E-Boland and the Bombers

I may to need to eat some crow about Mussina

Sully,

Good for you for manning up.

I'd like to see MichaelPTRSS do the same after the way he went on a rant at the beginning of the game.

Just my opinion,from 2 time zones away.

Hey my Newsday Friends.
Click on my name... it links to my blog posting where I talk about what I think the Yankees should do with Mussina right now

I'd love your opinion

Sully,
I will post my opinion HERE, because as a Yankee fan I am not willing to increase the "hits' on your blog .
Cuz...that's just the way I feel about Boston fans. (nothing personal---well, maybe)

Let me keep this simple.

Your writing lost me with the 3 or 12 (I can't remember) paragrah intro that was either an apology or an acknowledgement of your poor call on Moose.
I "THINK' you suggested that the Yanks should trade Mussina right now.

So, I went to the BoSox website to see if there was a comparable pitcher that the Red Sox should trade who is 10-4 right now.
Lo and behold, there aren't even pitcher stats that I could find there.

So Sullivan (Someday I'll find the clan that allowed Irish to be DUMPED in Boston) all I gotta say is .....CRAM IT.

I like Mussina in pinstripes right now.

Take your disingenous pablum and stuff it in a high cholosterol marginally clam chowder.

Get your own 10-4 pitcher.

Just some thoughts....from 2 time zones away.

I said time and time again during the offseason that the Yanks needed Moose a lot more than the fans thought - primarily due to innings limits on Hughes, Kennedy, and Joba.

I also said that average (4.50 - 4.75 ERA) was doable for him.

Well, I wasn't exactly dead on with those predictions but I guess I came closer than everyone else.

Good for him. He's really had a great season and I think there's a very good chance he makes the All Star team.

BTW, speaking of the All Star team, if the AL gets a lead in the middle innings - they should be in pretty damn good shape to close it out.

Check out the list of closers alone who are all likely to make the AL squad:

Soria, K-Rod, Nathan, Papelbon, and Mo.

That's pretty devastating, especially when yo compare them to the talent on the NL side:

Wagner, Lidge, Wood, and Lyon

It's really amazing to compare the talent between leagues because the NL is still completely outclassed.

Islander,

My point was that Mussina's value may never be this high again, especially since last year he was a total bust and next year he wont be on the team.

As for my team's pitching staff... I'll take a lower team ERA and the 6 game lead in the standings and the best record in the AL.

You don't see my team starting set up men

Happy Father's Day to Jim A., Sully and all the other Dads among our regulars, hope you have a special day with your kids, and that those among us who still have their fathers will get a chance to wish them well today!

Sully,

It looks like I'm with you in needing to eat some crow on Moose. That said - I would not bring him back to this team next season. There are a couple of Chinese proverbs I tend to live my life by - one of them is: Never trust a player whose best year coincides with his walk year.

Mussina is auditioning for his career to continue next year after he looked cooked the last couple of seasons. He doesn't want to be retired the same way Piazza and Kenny Lofton have been. Same goes for Giambi. And hey, it's great for the Yankees, someone will sign these guys off of this season and the Yankees will get a slew of draft picks.

As for your team not starting set-up men...um, your team did however panic and turn one of the organizations prized starter prospects into a closer and that worked out pretty well. Paps was supposed to do what Joba is doing, injuries to Foulke and the flame out of Craig Hansen forced him into the closer's role. Besides, I'm over this noise - Jose Veras has been throwing real well in the 8th, and I think Gerrit Cole will be a lock down reliever.

Speaking of - NY Post has a couple of interesting articles, one on David Robertson and one on Gerrit Cole.

KC Star (in slight jest) wonders if the Yankees' drafting and signing of Luke Grienke will lead to Zack Grienke signing with the Yankees down the road.

Sully,

I understand your point, but Moose isn't going anywhere.

Cashman is going to ride this one out as long as possible and Moose does have a full no trade clause in his contract.

So, even if the Yanks wanted to deal him - Moose would have to agree to such a move.

Depending on how Moose finishes this season, he could also decide to hang it up for good.

I'm sure he knows 300 wins ain't gonna happen and he can hang his Hall of Fame argument cap on the fact that he thrived during the Steroid Era and played his entire career in what is generally viewed as the toughest division in MLB over a span of 20 years.

Over the course of Moose's career, the AL East has won 8 rings and 10 pennants. The only other division in MLB that even remotely compares to that kind of hardware is the NL East with 3 rings and 9 pennants.

