E-Boland and the Bombers

Hearing Wang say he was tired at the end of the year isn't such great news. Maybe his innings should be watched this season as well.

I have to agee with Cashman on this one in not giving the long term contract. I think the team is suspicious that his performance could be in for a drop off. For once they are holding the line and for the right guy.

Who cares what you think about the Yankees Nudge? -- why don't you go to the Mets blog and camp out over there with your lack of a life? Are you afraid of being perceived as normal?

What a weird obsession.

Being obsessed with psychoanalyzing me...now thats a weirs obsession!

Mine is not an obsession -- it's an observation. You don't need much of a brain and moral character to realize you and Ant Colony are out of order and just not normal. You're both disgraceful.

February 12, 2008 -- Joba Chamberlain will prepare during spring training as a starter, but will begin the season in the Yankee bullpen barring injury to any of the other five main rotation members, team officials confirmed to The Post.

It had been speculated throughout the offseason that Chamberlain could open in the 'pen as a way to restrain his innings from going beyond the approximately 140 the organization wants to limit him to in 2008. The Yanks New York Yankees believe that at Chamberlain's age (22), he should not be asked to exceed his innings total of last year (112.1) by much more than 30 innings, or else he would be put at a greater likelihood for an arm injury.

But these new Joba Rules are not only about protecting Chamberlain's precious arm. The Yanks also want to use April and May as an audition for his successor. The idea would be to have a slate of young relievers work in the less pressurized sixth and seventh innings. The organizational hope is that someone from a group that could include Alan Horne, Jose Veras Jose Veras , Edwar Ramirez and Ross Ohlendorf emerges in reliability and can graduate to the eighth-inning role when Chamberlain is transitioned back to the rotation.

The Yanks' ideal plan works in this fashion, according to executives briefed on the strategy:

1. Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy would stay healthy to form the rotation. All five would be needed from the outset because the Yanks have just two scheduled off-days from March 31 through May 4.

2. Chamberlain stabilizes the area the Yankees profess offers their greatest uncertainty in 2008: Their setup crew in front of Mariano Rivera. The Yanks envision Chamberlain dominating in the eighth based on his 0.38 ERA and .145 batting average against in 19 regular-season games as a reliever last year.

3. The Yanks New York Yankees see the Chamberlain/Rivera tandem helping them be a dominant late-inning team over the first two months of the season. At some point in June, the Yanks would send Chamberlain to the minors for 3-4 weeks to stretch him out to 5-6 innings in preparation to be a full-time starter in the second half.

4. The Yanks hope is that over the first two months other relievers show enough fortitude/reliability to be moved into the eighth inning. Only Kyle Farnsworth Kyle Farnsworth and LaTroy Hawkins LaTroy Hawkins are guaranteed jobs. The Yanks think Girardi, who was a Cub teammate of Farnsworth for three years, might help the talented righty find greater consistency and grab the eighth inning.

But the Yanks also plan to create a competition beginning in spring for relief jobs. And they are not just limiting the competition to relievers such as Veras, Chris Britton, Brian Bruney and Jonathan Albaladejo, and independent league finds with superb minor-league stats such as Ramirez and Scott Patterson. The Yanks are open to converting a starter with a big arm, as they did with Ohlendorf last year. Horne, Jeff Marquez, Daniel McCutcheon and Steven White will be considered.

The wild cards are Humberto Sanchez and Mark Melancon. They are viewed as having among the biggest arms in the organization. But both are returning from Tommy John surgery and would likely not even be under consideration until about when Chamberlain would be heading to the rotation. Melancon has just 62/3 innings of pro experience. But some Yankee executives are so enamored with his recovery, arm and, especially, his makeup that they think he could be this year's Chamberlain, rocketing through the entire system to the majors.

Of course, these plans are fragile. Pettitte must show his publicized link to HGH has not impacted his pitching. Mussina, 39, must demonstrate he has something left after a poor 2007. Hughes and Kennedy must prove they are ready to be major-league starters from the outset of the season. The Yanks must believe Horne, Marquez, Jeff Karstens or Kei Igawa can be an extra starter if need be early while Chamberlain relieves. Rivera must stay healthy so the Yanks are not tempted to move Chamberlain into the closing job.

And Chamberlain must be physically and mentally able to handle a unique proposition in which he will be asked to throw approximately 30-40 relief innings, be shuttled to the minors and then promoted to start for about another 90 or so innings.

joel.sherman@nypost.com

Visiting Fan,

Two unasked for amateur psychoanalysis' in two days. Both different and lacking any originality. Yet you continue to try to attract attention from others with these 2nd grade attempts to battle with me hoping some anonymous' will join in and have an effect on me.

Visiting Fan you are not only not in my league, you aren't in the league of half the anonymi that have come and gone over the past year attempting to chase me or ridicule me or hurt me or whatever dumb motivation it is you all have.

Im here! Get it, just for the reason that it irks you, Im here! Nothing you can do to stop it is there? So go cry to mommy about the mean man on the computer. You complete me!

God I love these guys!

if that's the Yanks plans for Joba it makes sense ... let's hope they stick with it.

Bri,

After he stretches out in the minors.....where does he go?

I think it is a terrible idea that will not even actually be followed through....

You expect the kid to stop what hes comfortable doing (setting up) and go to the MINORS for a month??

What if Mariano or a bunch of guys in the bullpen are hurt? You can't send him to the minors to become a starter.

What if we are struggling to stay in the playoff picture?? Do you send one of your best weapons down to the minors??

There is no way this actually plays through as they want it to.

Visiting Fan,

Word of advice. Respond to the baseball content of others' posts rather than to what you think you can detect about their psychology, intellect or morality.

If your responses on baseball issues make sense then over time you will establish credibility here.

Some of the people you may dislike or disrespect have been around together for a long time. That doesn't mean you or anyone else has to agree with their baseball opinions but it does mean most of us know a lot about each other and manage to tolerate a few quirks for the sake of the baseball conversation.

Nudge -- don't take my word for it. Ask any normal well-adjusted adult what they think about your obvious nasty obsession on this blog and they'll set you straight. Even ask the kids, they'll know better. I know you don't care and you're here to stay but I couldn't help to chide you for acting like a rude brat. My seven year old daughter would know better, she's more mature than you are.

