox pitchers. But Bedard, Santana, the games are over before they start. Sorry.)

Poor management of the team in the last offseason and the beginning of this year by Cashman.

Inexcusable moves like Igawa instead of Lilly. This is a no brainer. Do you think Lou Pinella would have rather have had Igawa in his rotation all year instead of Lilly. What a joke!

That said ... we are in a better position for the future ...

Questions # 1

Do they stay or do they go?

Mo
A-Rod
Jorge
Clemens (will he be back?)

Questions # 2

Old and creeky ...

Damon
Giambi
Matsui
Abreu
Mussina

Questions # 3

Sucky ...

Farnsworth
Igawa

Questions # 4

All the minor league arms ...

Kennedy
Horne
Sanchez
Ohlendorf
Smith
Brackman (surgery)
Carpenter
And a cast of thousands!

Questions # 5

Contingency Plans ...

If Mo goes ... use Joba

If Posada goes ... get Bard

Trade for Ludwick, Jeremy Sowers and Bard. Try to get Josh Hamilton. Best bat speed and arm in the NL. Can play LF, RF and CF. Former number one overall pick.

Get team-oriented players

Find a real leadoff hitter like Chuck K.

Learn to play small ball and manufacture runs.

Question # 6

Character of the Yankees

Gang Cap fiasco

Tank Top fiasco

Kissing up to Beijing

Question # 7

Health of George S.

Will the team be sold and to whom?

Torre comes back? If not, then get Girardi.

Question # 8

Esprit de corps

Is it an American game or a global game or both. If both how do you recreate the 95 - 01 team? Can they communicate and work together on and off the field.

Stay away from Igawa types

If you sign big time college kids, make sure they don't need surgery a few weeks after you sign them.

Just my two cents.

I agree with McCarthy, please, anyone but Igawa, we all know how that one will turn out.
I'd rather see Rasner in there than Igawa. Hell, I'd rather see Guidry in there than Igawa.

A few weeks ago, you were all LOVINNG this team. After one little slump we're still only 2 games out of the wild card, but you guys have written off the season. If we were 2 games behind Boston, you'd all be ecstatic.

We're not going to catch Boston, the wild card is a very realistic possibility. 2 games back is nothing, especially if we catch fire again. This is an exciting home stretch, so try to enjoy it and stop acting like the apocalypse has struck every time a Yankee pitcher gets bombed!

Hey Keith, do us a favor and log on here during the post season. I want to be the first one to congratulate you and the sux on their exit from the playoffs. Your offense sucks and you have only one great starter (and one good one). THat will get you zero championships.

I hope that's the last we see of Mussina. If that happens, then something good came out of last night. Four more Mussina starts equals home for October....

I think I'll come back to the blog at the end of the Sox/Yankee series

Tensions are high here now

See you in a few days

Well I've read all of your posts and the winner for "Most Dilusional Yankee Fan" goes to Dean!

Congrats Dean. You're they only one who thinks you have a chance aginst the BEST TEAM IN BASEBALL: The Boston Red Sox! 30 games over .500 clicking on all cylinders for the last few weeks against bad teams! Yup! You have a chance!

Do you think because you're a Yankee fan that you have the God-given right to be in the playoffs every year? Go live in Tampa or KC or Texas and then get back to me on how lucky you should feel to have been a part of the playoffs the past 13 years in a row.

Sooner of later the odds are going to catch up with ya!

Give us a break!

Sully,
No need to go away. Tensions will be high and the goofballs will show up and talk trash (both sides) but the regulars will stay level headed for the most part.
The good part about Mussina's start last night is that he doesn't pitch batting practice against Boston this week so that's the good news.

Dave S: Your point is well taken, however you need to look at the big picture yourself and realize that just making the playoffs isn't what this team was supposed to be built for, it was supposed to actually win in the playoffs and the recent and past showings against good teams has exposed weaknesses that don't seem to be correctable right now: No dependable bullpen help except for Joba; Mariano may get better but we're not going far with him on the fritz; the starters, with the exception of Pettitte haven't exactly been consistent and the team still has a tough time against lefties.

I do think the Yanks are on a good path to future success so I'm not that unhappy with this season as it has given us Joba, Shelley and some hope for '08.

Judge

The Yanks over over 200 million reasons why we should be in the playoffs for a 14th straight year.

Then....I firmly believe any team that makes it to the playoffs has a chance. It is all about who is hot and who is not.

Sully, you are always welcome. Those sux fans that show up to kick us when we are down but will be nowhere near this blog at the end of October are NOT welcome.

First of all - lets all take a collective deep breath and step AWAY from the ledge.

The Yankees, despite a humbling loss yesterday and a terrible road trip lost only 1 1/2 games in the Wild Card standings - they still have plenty of time to make the playoffs and they are coming to the end of the toughest part of their schedule.

