Here's the lineup and pre-game notes, as the Yankees are set to face the Indians and lefty C.C. Sabathia. He is one of four left-handers on the Yankees' schedule in a six-game span. With that slate, Hideki Matsui and Jason Giambi both have the day off today.
Joba Chamberlain is available after his right hamstring tweak Thursday. He said everything's fine.
Ian Kennedy remains in the rotation.
Grady Sizemore is not in the Indians' lineup, which endangers his longest active consecutive games played streak (382). He hurt his ankle in the ninth inning yesterday, and the Indians called up Brad Snyder.
Here's the lineup:
Yankees
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Posada C
Duncan 1B
Ensberg DH
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Wang P
Indians
Dellucci LF
Cabrera 2B
Hafner DH
Martinez C
Garko 1B
Peralta SS
Blake 3B
Gutierrez CF
Michaels RF
Sabathia LHP
Comments (3)
Girardi was lauded by the press during ST, given credit for everything but the weather, faulted for nothing. Until recently, he's been given pretty much a free pass during the first weeks of the season as well. His using the bullpen almost exactly as JT would has barely been alluded to, and his errors of judgment in in-game strategy scarcely mentioned.
Unfortunately Joe seems to have assumed that this is just his natural due, not a brief honeymoon in which it behooved him to cultivate reporters for the good of the team while the chance was there.
Instead he has taken advantage by being testy, secretive, and at times even duplicitous, and reporters are beginning to call him on it.
Wake up, Joe. The more you evade, spin and outright lie, the more they'll go after the guys on the team for stuff you withhold. You're supposed to handle the heat, not pass it on to your players. Read your job description -- I'm sure it's there.
Just because you don't like it doesn't mean you aren't obligated to do it, and to learn to do it well.
Di: You sound like Pete Abraham now...
Actually, it's more that he sounds like me.
If you checked the archives here you'd find I remarked on Girardi's manners with the press well before PA, TyKep and the various others who are now kvetching.