Diane -- speak when you're spoken to.

Diane -- I come here occasionally to read some opinions of Yankees fans and it seems every other post belongs to nasty Nudge. It's becoming tiring. I don't plan to stay here if you tolerate rudeness because you know the guy. I added my two cents because I feel it's important to teach children well. I guess the moral parent in my just finds this Nudge hard to take.

Visiting Fan -

Its a blog.....not a chance for you to be a douche. Talk about the Yankees or just hit Alt+F4.

McCarthy -- nice of you to defend Nudge. You should be directing the douche comment to him. All I can say to you is that if you don't like my berating children who need to be scolded you are the one who needs to hit Alt-F4. Have you ever heard of the saying MYOB. That applies to you.

Get his # then so you can flirt with him without disturbing what the purpose of this blog is actually for.

If your posting on here, then its everyone and anyone who read/participates on this blogs business.

"Can't we all just get along" (Rodney King).
By the way, what does Alt+F4 do?

Seriously, back to baseball for a minute or longer I hope.

Did anyone see the article on ESPN.com about the Yankees fearing that Pettitte will not be ready for spring training? I know the guy is under some pressure but I can't see him not being ready. One thing I know for sure is he will probably get one of the best welcomes from the fans when he is introduced or even takes the field to stretch and I hope that is enough for him to get his mind right.

No worries. I'm just visiting. I don't intend to stay long. I'd rather watch the Yankees than read about them or scold the mentally challenged who suffer from Yankee envy. I'm looking forward to spring training because I'm going through withdrawal right now. I guess that's making me more edgy than usual. I need my Yankees fix.

I think the new Joba plan is the right one if the team sticks to it.

Here's why:

• It will be much easier to limit his innings as a setup man early on so that he'll be relatively fresh for the 2nd half when he's inserted into the rotation and in the middle of a pennant race.

• I get the feeling that the team does not want to make that switch more than once and believes he’ll be most effective as a starter in October if they make it.

• It gives the young arms like Ohlendorf, Veras, and Albadejo a chance to show their stuff for a few months with Joba as a safety net. Probably not a good idea to throw those kids to the wolves coming out of Spring Traning.

• It also gives the other young arms like Horne, Marquez, and McCutchen (in addition to Melancon and Sanchez) the first half of the season to mold into relievers and recover from injures because it is highly unlikely any of them will with the team coming out of Spring Training.

This isn’t a foolproof plan, but I think it’s a good start. Whether they stick with it remains to be seen because an injury or a bad case of the suck to a member of the rotation could derail this plan at anytime.

Jim A -

I pointed out that was a major weakness reagarding the yankee signing of him in fact many people felt with his delay earlier to resign that the mitchell report was a factor. Again emotion over logic was used in this signing , the latest said that Pettite would have been basically a dizzy witness and was so off he contradicted his own testimony.

Ok Viper...

We are now officially COOL ! haha

post away, I have no more debate with you (haha)

Bomber,
I still hold out hope that Pettitte will be strong enough mentally to focus on getting ready for the season.
If this Clemens nonsense lasts for too long into the season and Pettitte's name keeps coming up, it could be a problem though.

I did not read anything about Pettitte saying he won't be ready.

But that is a major concern. Since he has to be looked at as the true "Ace" on the staff. He always comes up big when we need him. If Pettitte does have issues and falls off a cliff due to all this steroid talk, what do the Yanks do?

Does Joba get thrown into the rotation? Do the Yanks explore trade possibilities for Blanton or another reliable starter?

that is why I would not have been upset if they had offered Bartolo a contract)

I'm with McCarthey in wondering about how this new (alleged) plan for using Chamberlain would work out in reality. It seems to have a lot of moving parts, most of them unpredictable in their effects. It would be odd, to my mind, to jerk around your best young pitcher without a better 'end game' in mind than this one appears to have.

I see Chamberlain as the most indispensible of the three young starters, the one the plan has to be built to accommodate, the one for whom it is most important to have a well-designed career path.

I say shovel the rest of them up, down and around if necessary, way before trailing Chamberlain from pillar to post all over the landscape.

It's just way to easy for them to say "this is the plan" now when we aren't actually playing baseball.

This is going to be a tough year for the Yanks to win the division. Boston is going to be just as strong as last year, if not better.

Wild card may be even harder to obtain since Detroit or the Indians will be right in the thick of it. Along with LA and Seattle.

Toronto will also be tough if Halladay and Burnett are healthy the whole year.

I just can't see the Yanks sticking to their words and sending one of our best pitchers to the minor leagues for a whole month, right around the time when we will need him pitching.

It's doesn't hurt to kick the tires on Blanton, but who knows what Billy Beane is going to ask for him.

He would be a very solid innings-eater with very good control. My only real problem with such a move is that the team might be more likely to leave Joba in the pen.

Blanton still has three years left on his contract and his presence in the rotation would stunt the growth of a member of the Trinity as a starter over the next couple of years. Can't have that.

I don't see that move happening because Beane will probably ask for a lot more talent than Cashman will be willing to give up.

Of course, an injury or two in the rotation could change things drastically.

Oops. The last post was mine.

Why is Boston going to be just as good if not better than last season when they didn't make any changes over the offseason either.

Schilling is now out for several months if not the season and Buchholts doesn't have anymore major league experience than Hughes, Kennedy, or Joba.

Beckett had by far the best season of his career and is probably going to come back down to Earth a bit.

Okajima is also due for a regression.

One of these years, Ortiz's knees are going to catch up with him.

How soon we forget that only two games separated these teams during the regular season.

Damned to hell. The last post was mine again.

Well at least their is a plan for Yankee pitching based on contracts, time in the league and maturity. The one part of the plan which I feel iffy about is the 3/4 weeks down on the farm becoming a starter for Joba. I'm sure one or all of the three older guys (Mussina, Wang and Pettittee) will come up with some ailment during the year. Why can't Joba, Hughes, Kennedy be the 4and 5 guys with them rotating out for a week to be the long guy out of the pen. We would still need a 7th man to pick up the slack. We would not loss the services of Joba for a month and he's still throwing innings at Scranton a level which will not be problematic but add up. Most teams who win the WS have to use about 7/8 starters last year the Yankees used about 12. We did not win the WS.