Now, onto Mussina - what more is there to say really? The guy has been awful for three straight starts and deserves to be skipped in the rotation. I think David Justice and Al Leiter had a couple of great takes in their post game comments.

Justice: Mussina needs to look in the mirror and realize he's coming to the end of his career and then he needs to realize that there's no shame in that. Every great player who has ever played the game has reached a point where they just didn't have it anymore. Moose is right, he didn't forget how to pitch, his body just won't let him pitch the way he knows how to.

Leiter: There are two types of players. The one's who adjust their game to the physical limitations that come with age, like a Roger Clemens and the ones who don't. The one's who don't end up calling baseball games with Michael Kay.

Both are good points from two guys who know EXACTLY what Moose is going through, going from All-Stars to washed up. Moose is, I think, too set in his ways to adapt in season and learn to pitch with limited stuff.

On a related note, ASSUMING Mussina is out of the rotation the question is who replaces him. This is from ESPN's Rob Neyer:

As to who that starter might be, Ian Kennedy has been fantastic since being promoted to triple-A along with Joba Chamberlain, but, like Joba, Kennedy is a first-year pro on a strict innings limit. Joba's supposedly being held to 130 total innings (he's at 97 1/3 right now). Kennedy has already thrown 146 1/3 across three minor league levels. I'd be very surprised to see the Yankees push him into the major league rotation at this point in the season, despite his minor league dominance.

How dominant has Kennedy been? In 35 innings with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he's got a 2.08 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 11 walks. And he was just as dominant earlier in the season, first in Class A, then Double-A. And he's not exactly a baby; he'll turn 23 in December. So he's older than Detroit's Andrew Miller, who's started a dozen games in the majors this season. But ay, there's the rub: Miller hasn't pitched all that well. Yes, he's pitched better than Mussina has lately, but it's not like you can just throw some kid out there and assume he'll give you six good innings every time.

In reality, Neyer says, the choices are Kei Igawa (ugh), Steven White (6-4, 3.61 ERA 1.28 WHIP, 97IP, 95 Hits, 29BB, 59K)

I'm a little surprised that Alan Horne hasn't gotten any consideration, but I guess that after the Chase Wright breakdown the Yankees don't want to take a kid from AA and throw him straight into the post season push - I don't blame them.

I actually felt bad for a minute when I saw Mussina on the pre-game. But, when I noticed that Paul Byrd, whose "stuff" is a lot less than Mussina's has 13 wins, there is a problem. Moose doesn't want to change and thinks he can get hitters out with the crap he throws up there. He is too predictable and there is not a huge drop-off in velocity from the fastball to the curve. He is bringing this team down. It was funny too how YES only showed a post-game interview with him.

Every game Mussina starts I figure the Yanks are probably gonna lose anyway, so the score is irrelevant. The Yanks have won the last 2 series against Boston, have hit the 3 top R\Sox starters hard, have Tampa Bay coming to town after the R\Sox, and Seattle is on the shortend of the pitching matchups vs. the Angels. Things are not as "dire" as some of you posters think. I still believe we need to take the "leash" off of Chamberlain to both gain ground while Seattle is playing the Angels, and slow down the R\Sox.

The Yankee season is not over. They are 2 games out of a playoff spot. They will be re-energized at home and against the Red Sox.

This weekend they play Tampa Bay, and then Seattle comes in at the end of a long road trip. After that series, I expect the Yankees, Seattle and Detroit to be pretty much tied for the wild card.

The following weekend, the Yankees play KC, while Detroit and Seattle play each other. So the Yankeees will leave KC ahead in the Wild Card with 3 weeks to go.

Mussina is definitly out- Torre was asked about it and said they will talk tomorrow. If he was sticking with him, he would have said it right there.

In-house pitchers are not the only answer. Don't rule out a waiver-wire deal before Sept. 1 for a Steve Tracshel or similar pitcher. Yankees have 3 off days in September so they can probably skip the spot anyway.

BLUE 62
BLUE 62
SET
HUT HUT HUT.

opps, wrong sport.

There's 31 games left so there's plenty of time to get the bad taste out of our mouths and get back to playing winning baseball.

However...
this is going to be really hard because we have only 2 starters that we can pretty much count on: Andy and Wang.
The rest are a crapshoot.

I don't know who will take Moose's spot in the rotation. There's really not much to choose from. Chip mentioned the waiver wire and that may be a possibility.

We got three stinkin' hits last night!

At least when the Angels beat our brains in last week we scored 9 runs.

I know, I know; it doesn't matter. A lose is a loss is a loss.

But THAT was embarrassing last night.

Cut it anyway that you want to.

Sean Henn is garbage!!!

Who cares!
Both NY teams SUCK!

PHILLY BABY!

Philly? As in Philadelphia? You mean Philadelphia has a team? I didn't know that. Oh, the Philadelphia Flyers. OK, now I remember.