Don't know if he'll ever make the Hall, but he's got some strong arguments to make his case.

Viper

Agreed, Moose would never accept a trade - he's too much of a creature of habit and wouldn't be willing to uproot himself, interrupt his routine, mid season to deal with the stuff that comes with being traded.

I don't think he retires. I think some eastern team will give him a 1 or 2 year deal (Phillies, Atlanta, Mets, maybe Cleveland)

r.e. Venditte. I read that the kid tops out at about 88 as a righty, but only about 80-82 as a lefty. Apparently his motion as a lefty is disconcerting to hitters, but that's the kind of thing that throws college kids off but doesn't work in the pros for long. Given a couple years development, you have to figure the speed will improve a bit, but again he's a college kid, not an 18-year-old. So how much? 92-94 as a righty is fine, but he's not going to add 8mph to his lefty fastball, and 85-86mph fastballs travel far in the bigs. Besides, any time spent on the left arm is time not spent on the right one.

Just sayin', he might turn into a good relief pitcher, but as much as I'd love to see it, I wouldn't expect to see him throwing from both sides at the stadium.

DC - there's almost no chance he continues to Switch Pitch his way to the majors. Baseball America and Scouts Inc., both agree that the Yankees will let him do this for the rest of this season, maybe next year too, but in the end he'll pick a side. If he's smart, he picks lefty.

LOL, Chip. Still, I doubt that's the way the Yanks want him to go.

I just wonder if maybe in a blowout game sometime down the road we might see Joe walk out with an extra glove and ask him to turn around for a batter or two, instead of warming up an extra guy. You know, like when Alvaro Espinoza used to pitch a few innings every couple weeks. ;)

DC - I've blocked the Alvaro Espinoza era out of my memory...along with Rocky V, Godfather III, and the Ray Handley era with the Giants.

Sully,

Consider my rant at 5:31 an introductory and obligatory anti-Red Sox spiel on this board.
Reality is, I have read a lot of what you post here in the past without commenting and generally enjoy what you write.

Reds and Tampa close to a deal that would send Griffey to the Rays - Griffey has said he will waive his no trade, that may have been the last hangup.

Would be a FANTASTIC pick-up for Tampa. First of all Griffey fills the one void that they have (a veteran who knows what to do in a playoff race - due respect to Cliff Floyd, but he's not an everyday player) and he can play either in RF or at DH.

Having played college sports with a fellow who could pitch and quarterback from both sides and he had very good strength with the football but college baseball the talent caught up with his abilities even when he was high school star. So the fact that this signee is throwing from both sides but 6/8 mph less from the left side indicates his strong side. The fact that college baseball players found his left side troublesome is strange to me. It could have been the infrequency of his pitching from the left side. But I would not play too much with the two sides and pick ASAP. So development will be quicker. How much improvement can one expect from the weak side. He needs Mussina like pitches and control and be able to throw a fastball at 87+ to succeed. Why push the envelope, just IMHO.

If the kid can throw strikes left handed, I say regardless of velocity he sticks with the left hand. Ups his odds of at least getting a cup of coffee with a ml team.

Chip is correct...

I know baseball guys who threatened to duct tape their newborn son's right arm to their torso in an effort to raise a LHP pitcher.

"Happy" Father's Day??

Yankee BP today on YES is about to profile Brett Gardner

Yankees promoted IFs Danny Cox from Charleston (Low A) and Luis Nunez from Tampa (High A) to Scranton - not sure I understand those jumps...anyone have more info? Shelley Duncan has not yet reported to Scranton.

Hey Chip....

I noticed that Pettitte said on BP today that he wants to pitch in the new yard next season as long as his elbow is okay.

Hmmmm.

Viper - We'll see. He'll have to be a lot better than he has been to justify a return engagment.

He'll get it.

Pettitte is going to pitch very well in the second half like he always does and resigning him for one more season will be a no-brainer come November.

Mark my words.

We have a great many "Switch Hitters" on this site, And Proud of It.

there was another moose supporter on here. and although i was'nt predicting his era and etc. I did give him the benefit of being a veteran pitcher. In fact i will be giving him a present when he returns.

An ACE card!
I really do not feel like going to archives but 95% of this board was writing him off. the most i said about him was trade him.

Chip -

I'm glad you acknowledge that you may need to get into the Barbecue Crow feast. I have to eat some myself with Kyle Farnsworth who is not as BAD as I would have predicted , if he does anybetter I may have to erect a scarecrow.