The 7th man could make the innings pitched about 6/7 a game for 22 starts for pitchers 4,5,6 and 7.

The bullpen will find itself and the 7 and 8 th inning guy will emerge. If, I'm all wet. Please give your thoughts.

Don't be surprised if Boston picks up Blanton now that Schilling is hurt. He could be a very nice fit for them and you know Beane has to back of his insane demands pretty soon and the Sox have plenty of prospects to trade.

Nudge ... sorry, stepped away for a bit but to answer your earlier Q:

fact is, the Yanks have to limit the innings on the 3 kids. None of them are getting close to 200 IP this year (I'm guessing Hughes will be around 180, Kennedy 160 and Joba 140 - as the Yanks have announced).

so, starting Joba in pen and then sending him down to condition his arm for becoming a starter will keep his innings down and when he starts in the latter half of year he'll be ready to replace someone (probably Kennedy) in the rotation. As we all know, pitchers don't stay healthy all year long so there will probably be a need for Joba anyway (Moose or Andy injured? Hughes hurt again? Kennedy approaching IP limit?)

as for the bullpen, I just have a funny feeling that Girardi is going to get some decent play out of Farnsworth this year. Everyone's overlooking him and believing that he'll be a complete bust but what if he actually performs halfway decent? If Farnsworth gets his act together then you have a nice 7-8-9 combo of Farns, Joba, Mo.

once Joba starts you now take the best performer out of all the rest (Hawkins, Veras, Ohlendorf, Melancon?, Brunney, Ramirez, Britton, etc.) and slot them in for the 7th, bump Farns to 8th and then Mo. If Farns blows up and one of the "group" is lighting it up then simply slot that guy as the 8th inning guy.

Yanks seem to have an abundance of strong, young arms and now it's just a matter of time to see who can perform on the "big stage". I think Girardi will handle the staff well and I'm excited to see how it plays out.

Starting pitchers in the bullpen isn't always a bad idea
Earl Weaver did that with Jim Palmer and he turned out alright

I think this plan is a little crazy.
What if he turns out to continue to be a great set up man, and the Yankees have a solid 1-2 punch in the bullpen... then suddenly Joba is sent to Scranton. And then the bullpen is weakened and the rotation is not improved.

And what if he struggles as a starter (at this point he has as many major league starters as Lisa Kudrow)?

Very few starters burst onto the scene as a solid starter.

And what if no other set up men do a decent job... you know kind of like just about every set up man the Yankees in the last 6 years.

And how many people make that transition midseason?
I remember Tom Gordon doing it with KC
Francisco Liriano doing it as well

I also remember those two having a world of hurt armwise

There is a chance that they can weaken their rotation AND their bullpen doing this.

I think he should be the heir to Mariano, but pick something!
Have him start or relieve for 2008...

MAKE
A
DECISION

The Yanks had a whole lot more than 12 starters last season. They had close to 10 rookies alone make starts for them. I don't remember the exact count but I believe they broke a record in that department.

I also don't think Cashman wants to keep moving the prized kids back and forth from the rotation to the pen because of the injury risk involved.

Yankee Bri, you must know by now that Kyle Farnsworth is the equivalent of a really sexy woman who is also out of her mind.

His stuff instills lust and everyone thinks it will be different with them.

What will Girardi do what Dusty Baker, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre didn't?

He's Nuke Laloosh
A million dollar arm and a ten cent head.

He has all ability in the world but if he could harness it, he would have been the closer for the Cubs... or Tigers... or Braves... or the top set up man for the Yankees instead of a 99 MPH mop up man.

Sully, true dat but maybe (just maybe) Girardi sprinkles some pixie dust on him and he figures it out. maybe (just maybe) he sees all of these young hungry kids prowling around the bullpen and says to himself, "man, I better do something this year or I'm as good as dry toast" ... maybe (just maybe) he figures he needs to picth well this year or his baseball career is over (or he winds up in KC which is the same thing) .... only time will tell

All true, Sully. His velocity and strikeout totals were way down last season as well.

He wasn't hitting 99 MPH on the gun very much - which is one of the many reasons he was even more unreliable than in 2006.

Compare the numbers:

2006: 4.36 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 10.2 K/9 IP

2007: 4.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 7.2 K/9 IP

Let's face it, the guys sucks any way you cut it. However, the Farnsworth of 2006 was significantly more effective than the Farnsworth of 2007.

He's in huge trouble if he can't even reach back and put a little extra mustard on his fastball once in awhile to compensate for his lack of control.

Yankee Bri... you are falling for the hot crazy chick!

Actually it's the other way around.
It's the good looking dude who is trouble that women think they can change him.

"I know he's bad, but I see the good in him!"

Trust me, the Cubs all but handed him the closers job
The Tigers were salivating for his arm in a pitchers park
The Braves thought they had a closer for the playoffs.
The Yankees thought the bridge to Mariano was secure.

The last time I saw a bridge that weak, Indiana Jones was cutting it in half.

But I guess it's fool me 4 times shame on you....

ohhh Farnsy, why have you forsaken us???????

Sully,

If Farnsworth is "Nuke Laloosh" as you say, then maybe Girardi should make him wear a girdle. Couldn't hurt.

Anonymous (aka Viper) (or is it Viper aka Anonymous) [just kiddin' Viper]

Right now, Boston has to be considered the favorite. They're the champs.

Rose goes in the front, big guy.

"Yankee Bri, you must know by now that Kyle Farnsworth is the equivalent of a really sexy woman who is also out of her mind.

His stuff instills lust and everyone thinks it will be different with them."

Sully - that's just good stuff!

Bri,

Sorry I was away when you responded. But let me clarify my question. When Joba goes down for his stretching out period, then what. The Yanks will already have 5 starters. Are they then planning on goin to a 6 man rotation? To quote for the Movie"Big" .....I don't get it......is he a starter or a reliever. If he is a starter then where is his slot and who are the others. Are they starters or only temporary starters? This makes totally no sense to me or anyone I have spoken with about it. It appears the Yanks have no plan other than wait till mid season and hope that the situation accommodates our plan.

Are they planning for the failure of one of their 5 starters? If so then why even start othe one they are planning to fail. What if that person fails consistently for the first month? Do you then rush Joba to the minors to strecth him out so that by June he can start. This sounds like typical Cashman nonsense. I really have no idea what they intend to do.

Bri,

Also that list of strong young arms contains about 5 guys who stunk up the joint last year. I wouldn't expect to see many of them ever again get a big time shot. You basically have Joba Hughes and Kennedy. Beyond that its pretty empty. I think if you keep Joba in the pen you maximize his chance at success. Hughes may pan out to be a decent starter but hardly enough to justify not trading for Santana. The other names for the pen are just a rehash of what you had last year. Nothin impressive past Mariano. Perhaps one guy from the farm may impress but thats a hope and prayer. I think the Yankee pitching situation is about as disfunctional as I have ever seen in the big leagues in quite awhile.

Diane put the Soccer Dad label on it which is perfect because the soccer Dads aren't supposed to emphasize winning, just getting everyone playing time.

The Yankees are probably betting that they will not have 6 healthy starters at any given time so there won't be a fight for a final spot in the rotation. Mussina and Wang have both had injuries the past couple of seasons. Kennedy could use some rest to limit his innings and we just don't know what Pettitte is going to give the Yanks at this point so I'd say that the Yanks will not have to worry about cramming another starter in the rotation. By the time Joba comes back and is ready to start, Kennedy may be ready to skip a few starts to get some rest and a little rest will not hurt Wang, who admitted in the post by Kat that he was tired in the playoffs. A rested Pettitte will only benefit the Yankees if they are in playoff contention.

Too many starters would be a great problem to have.

So let me get this straight ...

Joba will start the year in the pen, after training in the spring as a starter.

Then go to the minors in June for a few weeks ...

Then come back as a starter?

That's weird! Why do that? Or do it that way? To fill a gap till someone else emerges to deal with the 8th inning. Why not just get Kevin Gregg?

The NY Post had a nice baseball spread the other day and talked about all the teams and various players.

One thing stood out, the number of pitchers moving between the pen and rotation, (Joba will be another?) and from set up man to closer. Kerry Wood being one.

Another name was this Janssen of Toronto. Why would he be in their rotation with AJ, Halladay, Jesse Litsch, Marcum and McGowan? Because AJ always gets hurt?

Everyone attacked Geroge King's article the other day (on this Blog) but he was on the money. We don't know how the kids will hold up. (I think they'll do well in general but have a few rough stretches, that's normal). We have many holes, no real team ethos, no small ball skills ...

Yet the team will take shape, win 90 games and try to make the Wild Card. That will be difficult this year.

I truly believe that with Kevin Gregg, David Eckstein and Josh Hamilton we would have won the division, the pennant and the WS.

We could have saved 300 million on A-Rod and put Cano at 3B.

We could have gotten Ludwick for LF and traded Godzilla and four young arms to the Giants for Timmy or Matt Cain, or even tried for Noah Lowrey as we need LHP's with Lilly in Chicago and Igawa playing T-Ball.

True we can make a trade with one of the emerging young arms. There are so many and I haven't seen any of them pitch, so who can truly speculate? Melancon, Betances, Sanchez, Ohlendorf ...

Brackman will be an ace in two years or so. That's that they say.

Then there is the Chris Carpenter kid. (Not of Cardinals fame.)

Honestly, the dead wood of Mussina, Damon, Godzillia, Farns, Igawa and Giambi means no WS this year. That's 25 percent of the team.

And Menky and Phillips were fine at 1B. What's with the four gloves fighting it out over there? I am confused! Are they better interchangable parts? Menky had a nice glove for sure. He roped when he was on Minny. He seemed like an okay player.

Anyway, the NY Giants won because EVERY guy on the roster was good. Madison Hedgecock, Tyree and others, like Kevin Boss of tiny Western Oregon.

You can't waste even one roster spot if you want to be an elite team. Look at the Chicago Bulls, even Steve Kerr and Buechler and Paxon could be depended on. A very deep team 1 - 12.

Cashman would make a good textbook example of a CEO with all the money in the world, who couldn't put together a better on field starting core than Colorado for a lot less money. It's an example of how not to run a team. So many mistakes. So many off field moral issues, some which are even evil.

I guess it all depends on how you look at it. I look at it like we are the team with the highest equity and salaries yet Paul Byrd shut us down when it mattered most.

Verlander in the afternoon shadows ... ok.

Byrd pitching with a tumor ... something is very wrong there.

One Final Thing

NY Post ran a story today of the Peking people setting up a spy ring to steal our top military and defense secrets. (Bill Clinton gave them our miniaturized warhead designs via LORAL and our friend Wen Ho Lee.) Two men were arrested. So, no, the Peking gang are NOT our friends, they are openly planning war and sabotage against us, and Cashman doing business with them is like, totally not cool.

The Yankees are Americana. We are not the Pirates. Again, the Yanks are a symbol of America. What the team does vis a vis marketing or biz with Peking means more than other teams.

All normal, patrotic Americans who care for our suffering brothers and sister in Mainland C. should join forces to boycott that nation until it fixes its horrible human rights record.

Ant Colony is just another example of a mother throwing away her newborn baby and electing to raise the placenta instead.

I believe the Yankees upon their refusal to give a long term deal to Wang. As a show of good faith and belief in their pitcher who won 38 games in the last two years should concede the remaining $600k which is in dispute in arbitration.

On another note by not giving him a long term deal, the possibility of a trade in 2010 with the maturity of our 3 young pitchers makes him more tradeable. But, I would hope that Wang is allowed to continue his career here. I like his potential but believe his mental toughness needs some work.

I think the Yanks need to end up paying Wang.

But I do see why they want to hold off. Before they sign him to a big contract they need to see if he was affected by losing so big in the playoffs last year. Also they would be smart to see what they have as far as other young talent. He may be worth more to trade for a more experienced pitcher who they can throw in with all the new young guns.

But in my eyes I believe Wang will prove for the third year in a row that he should be considered one of the top 5 best pitchers in MLB today.

PAY HIM

In case you missed it here's the link to Jack Curry's Q & A with Girardi:

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/?8dpc

Diane,

Thanks for posting the link as opposed to cut and pasting the entire interview.

I see we have another keyboard shrink who thinks he has the answers to Nudge....LMAO....there seems no end to the fish in the barrel. It IS entertaining (to a degree) to watch the little fishys get filleted...

Viper, I would respond to your post regarding the Sox this way: You have alot of supposition in your post. Who is to say that the Sox wont be better? Is it a stretch to assume that Drew will have a better year than he did last year in the regular season?...say like his post-season stats. I would also guess that Ortiz will have better power numbers BECAUSE his knee is now not a problem...it was fixed, remember? He is a DH...I dont think the surgery he had will hamper his hitting...only improve it. Manny is, evidently, reborn this off-season and has been a workout warrior...my guess is he is gearing up for a mega-season so the Sox will exercise his 09 option.

I believe the Sox knew of Schillings shoulder woes long before the off-season started, and was hoping for a bit of Petey-complex, which is to say that Pedro Martinez had the same issue with his shoulder (partially torn rotator cuff) and was able to continue pitching with the proper maintenance program...my thought is the Sox were hoping to get one complete season of pitching out of the tandem of Schilling and Wakefield. As it stands, my guess is the Sox are hoping that Schilling may be able to provide a boost to the pitching staff in the post-season...where, by the way, he tends to shine. If not, the Sox do seem to have solid depth at pitching. Which brings me to Dice-K.

Dice-K had a up and down season in 07...he showed flashes of brilliance, but also tired down the stretch. Clearly the talent is there, and my guess is he will be better prepared for the 08 campaign, will be far more acclimated to American customs, the difference in ML baseballs, (slightly larger than Japanese baseballs) have a better understanding of the hitters he will face, and will see greater success than last year.

Beckett?...no reason to think he wont repeat last season...period.

Lester and Bucholz...still young and learning, both have clear upside talent. Lester will never be an "Ace", but a solid LH starting pitcher...ala Andy Pettite. Bucholz has the stuff that could be "Ace" worthy....time will tell. No reason to believe either of these young men wont continue to succeed.

Youkilis is steady Eddy and will be the same as he has always been, Lowell has found new life in Boston and will be a good leader in the clubhouse and will continue to provide solid offensive numbers, not to mention outstanding defense. Pedroia was ROY for a reason...he is a dirt-dog type that loves to be a pain in the ass to opposing teams...no reason to think that wont continue.veritek may not be the offensive threat that he once was..but he still gets his licks...and there is NO question of his value behind the plate, and to the ptiching staff. Lugo played stellar defense and was less than impressive with the stick in 07...my guess is his numbers will improve, why not?...his career numbers are better than he showed in 07. Ellsbury is the latest phenom in Beantown....the kid reminds most everyone of one Mr. Fred Lynn with his natural athleticism...he has all the ability in the world, and remember...power is the last thing to develop.

The bullpen is pretty set with solid set up and middle relief, and of course is anchored by arguably the best closer in the game today, Papelbon.

The bench looks pretty solid too with the additions of Keilty (return actually) and Casey.

I like the Sox chances of repeating.

The Yankees?...Solid...very solid offensively, adequate defensively, and better than average starting pitching....my question would be this: That starting pitching will likely have very high pitch counts by the 5th-6th innings...do the Yanks have adequate middle relief pitching?

What happened to our AR groupies?

Normally anytime Jeter says anything supportive about a team-mate to the press, the AR groupies go into a good imitation of roid-rage, screaming that DJ shouldn't intercede with the PRESS for anyone because he didn't try to stop the FANS from booing AR when he was stinking the place up.

Very different situations, of course, but that's never stopped our friends before.

Yet here's Jeter trying to keep the press from savaging Pettite and not an outraged groupie to be found.

What's up?

Damn....Andy did HGH in 2004.

There is no doubt the Sox are going to be right around where they were last year, if not better.

If the starting pitching can stay healthier then it was the first half of the season then the bullpen should be able to hold up better than last year.

The Yankees offense will be capable of being just as good as it was the 2nd half of the season last year.

Is anyone listening to the hearings???

Jim A,

But he didn't attempt to lie and cover it up. So everyone will be abuzz for a few days and then move on. Unlike with Big Head.

I hope, at some point, all this paranoia over HGH becomes yesterdays news. Lots of people use HGH at different points in their life. It is commonly prescribed by Dr's all over the USA for a variety of maladies. My guess is that Andy, like most who have used it, did not use it excessively or continually, but at specific points to help with the healing process.....to me, that is a bit different than what the insinuation is as far as "cheating" and "drug use".

McCarthy,
I'm listening. Waxman has been giving his opening statement for a long time.

Nudge,
Yes, Pettitte told the truth and was commended by Waxman for it. "Andy Pettitte is an honorable person" according to Waxman.

Clemens is toast! He admitted to his wife taking HGH and they are reading Andy's statement...not good for Rog.

CO,

Nah he only used it to prepare for a swimsuit photo session!

Wrong is wrong, he knows he made the mistake and unfortunately for him he will always be linked to it for the rest of his life. But like I said as for baseball the fans will move on after a few days and only his performance will be talked about.

Andy Pettite is a RAT!

he will be dealt with.

Sleep with the Fishes Cajun Boy.

Clemens is a rat for ratting on his wife!

she should cut and pickle his manhood.

Andy Pettite is a RAT!

he will be dealt with.

Sleep with the Fishes Cajun Boy.

Clemens is a rat for ratting on his wife!

she should cut and pickle his manhood.

The hysteria of drug use and "cheating" in MLB is, for the most part, a gross over-reaction. I'm not condoning it, but I think it is nothing new, and will never be completely stamped out. Hell...we all are guilty of it are we not?

Ever "borrow" a perc or a tylenol #3 from a friend who has a 'script because you may be having a migraine?

I see we have a return of the Mafia wanna-bes. Haven't heard from those crazies in about a year.

CO,

No but can you get me some???

There's a lot of reasons to think the Yankees could be better this year and worse this year.

Same with the Red Sox

Neither made a huge splash in the free agent market except for keeping their own players from bolting.

Both teams have young pitchers who made a big impression late in the season (Lester and Buccholz for my boys, Joba, Hughes and Kennedy for you guys)

Both teams have veteran pitchers who of course can be prone to injury or slumps (Beckett, Dice-K and Wakefield for us, Wang, Pettite and Wang for you guys)

Both teams have solid closers and question marks for the other relievers (Papelbon is great but is Okajima a one year wonder and will DelCarmen, Lopez and Timlin contribute anything? Rivera is in the Hall of Fame but will Joba do the job the first half? And who will replace him when he is strangely shipped back to the farm?)

Both teams have terrific lineups with some young hitters (Ellsbury, Youkillis and Pedrioia for us, Cabrera and Cano for you guys) and some great veteran hitters who are a year older (Ortiz, Manny, Drew, Varitek and Lowell for us, A-Rod, Jeter, Posada, Abreu, Matsui and Damon for you guys)

Sorry, I'm not including Giambi at this point. He's a pinch hitter now.

They are essentially the same team!

Both teams can improve if everything goes right
Both teams can slump if things go wrong

I think both will win between 92 and 96 games and be playing in October

Man, it is going to be fun this year

Andy Pettite is a retard.

Boo birds will swoon him by those New York Mob loving Fans especially if he don't do well.

Brian Cashman should have knew the writing was on the wall when Pettite delayed a decision on returning now you have to pay this rat

CO,
As I've said many times, I think a large percentage of players did PED's so I wouldn't care if they just moved on without any punishment for any of them. Bonds may have been on the juice when hitting all those HR's, but I bet a lot of pitchers who gave up the HR's were juicing too so the playing field was level if you ask me.

I guess I just don't care all that much but I'm interested to see how far Clemens takes his story or if some smoking gun of truth is found to prove him innocent.

Did I hear that correctly?

Roger said..."No Andy you must've misunderstood me...That was Deb's A$$ that mac stuck a needle in"

WTF!!!!

I couldn't POSSIBLY care less about this Clemens testimony.

Anon- YOU are the retard. Andy Pettitte told the truth while under oath you moron. I guess the bad weather has school closed so you can play on the computer for a while but soon you will be bored with it and then you go read your MAD magazines or try to find one of your dad's Playboy's and some lotion. Have fun youngster!

Nah...I hate that stuff...makes me feel "out of body".

I will say, at the risk of being compared to Ant, as far as I'm concerned this is nothing more than a waste of taxpayers hard earned money....Congress needs to spend more time cleaning up there own endless messes. The last thing MLB/NFL needs is for Congress to do what they do best.....spend oodles of money to get absolutely nothing worthwhile done.

Anyone who is watching this live notice if Rusty Hardin has taken the shovel away from Roger or is he preparing to let him continue digging?

CO,

Remember, if Congress hadn't gotten involved in 2005 the union and MLB wouldn't have done anything to get a handle on this. Now if you think its not a problem then you think its OK for high school kids to do this stuff too.

Nudge,
Roger has a pick and shovel. McNamee has a dump truck full of dirt.

I'd much rather talk about Joba in the 8th but I must admit this is far more entertaining than I had expected.

CO,

And personally I would rather have Congress distracted doing this than devising clever ways to take my money and give it to others, or punish successful businesses because they have the nerve to make a profit, or badger Banks into giving loans to people who cant afford them and then have to default and then criticize the banks for giving out questionable loans. These are the things that have been the offshoot of OTHER congressional hearings that nobody watched because there weren't celebrities involved. So if they shut down the Congress for the next year on this....we all win.

To those of you who have never testified in a court of law. The people asking the questions for the most part know the answers or structure the question so you have to answer the way they want. Its tough to lie. Andy is no rat. He's doing the right thing for himself and baseball.

Roger should not be protected but face the news.

Hey pal , what you know about lotion and magazines?

pettite is an unstable witness you square. If you was my friend i would not state such mess. people tell me things daily , a man just said he had lunch with Jesus should I believe him.

Petttite could have said well we spoke about stuff but hey I never seen him do it.

As you know Clemens never squealed on anybody to him Pettite affairs ws none of his Business. If you can cheat your way around the game then you can talk your way out of this. This situation happens daily and people avoid ratting. ALL parties knew they were doing wrong ,mcamee meanwhile accepted the rat program and squealed while getting a check.

Just becasue Andy is in Pinstripes does not give him immunity!! if that is the Case JOSE F@## COnseco is the New Pope

my guess, certainly after this hearing, that pettitte and rog won't be going to each other's family birthday parties anymore.

Nudge,

I share your political stance...I am an unabashed capitalist and could go on for hours....but this is not the place or forum for it (Please take note Ant).

No, I do NOT believe that high school kids should be encouraged to take drugs of any sort...I believe the responsibility of raising children to make good choices about their lives, and what they do and dont do lies with those children's parents....not Congress, or certainly not the sports media. I believe that baseball players, football players are human and some will make bad choices...perhaps it is more responsible to teach our children to make their personal decisions based on their up-bringing and not the sports media, or the professional ball players. The days of "Leave it to Beaver" where we all thought that the police were our friends, that politicians were honest and intent on maintaining our welfare, and professional sports players were heroes is a distant memory. I am not naive enough to blame the players for this country's drug issues among our young....most of them are far better informed than we are...and certainly far better informed then we were at their age.

How tight does the collar look around Rogers neck?

CO,

I can see a little Eddie Haskell in you!

I agree with Jim A. that the use of these substances was probably widespread enough that even if they HAD enhanced performance the playing field was pretty even. I also agree with the scientific reporting that any actual enhancement of performance due to the substances involved was insignificant/erratic.

On both those counts I think there is not much here worth getting excited about.

Elected officials involve themselves in it because the presence of celebrities in their committee room get them lots of face-time on TV for free, a commodity that they otherwise pay dearly for.

Meantime Pettitte and Clemens are the kind of guys that give familyvalues/Biblethumping its name for hypocrisy.

No, I'm not watching.

Awwww....now you're making me blush.

Honestly this is a victory for Drug Dealers .....

I'm just being honest. they say they are protecting the likes of the Youth in the world of sports . so what about the Youth who say they do not wanna do sports but can make a profit by selling drugs to athletes ?? getting a slap on the wrist is nothing to a person looking to make a big buck profit when all they have to do is snitch.

The problem I have is that this is supposed friendships.

I mean if I brought illegal activities ot my friends and I myself was the obtainer of the product and my connect of such product got busted and gave my name then I , ME , SOLO , would have to deal with the consequenses. As for Congress they are a Joke and again is putting the wool over our eyes with this mess while our boys and girls is DYING in Iraq. and this nation wonder aloud the audacity to place part blame on the US when tapes show relations between Bin Laden and the current President but is qick to convict CLemens on testimony of a crook. SHakin my head.

even in religion Jesus was not a tattler when Pilot asked to give up his peoples , I bring this up becasue Pettite is a devot. I bring this up becasue all pettite had to say was I took it I do not know what rodger did he is a big boy.

Congress is being used to wonder if Clemens was at a Barbecue

Isn't there a war in Iraq and a mortgage crisis?

Sully,

Yes a mortgage crisis that congress caused. Let them talk all year......please!!! I don't think Congress is actually supposed to fight the war are they?

Gee...maybe the US Army should start injecting our soldiers with steroids, and make the board of directors for Banks/Mortgage company's take HGH.

The best thing I've heard today is that this will be the last Congressional hearing to discuss steroids in baseball. Maybe now they can move on to something more serious, like betting on WNBA games or something.

BTW, is misremembering a real word?

Jim A,

Congress was planning on cancelling these hearings but Big Heads attorneys insisted Roger get the chance to speak publicly. Another Shovel handed to Clemens.

Macamee just shot himself in the foot.

How could you say in 2002 in regards to clemens wife that you don't know enough about it but you supposedly shot the guy up in 98-99?

Anon,

Got to get your facts straight. Clemens was using Roids in 98 not HGH. They aren't the same thing.

the term should be "shot himself in the ass"...dontcha think?

If that was so .. then they would have clearly stated the difference , Pettites testimony is based on HGH usage so GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT the bomb they are relying on is HGH.

Nudge

He stated that he may have gave him roids in 2001 but in 98 -99 he gave him hgh.

I think the only fair way to solve this issue is to do this:

A seven game series between the known HGH/Roids users VS the Pure....

The Pure could borrow the Angels uni's, while the Users would ahve to design uni's with a hypodermic needle sticking out of a bare ass as their logo.

The profits from this seven game series would then be used to bribe the Chinese into better human rights for their citizens.

The games themselves, of course, would be fixed ...so the Pure win..therefore giving the media and us parents the ability to teach junior that good always wins over evil.

Perfect.

BB,

Sorry to see that the public school system failed you so miserably because not only are you borderline illiterate, but you don't have a clue what you're talking about regarding world events.

I'm shaking my head just reading your gibberish.

Anonymyass,

Clemens used anabolic steroids in 98-99, then the testing program was initiated so most steroid users switched to HGH for which there is no reliable test. If you don't know anything about a subject sit quietly.

Pettitte only took HGH. Radomski was distributing both HGH and Winstrol, the vial of which Clemens initially brought to Mac. Now quiet down and let the smart people talk

Anom-

Michael Moore used footages that the nation called unacceptable, but you clowns believe this crap because you have bias intetions

and yes I went to public school the same system that was messed up by racial politicians who SWORE UNDER OATH to hold a equal and fair office and turned around and performed some of the most uncivil acts in this country while sworn under oath so don't you fuckin dare tell me about history and fact you nameless scum!!! swearing under oath means squat!!!!

To everyone else civil on here I apologize for my outburst!

BB,

As our idiot anonymi here proves....it dont take much electrical current for anyone with fingers and thumbs to peck away at a keyboard....pity ...my dog has deeper thought patterns than this idiot.

LMAO...Nudge you just might get your wish....

Now the fat guy with the Clark Kent glasses wants to investigate the MLB owners and MLBPA.

This could take years.

CO,

Maybe they can expand it to the hot dog vendors and the ticket collectors too!!

Its hilarious to hear some of the stupid irrelevant questions that get asked by these guys. Just remember, they ask just as many stupid and irrelevant questions on issues that effect all our lives. Better about baseball than regulating something. At least this won't result in any legislation.

I love all the politics on here today. This feels like a USA Today blog or something wear everything is blamed on Bush, Congress etc.
Like Nudge said, Clemens wanted this hearing and in the free world you get what you ask for sometimes.

Then again, maybe I mis-remember or mis-heard some of the facts in school.

Jim A,

Good one!

Yes, I get all of my news from Michael Moore. Great job, BB. You further proved my point.

Hookt on fonix and a history lessun mite doo yoo sum good.

Oh, who am I kidding.

that one is easy....Just yourself.

You know, in the end...Clemens will walk away from this pretty much unscathed...save the media blitz over the next few months...

We are far too fickle to let this impact our focus or opinions in the long term.

You can trust Michael Moore better than a Drug Dealer,

And Anon, You scum that is the way your m** sound ahh let me remain politically correct.

as you can see you cannot properly dicipher the content of one;s post. If you was to use clarity in your reading skills you will notice that The mike moore stance was used in the hostility of majority of Americans outrage over the accusations that Bush was aligned with Bin laden. in that observation of opinion Mr Moore pointed out through footage and exahusted research the connection which was still met with outrage. The point being made you deleted cerebrum with lack of madulla strength was that people was outrage at mr. Moore even though he had a stable amount of supposed evidence even claims from the Majority of forgery etc was demostrated. while in the same breath people are quick to assume based on the testimony of an unstable charactor that one's guilt is assumed. If your thought process is the majority of america then we are in alot of trouble. Trust me when I relay this to you. In no way shape or form would you ever question me in person, every body here who knows me know where I'm at. online name callin will stop , if you have issue reveal your self and handle this like a mature person and not like a retarded chimp.

Have a nice day.

See Casual ,

I can switch it up, Sometimes I just don't want too,

haha

Anonymi has, over the past year or so, consistently done nothing different than he/she has today...which is make the same tired comments/cliches at anyone who dare to disagree with his/her self imposed "company line"...It's a pity really...there is no diversity in this idiots world, just the graffiti on the tenement walls he/she uses as her/his bible.

BB...dont let this fish get under your skin. Not worth it.

Normally I have to penetrate the shell they call a brain with progressive attacks which in turn normally drives the loonies away

I guess our government blew up the World Trade Center too because some idiots believe it. There are complete nutjobs in this country like "Loose Change" who actually spew that crap (and claim to have the evidence), but that doesn't make it true.

I know you can't read or write very well but Google Christopher Hitchens' and read his piece from a few years ago on Fahrecrap-911. He's no fan of Bush at all, just a guy who wanted to know the truth and completely eviscerated that crockumentary from beginning to end.

Moore has zero credibility to most everybody but tools like yourself who are easily manipulated.

Casual ..

I will let you handle this person to his "lack of list"

Of course Moore credibilty should be questioned so should be Macamee that is the point trying to be made.

also is noted that pettite took addition drugs in 2004

Clemens will walk untouched.

mcamee is looking bad now

As I stated earlier...this is nothing more than a circus that will amount to nothing, in the end.

I happen to share your view regarding Moore...who I put into the same category as Dr. Phil, and Jerry Springer...who I have never watched, and never will. I find it interesting that you have such profound knowledge of him and his work.

Clemens will walk away from this for sure, but he is not untouched. Long shadows of doubt have been cast on him as well as McNamee.
They are both dirty if you ask me so that's probably why they were so close to each other.

I've been a long time fan of this blog, I think it's been almost 3 years now and I never thought I'd see Michael Moore mentioned on it. It's what makes this blog great, you just never know what direction it's going to go. We go from Jeter's range, A-Rod's "mistress" to a lunatic like Michael Moore with the flip of a switch. Good stuff people!

CO,
"It is what it is". hahahaha...if you are listening to the hearing, you get that.

See?

Now the committee is bitchin about the committee....

how very predictable.

Jim,

Trust me...this will all be forgotten within a year or so.

Clemens is "safe".

Do any of us really give a flying **** what happens to Mcmanee?

Hahaha

It;s prime time Jim , actually i brought up Moore to show a point in peoples judgement and response.

Clemens walks untouched and no doubt of vast majority over his head. McMess is ruined tarnished destroyed. even if Clemens did so the holes is too big in his story , Just like with haaha OJ the effort to convince guilt was so overwhelming it destroyed prosecution stance.

Even with andy report it showed holes.

Oh my!.....is that a tear in the corner of Rahgah's eye?

Hahaha

It;s prime time Jim , actually i brought up Moore to show a point in peoples judgement and response.

Clemens walks untouched and will have no doubt of vast majority over his head anyperson with common sense would actually applaud him just for defeating this . McMess is ruined tarnished destroyed. even if Clemens did so the holes is too big in his story , Just like with OJ, the effort to convince guilt was so overwhelming it destroyed prosecution stance.

Even with andy report it showed holes.

Well....I gotta say,

I'm home from work today due to a miserable cold/flu...which sucks, but is expected this time of year. I'll recover...

At least I've been entertained in my self-pity as I destroy one box of tissues after another.

National pastime Hero Faced down Congress and walks away unharmed.

That is why the TV's stated that republicans sided with Roger while democrats were against (wtf??)

people scared of the gov't Geroge Mitchell this and that whatever Gov't lies too just asked the indians (not clev)

Bomber,
I was going to throw in the fact that Bill Clinton (Hillary's husband) had Bin Laden in handcuffs during his presidency and let him go, but I didn't want to talk politics :)

By the way, Jim B. is keeping a running blog of the hearings in his "Final Score" blog. He's pointing out the highlights, or lowlights depending on how you look at it.

Not to totally change the subject, but while you're with us Bomber and because I haven't seen any news on it, what is going to happen to Yankee Stadium after the Yanks move out? Is it just going to be knocked down and paved over? I certainly hope not. Have you heard what is happening w/ Munson's locker? Somebody posted on another thread that he heard it was going away, but I don't believe that for a minute. My guess is it may go to the new stadium to be displayed for the public or maybe to the baseball HOF? Got any info bro?

Bomber,
I was going to throw in the fact that Bill Clinton (Hillary's husband) had Bin Laden in handcuffs during his presidency and let him go, but I didn't want to talk politics :)

By the way, Jim B. is keeping a running blog of the hearings in his "Final Score" blog. He's pointing out the highlights, or lowlights depending on how you look at it.

Not to totally change the subject, but while you're with us Bomber and because I haven't seen any news on it, what is going to happen to Yankee Stadium after the Yanks move out? Is it just going to be knocked down and paved over? I certainly hope not. Have you heard what is happening w/ Munson's locker? Somebody posted on another thread that he heard it was going away, but I don't believe that for a minute. My guess is it may go to the new stadium to be displayed for the public or maybe to the baseball HOF? Got any info bro?

Wow! The congressman who just said to Clemens "it's hard to believe you sir, you are one of my heroes, but it is hard to believe you" really struck a chord.

that is info I can get in the future , I know it is not going away however.

I trust that was you BB...keep us posted.

Roger gets the gavel!
Waxman really let it be known he sided w/ McNamee.

It's over now and what was been accomplished? In my opinion, absolutely nothing. I don't think anyone who had an opinion on this debate changed sides as a result of this hearing. Am I wrong about that?

Let the spin doctoring begin!!!

(uh.. that's "PHD" spin doctoring, of course)

Jim ..

You are correct the only thing is Clemens gets the slighter Nod becasue he faced down congress , and was the the accused

This is just another example why limited government is ideal for this country.

The bigger government gets, the more often they find ways to waste our tax dollars on irrelevant crap that doesn't accomplish a damn thing.

A pure waste of time in the respect that baseball should police itself unless it doesn't want to in the future and pass along any info to the correct jurisdiction whether its the Feds or local.

Congress should work on getting this country back to the top where it belongs. Sorry, for the political comment.